The agent in public channels

An agent can also step into ordinary channels. The settings there are deliberately tighter than in a ticket: a wall of text in a busy channel is unbearable, and nobody needs to poke a bot forty times an hour in public.

Two ways to step in

• On mention (on by default): the agent answers when it is mentioned, or when someone replies to one of its messages.
• On watch: it reads without stepping in, and only answers if a question is left without a human reply for a delay you set (90 seconds by default).

Watch mode is what avoids cutting across two members helping each other. The agent fills a silence; it does not speak instead of your community.

Other settings

• Channels concerned: the list of channels where it is allowed.
• Maximum length: 800 characters by default, shorter than in a ticket.
• Replies per member per hour: 10 by default.
• Answer in a thread: in a chatty channel, the agent opens a thread instead of cluttering the main conversation.

A good starting configuration

On a busy server, start with: mention only, one or two channels, reply in a thread. You will see straight away whether the agent adds anything, without risking flooding the main channel.