Manage sessions and application tabs
Copilot Service workspace organizes each customer interaction so you can move between concurrent work without mixing contexts. For example, you might research a case while responding to a newly accepted conversation. In this unit, you distinguish sessions from application tabs, preserve work as you change focus, monitor session indicators, and close work at the correct level.
| Workspace element | Purpose | What happens as you work |
|---|---|---|
| Session panel | Lists the Home session and your open work sessions | You select a session to bring its complete context into focus. |
| Anchor tab | Provides the primary page for a work session | It stays open for the life of the session and has no close option. |
| Additional application tab | Opens a related record, view, or configured application inside the current session | You switch to it or close it without closing the session. |
Distinguish sessions from application tabs
A session is a container for one item of work and its related context. The session panel displays your open sessions and lets you change focus among them. The Home session remains anchored in the panel, so you can't close it. When you accept an incoming conversation request, Copilot Service workspace starts a session and opens Active Conversation with customer and conversation details.
Inside a work session, the anchor tab supplies its primary context. For an accepted conversation, Active Conversation commonly serves as this tab. The anchor tab is part of the session structure, so it has no close option. This design helps keep the session attached to its main work item.
Additional application tabs keep supporting information inside the same session. A contact, account, case, knowledge resource, or line-of-business application can open in its own tab. When you select the plus (+) control, the menu shows only the applications and record types made available through application-tab templates and your organization's configuration. Therefore, another representative or environment might show a different list.
Preserve context during concurrent work
Switching sessions changes the customer context in focus without discarding unsaved contextual work. Switching application tabs changes the page in focus within the same session. In both cases, Copilot Service workspace preserves supported unsaved changes so you can continue when you return. Some custom pages, web resources, third-party sites, and specialized controls might not retain every state, so save important record changes at appropriate points.
Consider a representative who enters a case title in one session but hasn't saved the record. An incoming conversation request appears, and the representative accepts it. Copilot Service workspace starts a separate conversation session, where the representative reviews Active Conversation and responds to the customer.
While helping that customer, the representative needs account details. They open the configured account option from the plus (+) menu. The account appears as an additional application tab in the active conversation session, rather than as unrelated work in the first case session. After checking the account, the representative switches back to the first session and continues the preserved case entry.
This scenario illustrates three distinct focus changes:
- Accepting the request starts a customer conversation session.
- Opening the account adds an application tab to that conversation session.
- Selecting the earlier case session restores its contextual workspace and supported unsaved entries.
Note
Session restore is a preview capability that depends on administrator configuration. When enabled, it can reopen supported sessions and application tabs after a browser refresh or reconnection. Your experience might differ by record type and environment.
Respond to session attention indicators
Session icons help you prioritize conversations that aren't currently in focus. An unread indicator shows that a session has new customer messages or updates. Selecting that session brings it into focus and clears the unread count from its icon. Use the indicator as an attention cue, then read the conversation before deciding how to respond.
A sentiment alert can also appear when conversation sentiment reaches the threshold configured by an administrator. The alert identifies a session that might need prompt attention, but it doesn't determine the correct response. Review the customer's messages and full context before taking action. If sentiment analysis isn't enabled or no threshold is configured, you don't see this alert.
| Indicator | What it signals | Representative response |
|---|---|---|
| Unread count | New activity exists in a session that isn't in focus | Open the session, review the new messages, and respond in context. |
| Sentiment alert | Detected sentiment reaches a configured threshold | Prioritize review and assess the conversation before responding. |
Close the correct level of work
Closing an additional application tab removes only that page from the current session. Select the tab's close icon when you no longer need the supporting record or application. Focus then moves to another available application tab. You can't close the anchor tab independently because it maintains the session's primary context.
Closing a session is broader. Select the close control beside the session title and confirm the action. Closing the session also closes its application tabs. If your organization requires disposition codes or other completion information, you need to provide that information before the session closes.
An active customer conversation requires an intentional completion decision before you close its session. Depending on the channel and configuration, ending or closing a conversation can move it to a different state, such as wrap-up, waiting, or open for later handling. Closing a workspace container isn't a substitute for resolving, ending, or otherwise completing the conversation according to its channel workflow. Confirm the customer's status, complete required records, and use the appropriate conversation action before closing the session.
With sessions and tabs organized, you can keep each customer's context intact while you communicate and use the supporting information covered in the next unit.