Using Sidebar, agents can have real-time collaboration with others based around a Workspace task-based or interaction-based record. These Sidebar discussions facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge to help resolve issues faster and with higher-quality outcomes.

Sidebar overview

An agent can initiate a group discussion from a task-based record or interaction-based record. The agent enters preliminary information and context for the discussion and adds subject matter experts to help. The agent can create multiple discussions for one record.

Sidebar workspaces

Sidebar is supported in these workspaces:
  • Customer Service Management (CSM) Configurable Workspace
  • CSM Manager Workspace
  • Human Resources (HR) Agent Workspace
  • IT Service Management (ITSM) Manager Workspace
  • Vendor Management Workspace

For information on adding the Discuss button to one of the supported workspaces above, see Adding the Discuss button.

For information on adding the Discuss button to any workspace not listed (such as the Service Operation Workspace), see KB article KB1213249.

Sidebar components

Sidebar discussion panel

When you select the Sidebar discussion icon Discussion icon, the Sidebar discussion panel appears:


Sidebar discussion panel.
The Sidebar discussion panel includes:
Docked chat windows

Fulfillers can access multiple Sidebar discussions at the same time using the docked windows feature. When a Sidebar discussion is created, the record card is automatically added at the start of the chat window. Docked chat windows include these features:


Sidebar docked window.
Table 2. User avatar and presence
User avatar and presence Description
user icon Displays the user's avatar and presence (online status). The dot indicates the user's presence depending on whether they’re logged in to the platform:
  • Green dot - user is logged in.
  • No dot - user isn’t logged in.
  • Orange dot - user recently logged out.
If Sidebar and Microsoft Teams are integrated, Microsoft Teams users are differentiated from Sidebar users with a Microsoft Teams Microsoft Teams icon icon.
Table 3. More actions icon
Icon Description
More actions icon
Display additional actions for this message including:
  • Post to activity stream
  • Remove from activity stream
  • Edit message
  • Delete message
If you minimize a docked window, it appears as a tab in the overflow menu at the bottom of the screen. If you hover over a minimized docked window, the record number and chat title appear to help you identify the content. You can select any of the tabs to access that discussion again. The maximum number of docked windows you can have in the overflow menu is 25 and this amount can be configured. If there are too many docked windows to display as tabs in the overflow menu, a tab with a number displays indicating how many extra docked windows aren’t displayed.

Activity stream and Sidebar

You must integrate Sidebar with activity stream if you want agents to be able to post Sidebar discussions to the activity stream. For instructions on integrating Sidebar with the activity stream, see Integrating Sidebar and activity stream. For information on using Sidebar with the activity stream, see Activity stream in Sidebar.

Sidebar installing and configuring

The Sidebar configuration settings are available via the Sidebar tab under Conversational Interfaces > Settings. See Installing Sidebar for instructions. After Sidebar is installed, you must configure the admin settings. See Configuring Sidebar for instructions.

Using Sidebar

For information on how to use Sidebar, see Using Sidebar for more information.

Key features include:
  • Creating custom discussion button
  • Viewing Core UI forms with Sidebar
  • Sidebar panel
  • Sidebar unread conversation badge count
  • Docked chat window
  • Favoriting discussions
  • Discussion information panel
  • Quick actions
  • Integrating with activity stream
  • Integrating with AI search
  • Drag-and-drop file sharing
  • Emojis
  • Using @ to call out a user

Using Sidebar and Microsoft Teams

After Sidebar and Microsoft Teams are integrated, users of both applications can collaborate with each other. For more information on integrating Sidebar with Microsoft Teams, see Sidebar and Microsoft Teams.

Core UI

You can create Sidebar discussions on interaction records from Next Experience Core UI.

Domain Separation

For information about domain separation in Sidebar, see Domain separation and Sidebar.

More information

To learn more, see the Now learning course on Sidebar.