Single sign-on (SSO) is a user authentication tool that enables users to securely access multiple applications and services using just one set of credentials. Comm100 supports Agent SSO and Visitor SSO functions to provide a more secure and convenient login experience for both agents and visitors.

• Agent SSO allows your agents to log in to Comm100 and other applications with a single set of credentials. For example, your staff can log in to Comm100 with their regular work credentials.
• Visitor SSO allows you to authenticate your visitors by their credentials in another system. For example, your students can use their university credentials to start a chat.

This article introduces the advantages, disadvantages, and usage of Comm100 SSO. Read this article before deciding whether to adopt the SSO solution.

Agent SSO

Usage of Agent SSO

Agent SSO authenticates your staff by connecting Comm100 and your own authentication system. If you connect Comm100 with your system through SSO, then after signing in, your staff can log in to Comm100 without the need to enter usernames and passwords. At the first SSO login, your staff need to provide the site ID. Afterwards, they can be automatically authenticated.

Advantages of Agent SSO

Agent SSO brings benefits to your business on multiple levels. Major benefits include the following:

• Improves agent work efficiency by saving them from frequent logins and remembering multiple passwords. It allows agents to focus on one strong, unique password, freeing them from time-consuming password entry and repeated password resets.
• Improves security level by minimizing point of attack. Every login is an opportunity for hackers to steal credentials. With SSO, security risks are lowered as the attack surface is reduced. In addition, when faced with different credentials, agents often recycle and note down passwords for different accounts. SSO allows them to use one strong password, which also reduces the risk of attack.
• Simplifies agent access control with the integration between Comm100 and your system. It helps your IT team to be more effective in controlling agent access.

Disadvantages of Agent SSO

While Agent SSO provides a more secure and convenient login experience, there are the following downsides to consider:

• Implementing SSO in the first step can be difficult if there is a compatibility issue. Comm100 supports Agent SSO via JWT (JSON Web Token) or SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) standards. You need to ensure compatibility between Comm100 and the application you want to use before implementation.
• Your own system becomes the single point of failure. Once agents’ accounts are compromised, hackers can access all connected applications. An additional authentication mechanism other than passwords is a must. Use multi-factor authentication for your SSO solution.
• It can be inconvenient if your agents are using shared devices. The repeated login and logout process is more complicated in the SSO solution.

Visitor SSO

Usage of Visitor SSO

Visitor SSO allows you to authenticate your website visitors in Comm100 by synchronizing their account information stored in your own system. Your agents can view visitors’ information passed from your system on the Comm100 Agent Console. For example, your system stores customers’ information, such as purchase history and membership level. With field mapping adequately set up, your agents can see the information on the Comm100 Agent Console.

The Comm100 Visitor SSO login solution is flexible. For each Live Chat campaign, you can define whether to require visitors to sign in before a chat.

• No sign-in: Your visitors can start chatting right after clicking on the chat button or filling out the pre-chat survey (if you have a pre-chat survey enabled).
• Sign-in optional: Give your visitors a choice to log into their accounts or chat anonymously when initiating a chat. If you have enabled a pre-chat survey, logged-in visitors will skip the pre-chat survey, while non-logged-in visitors need to fill out your pre-chat survey before chatting.
  
• Sign-in required: Your visitors are required to log in before chatting. If a visitor does not have an account with you, they cannot access live chat. This option helps you keep your live chat exclusive to visitors with accounts.

For visitors who skipped login, your agents can send an SSO sign-in request during a chat to provide more personalized service.

Advantages of Visitor SSO

• Simplifies visitor login experience with shared login between Comm100 Live Chat and your system. Once your customers or students have logged in to your system, they don’t need to log in again to get live chat service. This helps you create a convenient and seamless user experience when your visitors move between Comm100 live chat and your applications.
• Provides a smoother, more personalized, and more efficient chat service. Since agents can see visitor data passed from your own system, such as student number, client ID and account status, they can provide more personalized service without repeatedly requesting information. This saves time for both agents and visitors and enhances customer satisfaction.
• Routes visitors to the most appropriate agent. You can use Visitor SSO in combination with Comm100 Routing Rules to route your customers or students to the agent best suited to handle their query. For example, you can direct customers to their Account Manager or route VIPs to specialist staff.

Disadvantages of Visitor SSO

• Data synchronization requires proper field mapping between Comm100 and your system. The process can be time-consuming. You need to set up custom variables first to map your business-specific customer data to Comm100 Live Chat.
• Visitors without accounts cannot get access to you if you require all customers to sign in before chatting. This can prevent your prospective customers or customers having an SSO login issue from contacting you.