Re-routing or Ending “Waiting” Conversations
Summary
Salesforce teams can improve customer experience by automating the handling of messaging conversations stuck in waiting status. This approach uses Scheduled Paths in record-triggered Flows on MessagingSession to either re-route sessions to bots or alternate queues after a set wait time, or end sessions cleanly with an Enhanced Einstein Bot acting as a 'janitor'. The article explains two main methods—one global safety net and one using custom SLA timers—and highlights technical considerations like the scheduling window and queue configurations. Implementing these patterns proactively cleans up backlogs, avoids poor CSAT from long wait times, and provides clear communication to customers.
Takeaways
- Use Record-Triggered Flows with Scheduled Paths on MessagingSession to handle long waits.
- Route stuck conversations to an Enhanced Einstein Bot that sends a message and ends the chat.
- Add a custom Date/Time field for flexible SLA-based rerouting per customer or session.
- Set the Route Work fallback queue different from the current queue to ensure rerouting.
- Consider automation delay and implement a secondary catch path for rerouting failures.
We’ve all been there. You look at your Omni-Channel Supervisor dashboard and see a list of conversations sitting in the backlog waiting for a service rep to action them. Maybe the customer wandered off, or maybe the floor is just slammed, or it’s routed to a queue or skillset that doesn’t have anybody online right now. Let’s look at this from the customer’s perspective. If a user is on a web chat and hasn’t been connected for 10+ minutes, they aren’t just “waiting”—they’re potentially stuck in a void. Maybe your agents were pulled into an emergency meeting, or a fire alarm went off, or the shift ended and the backlog didn’t clear. Keeping a customer staring at a spinning wheel for 15-20 minutes when no one is coming is a surefire way to tank your CSAT. Wouldn’t it be better to proactively manage that experience? In this post, I’ll show you how to use Scheduled Paths and a “janitor” Bot to automatically re-route or end conversations that have been waiting too long.