If your team is drowning in live chats, you’re not alone. The Olark team inbox is supposed to help keep things organized, but when the chat queue gets out of hand, even the best tools can feel like a mess. This guide is for support leads and frontline agents who want to wrangle high chat volumes without burning out (or dropping the ball with customers).
Let’s break down what works, what doesn’t, and how to use Olark’s team inbox so you can actually keep up.
1. Get Your Team Inbox Settings Right From the Start
Before you even think about handling high chat volume, double-check your setup. Some defaults work fine for small teams, but can trip you up as things get busier.
- Assign chats automatically: In Olark’s team inbox, make sure auto-assignment is turned on. This stops agents from cherry-picking easy chats or accidentally ignoring tricky ones.
- Set agent limits: Don’t let agents get swamped. Limit how many chats each person can handle at once. A good starting point is 3–4 per agent, but adjust based on experience and chat complexity.
- Define “away” and “busy” statuses: Make it clear when agents should mark themselves away or busy. If someone steps out but forgets to update their status, chats pile up on nobody.
- Customize notifications: Agents need to know when new chats land or when it’s their turn. Make sure desktop and sound notifications are enabled—especially if your team uses multiple tools and windows.
Pro Tip: Run a “fire drill” at the start of each shift. Have agents log in, set statuses, and check notifications before things get hectic.
2. Use Shortcuts, Not Scripts
When chat volume spikes, you need to respond fast—but customers can spot canned responses from a mile away.
- Set up Olark Shortcuts: Use keyboard shortcuts for FAQs (“shipping delay,” “return policy,” etc.), but keep them flexible. Insert the shortcut, then personalize before hitting send.
- Avoid robotic scripts: Overly formal scripts slow agents down and annoy customers. If a response doesn’t sound like a human, rewrite it.
- Keep shortcut names simple: “/refund” is faster than “/customer-refund-eligibility-blurb.”
- Review and update regularly: If you see agents editing the same shortcut every time, it’s a sign it needs improving.
What doesn’t work: Forcing agents to use word-for-word scripts slows everyone down and kills morale. Give them guidelines and trust their judgment.
3. Triage and Tag Chats Early
Not all chats are equal. Some just need a quick answer; others are complex or urgent. Don’t treat them all the same.
- Tag chats by type (“billing,” “technical,” “VIP,” etc.): This lets you spot patterns and prioritize.
- Use pre-chat forms: If you’re not already, ask for a name, email, and a quick summary before the chat starts. It can shave off a minute per chat.
- Assign tricky chats to specialists: If you’ve got agents with deep product knowledge, route complex issues to them fast. Don’t force every agent to muddle through everything.
- Sort by urgency: If someone’s locked out of their account or mid-purchase, handle those before “just curious” chats.
Honest take: Over-tagging slows things down. Stick to 3–5 essential tags; otherwise, nobody uses them.
4. Keep Internal Communication Tight
When things are busy, you can’t afford miscommunication.
- Use internal notes: Olark lets agents add private notes to chats. Use them to flag context for handoffs (“customer is upset, already tried reset”).
- Don’t rely on Slack for everything: It’s tempting, but context gets lost. Internal notes keep the info with the chat, where it belongs.
- Set up handoff rules: If someone needs to step away, have a clear process for reassigning their chats so nothing gets orphaned.
- Review “stuck” chats: Make it someone’s job each hour to spot chats that have sat too long and get them moving.
What doesn’t work: Letting agents “ping” each other privately for every question just creates noise. Use internal notes and keep chat context together.
5. Train for High Volume—Don’t Just Hope for the Best
Most teams only train for normal days, then panic during spikes.
- Run volume drills: Simulate busy hours so agents can practice juggling multiple chats. Debrief on what worked and what tripped people up.
- Coach multitasking: Teach agents to keep answers short, use shortcuts, and not get bogged down in side conversations.
- Share real transcripts: Review tricky or high-volume chats as a team. Don’t just show off “perfect” examples—analyze what went sideways, too.
- Encourage “triage first, solve second”: When it’s busy, it’s fine to send a quick “I’m here, give me a minute to look into that” rather than going silent.
Pro Tip: Document your best shortcuts, triage tags, and handoff steps in one place. New agents should be able to get up to speed without a 30-minute lecture.
6. Watch Metrics, But Don’t Obsess
Olark’s reporting dashboard gives you a lot of data. Some is useful, some is just noise.
- Track chats per agent and average response time: These two numbers tell you if someone’s overloaded or if your staffing is off.
- Ignore “average satisfaction” if it’s always 4.8/5: Look for negative trends or sudden drops instead.
- Spot repeat issues: If 30% of your chats are about the same bug or shipping delay, escalate it with the product or ops team. Don’t just keep answering the same question.
- Use tags to report up: If leadership wants to know why chat volume doubled, your tags should make it obvious (“launch day,” “site outage,” etc.).
Honest take: Don’t waste time gaming metrics for the dashboard. Focus on what helps customers and keeps your team sane.
7. Learn When to Say “We’ll Email You”
Some problems just aren’t fit for live chat, especially when things are busy.
- Set expectations clearly: If an issue will take 15+ minutes, let the customer know you’ll follow up by email.
- Don’t try to solve everything live: For complex refunds, account changes, or anything that needs a manager, move it to a ticket system or email.
- Have templates ready: Use shortcuts for these transitions—“This will take some digging. Can I follow up by email later today?”
What doesn’t work: Trying to handle everything in chat just leads to longer queues and frustrated agents. Know when to punt gracefully.
8. Take Care of Your Team
Even the best inbox can’t fix a burned-out team.
- Rotate breaks: Build in short breaks every hour so agents can reset. High chat volume is draining.
- Give agents permission to update status: If someone’s overwhelmed, let them mark themselves busy without guilt.
- Debrief after spikes: When things calm down, spend 10 minutes talking about what worked and what didn’t.
- Celebrate wins: If someone handles a flood of chats with zero escalations, call it out. Morale matters.
Pro Tip: If chat volume is constantly unmanageable, it’s a staffing problem—no tool fixes that.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Be Afraid to Change
Managing high chat volumes in Olark’s team inbox isn’t rocket science, but it does take discipline. Start with a few best practices, get your team’s feedback, and adjust as you go. Don’t let “best practices” become rigid rules—bend them when your team needs it. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s helping customers without burning out.
If you keep things simple, stay honest about what’s working, and iterate, you’ll keep your inbox (and your sanity) under control—even on your busiest days.