Communication channels and supported functionalities
In addition to the default BMC Helix Virtual Agent web UI, end users can use communication channels such as Slack, Microsoft Office Teams, Skype for Business, and Twilio to initiate chat conversations. To ensure the ease of use for end users, BMC Helix Virtual Agent provides various functionalities that are available across communication channels. However, based on the channel limitations, the communication channels might support these functionalities in different ways. For example, BMC Helix Virtual Agent web UI displays assets as cards whereas Slack displays assets as options.
Functionalities supported by communication channels
The following table lists the functionalities that BMC Helix Virtual Agent provides and the ways in which different communication channels support these functionalities:
Functionality | BMC Helix Chatbot web UI | Microsoft Office Teams | Slack | Skype for Business | Twilio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Displaying chatbot responses in a chat | ||||||
Message character limit | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | 160 characters, after which messages can be concatenated for up to 1600 characters. | 160 characters, after which messages can be concatenated for up to 1600 characters. |
Set up a welcome message. | Displays the message as a part of the greeting dialog. | |||||
Configure the maximum number of option buttons that are displayed in a chat. | Number of option buttons is configurable. |
When you click Submit in the chat, instead of the option that you select, Submitted is displayed. | Maximum number of option buttons displayed is 5. | Displays a numbered list and buttons are displayed as per the channel limitations. | Number of option buttons is configurable, but the maximum limit is 20. | Number of option buttons is configurable, but the maximum limit is 20. |
HTML tags to format chatbot responses | ||||||
Attachments in a chat | ||||||
An end user adds an attachment to a service request. | Supported | Supported | Supported | Not supported | Supported | Supported |
A live agent sends an attachment to an end user. | Supported | Supported with additional consent to upload the attachment to OneDrive. | Supported | Supported (end user needs to log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio) | Supported (end user needs to log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio) | Supported (end user needs to log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio) |
An end user sends an attachment to a live agent. | Supported | |||||
Important: Mobile applications of MS Teams, Slack, Skype for Business, Twilio (SMS), and WhatsApp do not support GIF and stickers. | ||||||
Displaying information from other BMC products | ||||||
Display assets from BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced To learn about displaying asset details in a chat, see: | Displays assets as cards. | Displays assets as options. | ||||
Display items from BMC Helix Cloud Cost and select items in a chat. | Displays items as cards and users can select an item by using the option or clicking the card. | Displays items as cards and users can select an item by using the option. | Displays details as text followed by options to select. | Displays details as text followed by options to select. | Displays details as text followed by options to select. | Displays details as text followed by options to select. |
Actions on a chat | ||||||
Transfer a conversation to another chatbot. |
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End a chat session. | The chat is ended when the browser is closed or the idle session timeout event occurs. | The chat is ended when the idle session timeout event occurs. | ||||
Cancel a live chat session. |
| By typing /endlivechat in the chat. | By typing / endlivechat in the chat. Note: Enter space after /. | By typing /endlivechat in the chat. | By typing /endlivechat in the chat. | By typing /endlivechat in the chat. |
Send a chat transcript. To learn more about transcripts, see: |
| By typing send transcript in the chat. | By typing send transcript in the chat. | By typing send transcript in the chat. | By typing send transcript in the chat. | By typing send transcript in the chat. |