Real-time agent chat
Coming soon
Today’s mobile inbox is poll-based — pull-to-refresh to see new messages. The Socket.io infrastructure is wired into the app but only minimally used. The next wave activates real-time messaging across both audiences.
What this will let you do
- See new messages instantly — no pull-to-refresh, no badge-checking. They show up.
- Typing indicators — both ways. You see “customer is typing”; they see “agent is typing.”
- Presence — green dot next to teammates who are online; useful for “who can take this thread right now?”
- Read receipts — see when the customer has read your message (where the source platform supports it).
- Live escalation claim — when a customer-to-human escalation fires, the first agent to tap “Claim” gets the thread; everyone else sees “claimed by Alice.”
How it’ll work (preview)
The Socket.io layer is:
- Connected on app open to the real-time server.
- Subscribed to the channels relevant to your role and active organization.
- Receives events for messages, typing, presence, claims.
- Updates the UI without re-fetching from the REST API.
When you go offline:
- The connection drops.
- The app falls back to poll-based updates (today’s behavior).
- The offline banner appears.
When you reconnect:
- The Socket re-establishes.
- The app catches up on missed events (delta sync).
- Real-time resumes.
What’s already in place
- Socket.io client is integrated into the app.
- Connection state is tracked in the network store.
- Token-based auth to the Socket server uses your existing access token.
What’s missing:
- Wiring the real-time events to UI updates. Today, the Socket connects but the app mostly ignores its events.
- Backend event publishing for the specific events listed above.
Cross-product
This page covers the infrastructure. The product applications that use this infrastructure include:
- Live agent conversations — chatbot-handoff in real time.
- Inbox real-time updates — buyer messages and chatbot messages without polling.
- Push for chatbot activity — escalations / auto-updates / workflow status.
Status
- Foundation: ✅ in place.
- First application: chatbot escalation claim flow; ships first.
- Beta: in development; expect alongside the rest of the push roadmap.