There are two ways that you can initiate new work for an Agent in Gladly via an integration:
- Create Task API.
- Sending an Email to Gladly to generate a routable conversation item.
Common use cases for initiating work in Gladly via one of these methods include:
- An online form is routed to Gladly for follow-up.
- Work that starts in another application but needs an Agent’s attention to continue the Conversation.
- Work that exists in another application but requires follow-up by an Agent in Gladly.
The approach you take depends on your needs. The information in the table below describes how each work and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
| Integration via Gladly Task | Integration via Gladly Email | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Gladly Task will be created and added to the customer timeline using the Customer email address. If the Customer does not exist, a new Customer Profile is created. Agents receive Tasks by being available in the Gladly Email, Task, Voicemail Channel. Agents can use the information in the Task to follow up with Customers. | A Gladly email will be created. Agents receive emails by being available in the Gladly Email, Task, Voicemail Channel. Agents can respond to the Customer directly. |
| Pros | Videos and images can be added as links in the Task body but must be hosted elsewhere. | Ability to add links to images and videos as attachments in the Email bodyAbility to add Topics via Gladly RulesAbility to route conversation via Gladly Rules |
| Caveats | inboxId is required when using the Create Task API.Not able to route Tasks via Task body/contents in Rules.Gladly Tasks are independent of Conversations, so you won’t be able to add Topics or truly gauge other performance metrics related to the Task.Not able to attach images or videos to Gladly Task.Unless using an OOTB integration, will require you to utilize Gladly’s REST APIs to do this. | Requires you to send the email via your email provider (Mailgun, Sendgrid, etc) into Gladly to set this up. Most form providers can do this out of the box, but other use cases may require you to write some code.Note – Set the reply-to header as the Customer’s email address so Agents can reply directly to the Customer. |
| Gladly Configuration | Requires a dedicated integration user, email address, and API token in Gladly | Domain and email address Entry Points must be configured in Gladly. |
| Other Requirements | Required inputs include inboxId, Customer email address, message input, and Task due date. | Required inputs include Customer email address and message input. |
