Hello and welcome to the September 2024 edition of our LiveAgent update blog! This month, we’ve rolled out exciting new features, important improvements, and some long-awaited enhancements. We’ve got a lot this month, so let’s get to it and dive into the details.

AWS migration saga: Singapore done

As we mentioned in our previous blog post, the migration of our Singapore data center to the AWS infrastructure has successfully taken place this September. With Singapore complete, we’re now 4 out of 6 data centers migrated, with the DE and UK data centers up next. As always, no downtime is expected, and we will keep you informed via email notifications about the upcoming migration of the data center where your account is hosted. Stay tuned!

New department roles feature

Let’s jump into one of the most requested new features—department-specific roles, available in version 5.50. This feature allows you to assign roles within departments, providing more flexibility in permissions and responsibilities. Unlike custom agent roles, which grant global permissions, the new Department Roles feature focuses on department-level control.

Agents with the Reader, Solver, Supervisor, or Manager roles can now have varied permissions within each department. For example, a Reader can only view tickets, while a Solver can reply and manage tickets. Supervisors and Managers have broader permissions, including managing the department and its agents. Admins and Owners, however, automatically retain all permissions across departments and cannot have department-specific roles.

Screenshot of the department settings to include multiple configuration options.

Additionally, we’ve revamped the department settings screen to be more intuitive. There’s now a single screen to manage service availability (To solve, Chats, and Calls) instead of separate screens, making configuration much easier.

Google OAuth now supports aliases

We’ve enhanced our Google OAuth connector for outgoing email accounts, enabling the connection of email aliases. With this improvement, you can now easily select and connect aliases for sending emails without needing to configure the recently removed “Less secure apps” setting in Google.

Unread messages counter

One small step for our individual customers, but a giant leap for our UX. We’ve added an unread messages counter to notify agents of new messages in chats and tickets. Agents can now click on the counter to automatically scroll to unread messages, boosting efficiency and making it easier to stay on top of communication.

Screenshot of a chat showing an unread messages notification.

AI Answer Assistant improvements

We’ve upgraded our AI Answer Assistant by switching to the latest OpenAI model, GPT-4o. Additionally, we’ve implemented a new notification screen to clarify the situation when the Assistant fails due to insufficient OpenAI credit or plan limitations. This improvement makes sure that users are informed when the system can’t retrieve answers from ChatGPT instead of leaving the fields blank.

Raising the ticket message limit

To better accommodate long conversations, we’ve increased the maximum number of messages (or “ticket items”) per ticket from 200 to 5,000. The previous limit often caused confusion by creating new related tickets when the threshold was reached, but this substantial increase should prevent such issues for most users.

SIP provider extension support

We’ve introduced a new call center improvement—forwarding calls to external SIP provider extensions. This feature, available in version 5.50, allows you to route incoming calls to external extensions that are part of your phone provider’s SIP network.

It’s ideal for connecting with colleagues or teams outside of LiveAgent who are available on external phone devices. You can set this up in Configuration > Calls > Devices > Add phone > SIP provider extension.

Clickable visitor names in Chats overview

For agents who like to proactively invite website visitors to chat, we’ve now made visitor names clickable in the Chats overview section. If a visitor’s email address is available, agents can click the name to view their contact profile, helping them prepare before starting the conversation.

New shortcuts

We’ve added four new shortcuts to LiveAgent, allowing you to quickly create a new ticket by sending an email, writing a note, starting a call, or initiating an internal call. With these new additions, our shortcuts now total 63, helping you streamline your workflow even further.

Outro

That wraps up the September update! We’ve been hard at work, and in the next blog post, we hope to share details about the new Tickets List view design, with the current view still remaining available for users temporarily. Your feedback will be key in helping us fine-tune this feature before making it the default view for all agents.

As for the AWS migration saga, more updates are coming as we work toward completing the migration of our final data centers. Stay tuned, and as always, thank you for your continued support!

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Lucia Halašková

Lucia is a talented WordPress content editor who ensures the seamless publication of content across multiple platforms. With a sharp eye for detail and a passion for delivering flawless digital experiences, she plays a key role in maintaining content flow and presentation quality.