2021-09-22 Release
Platform version: 8.23.0, 1.8.43
It's a beautiful day for improving the accessibility of your web-based chatbot.
This release also introduces a bunch of behind-the-scenes changes, preempting a few major features coming up (cough new convers-cough-ation builder cough).
Let's dive into the changes.
🎉 A more accessible and inclusive chatbot experience
Today, we're happy to announce our web-based chatbots (widget, embedded, full page) comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA guidelines.
This means a more inclusive experience for anyone that might engage with your chatbot.
Some changes will not be invisible to the naked eye. For instance, we've fixed some of the chatbot's element semantics such as making titles as H1s.
Some changes are subtle. For example, we’ve added more contrast on some elements (such as Quick Reply buttons) to make them more visible.
Finally, some changes have a big impact on the usability of your chatbot, making it a whole lot more inclusive. For example, we've added the ability to tab between chatbot elements; a big help to those who may not have access to a mouse.
Moving forward, every new feature released on our proprietary chatbot channels will also be WCAG compliant.
Accessibility and WCAG regulation adherence are often a requirement for large organisations. If you are using our platform to pitch and build solutions for other businesses, be sure to make this a key point of discussion!
Improvements
Live chat agents can now update the name displayed when they take over a live chat. Learn how to change your name to Mr. Live Chat Machine here.
Added a 'scroll to bottom' button to the chatbots. It appears as users scroll up the conversation.
Added padding to messages inside the chatbots, for better visibility.
Added a tick box requiring users to confirm they want to delete their information.
Bug fixes
We've fixed a bug where chatbots would sometimes stop responding if a user's device went inactive for a bit too long.
Putting a limit on the number of concurrent live chats in a round-robin seemed to throw our systems off a little bit. This is now fixed.
Users reported compatibility issues with Internet Explorer 11, which was a massive bummer. We've fixed those, should all work as expected now.
Made some of our error notifications a little clearer.
Adding a link to your full page chatbot's logo wasn't consistently working. Now, it is.