Chat for agents
On this page
Introduction
The SolarWinds Service Desk (SWSD) chat feature must be enabled by your company's administrator. After it has been enabled, it plays a significant role for agents and requesters.
Navigation
Service Desk > Toolbar > Chat.
Use chat
As an agent, you want to always keep an eye on the chat icon in the tool bar 
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When the icon is blue, it reflects there are tickets in the queue, and the small number above that blue icon reflects how many chats are assigned to you.
When you see new chats, go into the chat button and click Accept Next to assign the specific incident to yourself.
You can have multiple chats open at one time, letting you support several requesters simultaneously. This helps improve your productivity. It is important not to accept too many chats at once, as this could lead to a suboptimal customer experience.
Indicators in your chat
- Three dots appearing one after the other indicate the requester is typing.
- A number on your chat icon reflects a reply is waiting in an open chat
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Convert a chat to an incident
To convert the complete chat conversation into an incident record allows the service desk to keep working toward a solution. This is beneficial when the issue cannot be resolved during the chat session.
Factors to consider:
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Each chat provides a Create Incident button.
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The chat conversation displays in the description text of the newly created incident.
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After an incident is created through conversion, the incident number displays and a button links you directly to the new incident.
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For reporting metrics, the incident origin is designated as Chat. (This aids management in analysis of the effectiveness of chat vs. other engagement channels.)
If you close the chat before you create an incident, SWSD asks if you would like to create an incident when you close the chat session.
Customize chat to meet your needs
- Move and resize the chat window. Drag and drop the chat window anywhere inside your browser, and/or resize it, to give you optimal visibility.
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Minimize the queue and close. If you minimize the queue, a quick action bar will open. This lets you navigate among open chats. You can also close a chat at any time, and reopen it using the chat icon.