Alerting Manager on Agent Inactivity
BoldDesk provides a built‑in Chat Automation workflow template that allows administrators to alert a manager when an agent becomes inactive in a conversation for a defined period. This ensures stalled conversations are escalated promptly and receive timely follow‑up.
This article explains how the Alerting Manager on Agent Inactivity workflow works, how agent inactivity is detected, and how to configure and customize the workflow.
The configuration of this template may vary depending on the selected channel.
Prerequisites
- Role/Permission: Admin access to Admin → Chat → Chat Automation → Workflows.
- Trigger requirement: The template uses the Agent Inactivity workflow trigger.
- Manager email: A valid manager email address (or shared mailbox) must be available.
Workflow Purpose and Scope
When an agent does not respond within the configured time:
- The Agent Inactivity trigger detects that the agent has been unresponsive for the configured duration.
- The workflow sends a manager email alert with conversation details for follow-up.
How agent inactivity is detected
- BoldDesk starts an inactivity timer based on conversation activity and checks for no new human agent message within the configured duration.
- New activity cancels pending inactivity actions and recalculates the next deadline.
- For consecutive agent messages, only the last agent message is used to compute inactivity timing.
How to Access the Chat Workflow
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Go to Admin → Chat → Chat Automation → Workflows.
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Select the trigger Agent Inactivity.
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Click Add Workflow → Create from template.
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Select Alerting Manager on Agent Inactivity.
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Enter:
- Workflow Name
- Brand
- Source (channel)
- Set the To address to the manager (or escalation mailbox).
Then click Next.
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Edit the workflow as needed per your use case
- Configure the Agent unresponsive time block (reminder prompt):
- Configure the Send Message block (reminder prompt):
- Review the message text (and channel-specific options, if shown).
- Keep the message clear and action-oriented (for example, request a reply to keep the conversation open).
- Configure the Wait block
- Set how long to wait after the reminder before agent updating the chat.
- Configure the Send Message block (reminder prompt):
- If the template uses Set Conversation Field, set Status = Closed (or the configured closed status in your account).
- Configure the Send Email block (reminder prompt):
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Click Publish & Activate.
Supported channels
- Live Chat
- WhatsApp (Meta Cloud)
- Facebook Messenger
- Facebook Comments
- Instagram Direct Messages
- Instagram Comments
- SMS (Twilio)
- Telegram
- WhatsApp (Gupshup)
- WhatsApp (Twilio)
- LINE
Use Cases
Escalate stalled conversations
- If an agent has not responded within 3 minutes, the workflow emails the manager so they can intervene or reassign.
Monitor coverage across channels
- Apply the same inactivity threshold per channel (or create separate workflows per Source) so idle conversations are consistently escalated.
Troubleshooting Common Errors
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Manager email is not sent
- Confirm the workflow is Published & Activated.
- Verify the workflow Brand and Source match the affected conversation.
- Confirm the Agent has been Unresponsive duration is set correctly.
- Verify the Send Email block recipient address.
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Alerts trigger unexpectedly
- Review the inactivity duration (it may be too short for your staffing model).
- Confirm that the conversation is not experiencing normal expected delays (for example, waiting for internal approval) and add conditions if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What triggers the manager email in this template?
The email sends when the Agent Inactivity trigger detects no new human agent message within the configured time window.
2) Does this template work in all channels?
Yes. It supports Live Chat, WhatsApp (Meta Cloud), Facebook Messenger, Facebook Comments, Instagram Direct Messages, Instagram Comments, Telegram, WhatsApp (Gupshup), WhatsApp (Twilio), and LINE. Configuration may vary by channel.
3) What happens if the agent replies before the inactivity duration is reached?
The pending inactivity event is cancelled and the timer is recalculated based on the latest activity.
4) Can I configure different inactivity thresholds per channel?
Yes. Create separate Agent Inactivity workflows per Source and set a different Agent has been Unresponsive duration in each.
5) Will this run for closed or snoozed conversations?
No. Closed conversations cancel pending inactivity events. Snoozed/On Hold conversations cancel inactivity events and won’t run until the conversation becomes active again.
