Sending Outgoing Messages

When you are Active, Out, or Active (finishing), you can send outgoing messages to:

• An existing client that contacted you themselves. The client shouldn’t be blocked, and they must have no active thread when you send them a message. If the client has their email specified and this channel is enabled in the system, you can send an email even if there is an active thread.
• A new client via WhatsApp, Viber, email, in an authorized web chat and a chat in a mobile application (provided that this channel is enabled for your stand), by an external identifier in a web widget or in a mobile application.

You can send outgoing messages in the following formats:

• text messages;
• text messages with attachments of acceptable format and size;
• attachments of acceptable format and size;
• template messages for WhatsApp and Viber channels (if necessary, the template may contain a title and signature in text format);
• response templates.

Sending Messages to Existing Clients

1. In the search bar in the upper right corner, enter any of the client’s attributes: their name, phone number, email, external ID, or username from a messenger.

Using an external identifier, you can find a client who was created in the edna Chat Center when logging in to the mobile application or going to a personal account on a website with a web chat, send them an outgoing message, even if they haven’t previously contacted the edna Chat Center.

2. Point to the line with the found client and click Send message.
3. Select one of the available channels through which you want to send a message and click Continue.
4. Fill in the required fields and add attachments (not available for all channels).
5. If necessary, use response templates. To do this, click the same-name icon to the right of the Message text field (it should be empty) and select the response template on the My response templates or Directory tab.
   
   Response templates don’t work if you have a WhatsApp or Viber channel selected, and you should only use a pre-agreed template. For more information about working with templates, see Using templates.
   
6. Click Continue.

7. Select an action with an outgoing message after it is sent (for all channels except Email):
   • Immediately close the thread. Once you send the message and close the confirmation window, you will remain in the search window.
   • Send and assign the thread with the message to me. Once you send the message and close the confirmation window, the system redirects you to your personal queue, and the new thread is available there, minimized (in the WAITING state).
     
   • Transfer the thread with the message to another employee/group of employees, skill, bot, or department. Here you need to select the direction where you want to transfer the message, and add a comment, if necessary. Once you send the message and close the confirmation window, you will remain in the search window, and the thread will be sent to the selected user.
     

Using Templates

For the WhatsApp and Viber channels, the integration with edna Pulse has been implemented. If you create templates for these channels in edna Pulse, then when creating a message, you can select one of the available options. Templates can mandatory or optional.

• If a template is required, manual text input is not available, and you should select one of the suggested templates.

You can’t edit the text of the template received from edna Pulse. You should only fill in the variables (automatic replacement elements). Variables can be of several types: typing text from the keyboard, selecting a date from the calendar, selecting a value from a drop-down list. It is impossible to send a message without variables is not available.

• If the template is optional, you can select one of the suggested templates or enter the text manually. The example below shows how to enter a message manually.

• If there are no templates created in edna Pulse, but the client is allowed to send only a template message (for example, if there are no messages from the client on the WhatsApp channel in the last 24 hours), a hint is displayed and you can enter text in the fields: title, message text, signature. If there is no header and/or footer in the registered message template, just fill in the message body. The title and caption shouldn’t exceed 61 characters.

Sending Messages to New Clients by Phone Number

You can add the phone number of a client who hasn’t contacted you before and send them a message via WhatsApp or Viber Business Messages. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the search bar, enter the phone number of a new client.
2. Click Create client.
   
3. Select Contact type → Mobile phone.
4. Enter the phone number again (7 digits minimum) and click Continue.
5. Select the required channel and send them a message as described in the Sending messages to existing clients section.

Sending Messages to New Clients by Email

You can add the email address of a client who hasn’t contacted you before and send them a message. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the search bar, enter the email address of a new client.
2. Click Create client.
3. Select Contact type → Email.
4. Enter the email address and click Continue.

4. Select the email channel.
5. Fill in the subject and content of the message.
6. If necessary, add an attachment and specify a blind carbon copy.
7. Send the message.

The message is sent to the client as completed, that is, you can’t open the thread on it.

Limitations and Troubleshooting

1. If another agent sends a client a message at any step while you were creating a message for them, or if they sent a message themselves, it creates an active thread for that client. You will no longer be able to send them a message (except for an email, if they have an address), so you will receive a warning. In this case:
   • If you cancel, the message window closes, and the system redirects you back to the search page.
   • If you proceed checking where the thread is, the system redirects you back to the first step, where you can select another channel for this client (if any are available).
2. If a system error occurs while creating a message for a client, a warning is displayed.
3. If you should send a message to a WhatsApp client using a registered template (for example, if their last message to you was more than 24 hours ago), but you cannot select the template, you can enter the text manually. However, in this case, WhatsApp allows only messages based on registered templates. If your message is different from a registered template, the message will not be delivered, and you will see a notification about this error in the chat history with this client.
4. Some channels, for example, WhatsApp, Viber, and Apple Business Messages, also return other types of reasons why your message cannot be delivered. The exact list of reasons depends on the channel. For example, most channels inform agents when a client has blocked the business account or doesn’t use a particular messenger.
5. If a client has contacted you via different channels using the same phone number but was blocked in one of them, then this channel is not available for selection.