Sticky sessions & skills
When a customer messages again, they should not start from zero with a random agent. And when the topic needs a specialist, the router should prefer someone who can actually help.
That is what sticky sessions and skills-based routing are for.
Sticky sessions
Section titled “Sticky sessions”A sticky session keeps a customer conversation with the same agent across messages for a period of time (or until the conversation is closed / transferred).
If Priya handled the customer this morning, the afternoon follow-up should try Priya first — as long as she is available and under capacity.
| Without sticky | With sticky |
|---|---|
| Customer repeats the story | Agent already has context |
| Inconsistent answers | Continuity of care |
| Lower trust | Feels like one relationship |
Sticky is a customer experience feature as much as a routing feature.
How it will work (planned)
Section titled “How it will work (planned)”- First inbound message is assigned by capacity (and skills, if configured).
- CXGear remembers the owner agent on that conversation.
- Later messages in the same conversation prefer that agent.
- If the owner is Offline, over capacity, or the sticky window expired, the router falls back to another eligible agent.
Exact timers and transfer rules will be configurable as the module lands.
src/assets/screenshots/44-sticky-session.pngSkills-based routing
Section titled “Skills-based routing”Skills are labels on agents (and sometimes on queues or channels) such as:
- Language (Hindi, English, Spanish)
- Product line (loans, cards, support)
- Tier (tier-1, retention)
When a conversation needs a skill, the router prefers agents who have it.
Capacity alone can assign a Spanish-speaking customer to an English-only agent. Skills keep first-contact resolution high and transfers low.
How it will work (planned)
Section titled “How it will work (planned)”- Supervisors define the skill catalog for the organization.
- Agents (or admins) attach skills on the agent profile / presence.
- Inbound conversations carry required skills from channel, project, or message metadata.
- Router ranks Available agents who have capacity and matching skills.
- If no skilled agent is free, fallback policy applies (wait, broader skill, or any available agent — depending on configuration).
Dialler presence already has a skills field in the platform model; conversations will use the same idea for messaging.
src/assets/screenshots/45-agent-skills.pngHow sticky and skills work together
Section titled “How sticky and skills work together”Typical priority order (illustrative):
- Sticky owner if available and under capacity (and still skilled enough).
- Else agents with required skills and capacity.
- Else broader fallback.
Sticky without skills can lock a customer to the wrong specialist. Skills without sticky can bounce a customer between equally skilled agents. Together they balance continuity and competence.
What exists today
Section titled “What exists today”| Ready now | Roadmap |
|---|---|
| Agent / Supervisor roles for desk staff | Sticky window configuration UI |
| Presence model (including skills storage on presence) | Skills-aware chat router |
| WhatsApp connectivity | Conversation ownership in the dock |
Voice dialler routing today is primarily extension + presence + DID rules. Skills for voice queues may deepen later; messaging is the first full skills-and-sticky story.
What success will look like
Section titled “What success will look like”- Repeat customers land on the same agent when that agent is working.
- Language and product skills reduce transfers.
- Supervisors can explain in one sentence why a chat went to a given agent.
- No agent is assigned above their open-chat capacity.
Problems to plan for
Section titled “Problems to plan for”| Situation | Design intent |
|---|---|
| Sticky agent on break | Fall back; optionally return when they are back |
| Skill too rare | Alert supervisors; widen fallback |
| Agent leaves the company | Clear ownership; reassign open conversations |
| Skills outdated on profile | Periodic review in user admin |
| Confusing sticky vs new conversation | Clear “new topic / new conversation” rules in the dock |
Prepare your team now
Section titled “Prepare your team now”- Decide which skills matter (start with language + one product dimension).
- Assign Agent / Supervisor roles correctly.
- Connect messaging channels under Integrations.
- Keep projects and metadata clean so conversations attach to the right campaign.
- Train agents on presence discipline (same habit as the dialler).