"A conversation that started on SMS should be able to continue on WhatsApp."
The Problem Today
Conversations are implicitly single-channel. There is no model for a conversation that spans multiple providers or endpoint types (e.g. starting as an SMS exchange and continuing in a WhatsApp thread).
What We Are Building
An extension to the conversation model that allows a conversation to be associated with multiple channels and endpoint pairs simultaneously. A participant resolution layer maps the same logical contact across different channel endpoints (e.g. the same phone number used as both an SMS and a WhatsApp endpoint). Messages in the conversation are tagged with the channel through which they were sent or received.
Benefits
- A single conversation object spans all channels used with a given contact
- Channel transitions within a conversation are explicit and auditable
- Applications can choose to respond on any active channel within the conversation
The Problem Today
Conversations are implicitly single-channel. There is no model for a conversation that spans multiple providers or endpoint types (e.g. starting as an SMS exchange and continuing in a WhatsApp thread).
What We Are Building
An extension to the conversation model that allows a conversation to be associated with multiple channels and endpoint pairs simultaneously. A participant resolution layer maps the same logical contact across different channel endpoints (e.g. the same phone number used as both an SMS and a WhatsApp endpoint). Messages in the conversation are tagged with the channel through which they were sent or received.
Benefits