What are the steps when Alcmeon receives a message from a customer? Below, we detail the typical flows and different statuses a customer message will take throughout its journey within the Alcmeon Inbox.

List of Customer Message Statuses

Received (Pending)

This is the initial status for any new message sent by a customer and received by Alcmeon. An advisor can handle it from the Inbox by assigning it to themselves, by clicking the "blue arrow" icon.

Assigned

A message enters this status once a bot or a human advisor has acquired it for processing. This status is a prerequisite for processing a message. Once the message has been processed, this status is removed, and the message will acquire a new status based on the action performed.

On Hold

A human advisor can put a message "On Hold" when they need to send an initial response (e.g., "I'll find the answer to your question, please hold") but require more time or information for a complete resolution. This status places the message into a dedicated "Waiting for me" folder within the inbox, making it easy for the advisor to retrieve it later and provide a definitive solution.

Help Requested

A human advisor can request assistance from a colleague (most often a supervisor) for a specific customer message by setting this status and composing a question. The customer message will change its status, the requesting advisor will be unassigned from the message, and it will then appear in the "Help Requests" folder in the inbox.

Help Request Answered

A customer message with the "Help Request" status can only be handled by Alcmeon users with the "Respond to Help Requests" permission. When such a user assigns themselves this message, they can either respond directly to the customer or answer the requesting advisor’s questions. By doing the latter, the status of the customer message changes to "Help Request Answered." The supervisor will then be unassigned from the message, and the original advisor who requested help will be reassigned. If this advisor is not logged into Alcmeon, the message will revert to the "Received" status in the inbox for another advisor to handle.

Answered

When an advisor sends a response to a customer, the customer's message receives the "Answered" status. This is typically the final status for that message, and it will then appear in the "Answered" folder of the inbox.

If an Alcmeon chatbot responds to the customer's message, it also receives the "Answered" status. However, bots have an additional option to "forward to advisor." When this is done, the message first gets the "Answered" status, and immediately afterward, its status changes back to "Received," making the customer's message visible in the advisors' inbox.

Archived

When an advisor chooses to finalize a customer's message without sending a response, they use the "archive" function. This action signifies a decision "not to respond." This is typically the final status for that message, and it will then appear in the "Archived" folder of the inbox.

💡A customer message can have only one status at a given time.

💡Brand responses never have a status; only customer messages do. A conversation itself never has a status, as Alcmeon operates as a ticketless conversational system.

Processing a Message: Typical Flow

This flow is applicable to both human advisors and bots.

The illustration depicts:

• The Main Flow (solid arrows): This path shows an advisor or bot actively processing a message, ultimately leading to either a direct reply to the customer or the message being archived.
• The secondary flow (dotted arrows): An advisor can unassign a message. He can also move a previously replied or archived message back to a pending state in the inbox. A chatbot, after replying to a message, can transfer it to an advisor by setting its status back to "Received" (pending).

Processing a Message: “on hold” flow

This flow applies to human advisors only.

The accompanying illustration demonstrates …

• The Main Flow (solid arrows): This path shows an advisor processing a message, putting it on hold, waiting, and then ultimately either responding to the customer or archiving the message.
• The Secondary Flow (dotted arrows): An advisor can unassign a message or move one that has been replied to or archived back into the inbox (setting its status to "Received").

Processing a Message: “Help request” flow

This specific workflow applies exclusively to human advisors.

The accompanying illustration demonstrates …

• The Main Flow (solid arrows): This path shows an advisor processing a message, initiating a help request, waiting for a response to that request, and then ultimately either responding to the customer or archiving the message.
• Secondary workflow (dotted arrows): An advisor can unassign a message or move one that has been replied to or archived back into the inbox (setting its status to "Received").