With this release, we’re excited to announce that you are now able to set Business Hours for your EZLynx Virtual Agent (EVA). This new feature gives Agency Admins full control over when EVA responds to incoming text messages, ensuring that automated replies only occur outside of your designated office hours. 


The EZLynx Virtual Agent (EVA) is a consumer-facing chatbot that helps agencies quickly respond to common service requests like Auto ID cards and callback requests. However, due to occasional challenges with intent recognition, it has sometimes interrupted conversations already being handled by agents. By enabling EVA Offline hours, you can avoid mixed messages by making sure that EVA only steps in after you've logged off.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

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What's in it for me?


  • Prevent Interruptions: Ensure Virtual Agent only responds after-hours, so agents can handle live conversations without interference. 


  • Improve Customer Experience: Avoid confusion from overlapping replies and maintain a smooth communication flow. 


  • Stay in Control: Set, adjust, or reset Virtual Agent’s schedule anytime to fit your agency’s operating hours.

 

Accessing the Feature


Please note, you must be an Agency Admin and EZLynx Virtual Agent must be enabled for you to see the new Business Hours configuration for EVA on the Virtual Agent Settings page. 


1. Hover over the Communication Center icon. This will open the Communication Center menu.

2. Choose Settings under Virtual Agent. This will open the Virtual Agent Settings page.



3. If not already enabled, check the box next to the new “Enable Business Hours” option. This will display the default business hours options. 


Default Business Hours: 

  • Monday–Friday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM 
  • Saturday–Sunday: Off by default 


From here, you can select/deselect days of the week and adjust open/close times for each day.  

  • Each selected day must include a start and end time. 
  • Close time must be after opening time. 
  • Changes cannot be saved if any required fields are incomplete.
  • The Reset button is available to quickly restore the original default business hours as well as the time zone.


Please note: All times are in your local time zone which is based off your User Settings preferences. To learn about how to set your local time zone, check out our the Preferences section of our EZLynx Basics - User Settings article.


4. Once you have the business hours set how you would like, select the Save button.

Practical Applications  


  • Avoid Mixed Messaging: Make sure only live agents are replying during business hours— Virtual Agent steps in only after you’ve logged off. 


  • Protect Team Productivity: Eliminate unnecessary tasks caused by overlapping Virtual Agent replies that create extra follow-up work. 


  • Adapt Quickly with Reset: If you need to revert your schedule, use the built-in Reset option for a quick fix—no manual edits required. 

We hope you are excited for this new feature and look forward to our future releases. Please let us know if this article was helpful in learning about the new feature by answering the question below. Check out our related articles on the right-side of the page to learn more about EZLynx!