Configure automated messages

Applies to: Dynamics 365 Contact Center—embedded, Dynamics 365 Contact Center—standalone, and Dynamics 365 Customer Service

Automated messages are system messages that are sent to customers or customer service representatives (service representatives or representatives) when specific events occur in a conversation, such as when a representative joins, a customer waits in a queue, or a conversation ends. You can configure automated messages for channels such as chat, voice, SMS, and social channels.

You can configure automated messages at two levels:

• Channel level: Customize, activate, or deactivate a message for all instances of a channel. For example, all Facebook accounts or all SMS numbers.
• Channel instance level: Add custom messages for one specific instance. For example, one Facebook account or one SMS number.

To configure automated messages, complete these tasks:

1. Review the available triggers and identify which ones apply to your channel.
2. Customize the messages at the channel level for text that should apply to all instances of a channel.
3. Customize the messages at the channel instance level only for instances that need different text.
4. Test your automated messages before you make the channel available to customers.

How channel-level and channel instance-level messages work together

Use the following rules to understand which message is sent:

Prerequisites

• The channel and channel instance are configured in a workstream. Learn more in Channels.
• If you plan to use holiday or out-of-operating-hours messages, holidays and operating hours are set up for the live chat, channel, or queue.
• If you plan to use context variables in messages, the context variables are defined. Learn more in Manage context variables.

Display a list of all automated messages

You can view a list of all representative-facing and customer-facing automated messages in your contact center environment.

1. In the site map of Copilot Service admin center, select Customer Settings in Customer support. The Customer settings page appears.

2. In the Automated messages section, select Manage. The Automated messages page is displayed.

   

3. To edit the language code and text, select one or more of the records. To deactivate messages, select Deactivate.

   Important

   If you configure overflow conditions and deactivate the message for the overflow condition, the default automated message plays for the overflow action.

Customize automated messages at the channel level

Customize a message at the channel level to apply the change to all instances within a channel. For example, all Facebook accounts or all SMS numbers.

1. On the Automated messages page, select a message, and then select Edit.

2. On the General tab, edit the Localized text field, and then select Save.

   !Screenshot of the General tab where you edit the localized text of an automated message.

Use placeholders in messages

The message field supports two types of placeholders: slugs and context variables. The system replaces placeholders with their values at runtime.

Slugs

Context variables

To insert a context variable, use the syntax {$ContextVariableName$}, as shown in the following example.

Follow these rules when you use context variables:

• Enclose context variables in curly braces with dollar signs. For example: {$VariableName$}.
• Match the variable name defined in the context variables exactly, including capitalization.
• Use only alphanumeric characters and underscores. For example: {$User_ID$}. Except for curly braces and dollar signs, special characters aren't allowed.
• Don't include spaces in names. For example, {$User Name$} is invalid. Use {$UserName$} instead.
• Don't leave context variables empty. For example, {$ $} is invalid.

If the system can't find the matching context variable, it replaces the placeholder with an empty string.

Learn more in Manage context variables.

Customize automated messages at the channel instance level

Customize a message at the channel instance level to apply the change to one instance only. For example, one Facebook account or one SMS number.

Add custom automated messages

1. In Copilot Service admin center, go to the workstream, and then edit the channel instance.
2. On the Behaviors page, in the Custom automated messages area, select Add message.
3. On the Add automated message pane, select a trigger from the Select a message trigger list.
4. In the Automated message box, enter the message.
5. Select Confirm.
6. To create more messages, repeat steps 3 through 5.
7. Save the settings.

Add a wait time notification for the Messaging API channel

For a Messaging API channel instance, you can notify customers of their position in the queue while they wait.

1. Follow steps 1 through 3 in Add custom automated messages, and select the Estimate Wait Time Notification trigger.

2. Complete the following options:

   • Automated message: Enter the message. Use the {QueuePosition} variable anywhere in the message to show the customer's current position in the queue.
   • Message interval: Specify the time interval, in minutes, after which the message is sent.
   • isRecurring: Optionally, turn on this toggle to repeat the message until a representative is assigned.

3. Select Confirm, and then save the settings.

Preconfigured automated message triggers

The following tables group the preconfigured triggers by conversation stage. The tables note triggers that apply only to specific channels.

Conversation start and routing

Waiting in queue

Representative activity

Conversation end

Callback and overflow (voice)

Copilot agent fallback (voice)

Set up these messages as fallback messages that play whenever the Copilot agent becomes unresponsive during the customer's call. Customize the text of each message.

Example: Customize messages for a channel and one instance

This example shows how channel-level and channel instance-level messages work together. Contoso has two SMS numbers: a general support number and a priority support number.

1. Customize the channel-level message. On the Automated messages page, Contoso edits the Agent assigned to a conversation message for the SMS channel to: "Hi, I'm {AgentName} from the {QueueName} team. How can I help?" Both SMS numbers inherit this message.
2. Customize one instance. Contoso edits the priority support channel instance, and on the Behaviors page, adds a custom message for the Agent assigned to a conversation trigger: "Thank you for contacting Priority Support. A specialist will help you now."
3. Result. When a representative is assigned, customers who text the general support number receive the channel-level message. Customers who text the priority support number receive the custom message.

Test your automated messages

Before you make the channel available to customers, use the following checklist to verify your configuration in a test environment:

• [ ] Each message is active for the triggers you need, and deactivated for triggers you don't need.
• [ ] Each trigger you configured applies to the channel. Review the channel notes in Preconfigured automated message triggers.
• [ ] Messages exist for each locale your customers use.
• [ ] Slugs and context variables use the correct syntax, and the context variables are defined. Don't use context variables in voice channel messages.
• [ ] Start a test conversation on each channel instance you customized, and on at least one instance that inherits the channel-level settings. Confirm that the expected message appears for each trigger.
• [ ] Context variables are replaced with values, not empty strings.
• [ ] Holiday and out-of-operating-hours messages appear when you start a test conversation outside the configured hours.
• [ ] For voice, the greeting message is different from the AI agent message, and messages are short enough not to delay the connection to a representative.
• [ ] If you enable a post-call survey for the workstream, you don't expect the agent disconnect message to play.

Best practices for using automated messages

Use the following best practices when you configure automated messages for the voice channel:

• Keep automated and custom messages concise. Lengthy messages can delay representatives from connecting with customers.
• Consider configuring Greeting Message for Async Channels and Voice instead of Agent assigned to a conversation.
• If you configure both Agent assigned to a conversation and Greeting Message for Async Channels and Voice, consider configuring Greeting Message for Async Channels and Voice to avoid the accumulation of messages in the queue.
• Deactivate messages that announce the average wait time, unless your business requires that customers know this information.

Next steps

Add a chat widget

Related information

Channels
Manage context variables