Introduction

wolkvox has an assignment system that distributes calls, chats, and interactions among agents within an operation, considering their availability, expertise level, handling capacity, and the time elapsed since their last assignment.

The assignment mechanism depends on the channel type:

• Calls: voice communications managed through IVR.
• Chats: conversations through WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, and web chat widgets.
• Interactions: emails and comments on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) posts.

Although these channels share assignment criteria, there are differences in the agent statuses allowed to receive requests and the number of communications each agent can handle simultaneously.

How Are Calls, Chats, and Interactions Assigned to Agents in wolkvox?

When a call, chat, or interaction is transferred to an agent queue (skill), wolkvox identifies which agents can handle it and applies the following criteria:

• Skill: the agent must belong to the queue to which the request was routed.
• Availability: the agent must be in a status that allows them to receive requests from the corresponding channel.
• Handling capacity: the agent must not have reached the maximum number of simultaneous communications allowed.
• Expertise level: agents with the highest expertise level configured for the skill are prioritized.
• Last assignment: when several agents have the same expertise level, the agent with the longest time elapsed since their last assignment is selected.

If a preferred agent has been configured, the system attempts to assign the request to that agent before applying the general selection process, provided that the agent meets the required conditions.

How Are Calls (IVR) Assigned?

Incoming calls transferred to a skill are assigned to agents who are in Ready (Available) status.

To receive a call, the agent must belong to the corresponding skill and be available. An agent who is already handling a call in Talk status cannot receive another call simultaneously.

How Is the Agent Selected?

• Available agents in Ready status are identified.
• Agents with the highest expertise level within the skill are prioritized.
• If several agents have the same expertise level, the agent with the longest time elapsed since their last call or assignment is selected.
• If a preferred agent is configured and is eligible, that agent is given preference.

Example of Assignment Between Agents With the Same Expertise:

Two agents belong to the same skill and have an expertise level of 5.

Both agents have finished their calls and are available at 8:30 a.m.

When a new call arrives at 8:30 a.m., wolkvox will assign it to Daniel because he received his last call at 8:00 a.m., while Laura received hers at 8:01 a.m.

Daniel has gone 30 minutes since his last assignment, while Laura has gone 29 minutes.

Important: the system uses the time when the previous call was received or assigned as its reference, not the time when the agent finished or hung up that call.

This criterion establishes an assignment order among agents with the same expertise level.

How Are Chats Assigned?

Chats from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, and Web Chat are distributed among agents who belong to the corresponding skill.

Unlike calls, an agent can receive several chats simultaneously, even while in Talk status, provided that they have available capacity.

Which Agents Can Receive Chats?

• Agents in Ready status.
• Agents in Talk status, including those who are currently handling a call.
• Agents who have not reached the configured simultaneous chat limit.

How Is the Agent Selected?

• The system checks whether there is a preferred agent who meets the assignment conditions.
• If there is no eligible preferred agent, the system identifies available agents with capacity to receive chats.
• The agent with the highest expertise level within the skill is prioritized.
• If several agents have the same expertise level, the agent with the longest time elapsed since their last assignment is selected.

Example of Chat Assignment While an Agent Is on a Call:

Two agents, Daniel and Laura, belong to the same skill and have the same expertise level.

At 8:07 a.m., a new chat enters the operation.

Although Laura has already finished her call and is in Ready status, the chat will be assigned to Daniel, provided that both agents are eligible and have available capacity.

This happens because Daniel received his last call at 8:00 a.m., while Laura received hers at 8:01 a.m.

Therefore, more time has elapsed since Daniel's last assignment, and he can receive the chat even while he is still handling a call.

Important: wolkvox does not automatically prioritize an agent in Ready status over one in Talk status when assigning chats. Both statuses allow agents to receive conversations, provided that they have available capacity.

How Many Chats Can an Agent Receive?

The maximum number depends on the skill transfer configuration:

• The default value is 5 simultaneous chats per agent.
• Limits between 1 and 101 chats can be configured.
• When an agent reaches their limit, they do not receive new chats until capacity becomes available.
• If all agents have reached their capacity, new chats remain in the waiting queue until an eligible agent becomes available.

How Are Interactions Assigned?

Interactions are managed through an omnichannel queuing system that distributes requests from:

• Email.
• Comments on Facebook posts.
• Comments on Instagram posts.
• Comments on TikTok posts.
• Comments on X (formerly Twitter) posts.

Which Agents Can Receive Interactions?

Like chats, interactions can be assigned to agents in Ready or Talk status, provided that they belong to the corresponding skill and have available capacity.

This means that an agent who is handling a call can also receive an interaction if they meet the assignment conditions.

How Is the Agent Selected?

• The system checks whether an eligible preferred agent exists.
• Agents with available capacity are identified.
• The agent with the highest expertise level within the skill is prioritized.
• If several agents have the same expertise level, the agent with the longest time elapsed since their last assignment is selected.

Example:

A skill has three agents with the following conditions:

At 9:10 a.m., a new interaction corresponding to a comment on an Instagram post enters the operation.

If all agents have available capacity, the interaction will be assigned to Agent A because Agent A shares the highest expertise level with Agent B and has gone longer since the last assignment.

Although Agent C received their last assignment earlier, their expertise level is lower, so they do not have priority over Agents A and B.

How Are Pending Interactions Organized?

Interactions use the FIFO (First In, First Out) mechanism, meaning they are handled in the order in which they entered the corresponding queue.

Unlike calls and chats, interactions do not use the Service and Priority parameters to modify the waiting order.

The system supports a configurable limit of up to 300 simultaneous interactions per agent.

How Does the Last Assignment Criterion Work Across Different Channels?

The last assignment criterion does not work as an independent rotation for each skill.

When wolkvox assigns a request to an agent, it updates the agent's last assignment record in the skills to which they belong.

Therefore, this criterion makes it possible to consider the agent's assignment activity across different skills.

Example:

• Daniel receives a call at 8:00 a.m.
• Laura receives a call at 8:01 a.m.
• Laura finishes her call at 8:05 a.m. and switches to Ready.
• Daniel continues handling his call in Talk status.
• At 8:07 a.m., a chat enters the operation.

If Daniel and Laura belong to the corresponding skill, have the same expertise level, and both have capacity to receive the chat, Daniel is given preference because his last assignment occurred before Laura's.

This rule is also used to select agents when distributing interactions, considering the statuses and capacities allowed for each channel.

Consequently, the time elapsed since an agent finished a call does not, by itself, determine who receives the next request. The tie-breaking criterion uses the time of the last assignment.

How Do Skill, Service, and Priority Affect Assignment?

In wolkvox Studio, call and chat transfers can use additional parameters that influence queuing:

Priority levels range from 0 (Very Low) to 4 (Very High). The higher the level, the higher the handling priority.

Example:

• A skill receives two chats:
• Customer A: general inquiry, priority 2 (Medium), enters at 10:00 a.m.
• Customer B: urgent request, priority 4 (Very High), enters at 10:01 a.m.
• Although Customer A entered first, Customer B will be given preference in the waiting order due to the higher priority.
• When two requests have the same priority, the one that entered first is handled first.
• The service can also influence the waiting order across different skills, but it does not change the group of agents authorized to handle the request.
• Note: these Service and Priority parameters apply to calls and chats, but not to the queuing of email interactions and social media comments.

Summary of Assignment Differences by Channel