In this article you will learn how chat distribution works in Atom and why an agent may not receive cases even though they are connected and in an assignable state.
❓ Frequently Asked Question / Initial Context
A common question is why, despite having connected before other colleagues, an agent does not receive conversations while others, who connected later, do receive them. This can create confusion about the assignment priority in the system.
🛠️ Troubleshooting Section (step by step)
Verify your status as an agent: Make sure you are marked as "assignable" in the system. If your status is "not assignable" or "away", the distribution engine will automatically skip you.
Check if the conversation is a reactivation: If the customer was previously attended to, Atom will try to assign them to the last agent who managed them, as long as that agent is connected and in an assignable state at that moment.
Check the volume and timing of queued chats: It is possible that the chat intake occurred in a specific timeframe where the system distributed the load among the pool of available agents in a balanced manner.
✅ Possible Solutions
Stay in "assignable" state: It is the only indispensable technical condition to be eligible in the distribution of new contacts.
Load coordination: If you notice that a single agent is saturated while others are free, a supervisor can perform a manual reassignment to balance the workload.
📝 Additional Notes
Random Assignment: In the current version of Atom, the distribution of new conversations is random among all agents who are available. The system does not rely on the order of connection (who arrived first), but on immediate availability.
History prevalence: Reactivated conversations have assignment priority to the last agent who had the contact, breaking the random logic to maintain service continuity.
💡 Practical Example / Use Case
Situation: Laura starts her shift at 8:00 a.m. and does not receive chats for 30 minutes. At 8:30 a.m. Carla connects and receives 3 chats almost immediately.
Diagnosis: Both were in "assignable" state. The system, operating under a random logic, distributed the new incoming chats between the two available people, and in this case the probability favored Carla. It is also possible that those 3 customers had been served by Carla in the past.
Solution applied: The team was explained that early connection does not guarantee priority and it was agreed to monitor distribution to ensure operational fairness.
☎️ When to Contact Support?
Contact support if:
There is a consistent and prolonged pattern where an agent never receives conversations for several days.
The system seems to completely ignore your technical availability despite being correctly configured in the group.
Availability is the key, but luck and history count too! 🚀
Remember that in Atom the assignment of new chats is random and does not depend on who connected first. Additionally, the system will always try to have the customer speak with the last agent who attended to them to provide service continuity. Make sure you are always in "Assignable" state and trust that the distribution engine will balance the workload during your shift. ✅