Enabling Skype for Business on-premises in a chatbot application
You can use Skype for Business on-premises as one of the communication channels for chatbot applications so that the on-premises users can connect to BMC Helix Virtual Agent. The configuration for BMC Helix Virtual Agent to work with Skype for Business on-premises is a tenant-level configuration. If you have multiple chatbots, you must configure Skype for Business on-premises for each chatbot.
Important
End users can use Skype for Business on-premises for one-to-one instant messaging only. Other Skype for Business on-premises features such as group conversations and conference calls are not supported.
Before you begin
Ensure that Skype for Business Server 2015 or higher is installed on-premises.
Use an existing contact or add a new contact in Skype for Business on-premises that end users can connect to.
For example, if you want to connect to the HR Chatbot from Skype for Business on-premises, create a contact HR-Bot.Important
If you want to configure Skype for Business on-premises for multiple chatbots, you must create a new contact for each chatbot.
- Ensure that you have the Lync Autodiscover URL that is accessible to the BMC Helix Innovation Suite server. For more information about getting the Lync Autodiscover URL, see
Autodiscover service requirements
in Microsoft documentation.
- If you are using a secured connection (https), ensure that your Skype for Business server has the certificates issued by Certificate Authorities (CAs). For more information, see
Environmental requirements
in Microsoft documentation.
Process for enabling Skype for Business on-premises in a chatbot application
Task | Action | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Create a chatbot for your line of business | In BMC Helix Innovation Studio, create a specialized chatbot for your line of business. If you want to use localization, create a chatbot for each locale. | Setting up chatbots for your line of business |
2 | Configure the IBM Watson Assistant service credentials | In BMC Helix Innovation Studio, provide the Skill ID of IBM Watson Assistant Skill, so that the BMC Helix Cognitive Automation can connect to the Watson Skill. Additionally, if you want to use localization, provide the IBM Watson Assistant Skill ID for each locale. | |
3 | Configure the chatbot to work with Skype for Business on-premises | In BMC Helix Innovation Studio, provide the Skype for Business on-premises credentials. | To configure a chatbot application to work with Skype for Business on-premises |
To configure a chatbot application to work with Skype for Business on-premises
- Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio.
- On the Workspace tab, click the application in which you want to configure a chatbot to work with Skype for Business on-premises.
- Click the Chatbots tab and click the chatbot that you want to configure to work with Skype for Business on-premises.
- Click the Channels tab, and select New > Skype for Business On-premises.
In the Skype for Business On-premises settings section, enter values for the following fields:
Field Description Description Enter the description that provides details about this setting. Discovery URL Enter the complete Lync Autodiscover URL with the domain in the following format: http://lyncdiscover.domain.com
Chatbot User Name Enter the user name that you use to sign in to the Skype for Business on-premises client. Typically the format is
domain\user
oruser@domain.com
Example: calbro\hrbot or hrbot@calbro.com
Chatbot User Password Enter the password that you use to sign in to the Skype for Business on-premises client. Locale Enter the locale code of the chatbot application.
Example: If you want to enter the Chinese locale, enter zh-CN.Click Save.
If the credentials provided are correct, the settings are saved and the status of the contact that you added in Skype for Business on-premises changes to Available. If the credentials are incorrect, the settings are not saved and the contact continues to be offline.
The following image is an example of configuring an HR chatbot application to work with Skype for Business on-premises:
Localization of the chatbot application configured with Skype for Business on-premises
Administrators can use one of the following methods to localize chatbot conversations:
Troubleshooting
The following table provides the troubleshooting steps for common scenarios:
Scenario | Troubleshooting steps |
---|---|
| The chatbot status can be offline if BMC Helix Virtual Agent cannot connect to the Skype channel. For example, when the Skype server is in its maintenance window. Re-register the chatbot application with the Skype server by performing the following steps:
|
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