--- title: "Help the Next Customer" slug: "help-the-next-customer" description: "Once a Customer's questions or issues have been resolved, click Close & Next to close the Conversation. The Customer is then removed from the My Customers list." updated: 2025-01-31T19:13:19Z published: 2025-01-31T19:13:19Z --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gladly.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Help the Next Customer There are two ways to receive new Customers to assist in Gladly. You can: 1. [Click the Next button adjacent to the Availability Controls](https://help.gladly.com/docs/help-the-next-customer/#h-next-button-adjacent-to-the-availability-controls). 2. [Click the Next or Close & Next button adjacent to Topics](https://help.gladly.com/docs/help-the-next-customer/#h-next-or-close-amp-next-button-adjacent-to-topics). Customers routed or manually assigned to you will appear in your [My Customers](https://help.gladly.com/docs/manage-your-my-customers-list) list. While the primary purpose of the **Next** button is to request the next Customer to assist, how Gladly Routing Engine routes Customers depends on the **Next** button you click. ## 'Next' button adjacent to the Availability Controls ![Icons representing messages, calls, and notifications with a 'Next' button for navigation.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/Channel-Availability-Next.png) The **Next** button here is only clickable if you are available in at least one Channel (e.g., Voice). Click **Next** to receive Customers waiting in the Channel you made yourself available in from the Inboxes you're assigned to. - **Email, Task, Voicemail –**An email or Task item (if there's any waiting) will automatically route upon going available in the Email, Task, Voicemail Channel. You must click **Next** to request additional Mail or Task items as long as you are available in the **Email, Task, Voicemail**Channel. - **Note –** There's no limit to the number of Mail or Task items you can request, but you should do so only if you have the capacity to work on new items. - **Voice –** Phone calls automatically route as long as you are available in the Voice Channel. - **Messaging –** Social messages, SMSes, or chats route automatically up to [Standard Messaging Capacity](https://help.gladly.com/docs/configure-realtime-messaging-settings#standard-and-maximum-messaging-capacity-per-agent) configured by Administrators. Click **Next** to receive more up to the [Maximum Messaging Capacity](https://help.gladly.com/docs/configure-realtime-messaging-settings#standard-and-maximum-messaging-capacity-per-agent) limit configured by Administrators. ## 'Next' or 'Close & Next' button adjacent to Topics ![Navigation options for furniture inquiry with highlighted topics and next button.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/Next-only-button.png) Click **Next** or **Close & Next** to receive Customers already assigned to you that need attention (i.e., there's a new response or update you haven't seen) on your [My Customer](https://help.gladly.com/docs/manage-your-my-customers-list) list. This button is always clickable regardless of your Channel [Availability](https://help.gladly.com/docs/set-your-channel-Availability-to-help-customers). If there are no new updates from Customers assigned to you, and you are [available](https://help.gladly.com/docs/set-your-channel-Availability-to-help-customers) to receive new Customers, click **Next** or **Close & Next** to receive Customers waiting in the Inboxes you're assigned to from the Channel(s) you made yourself available in. > [!NOTE] > Get to know the 'Close' and 'Close & Next' buttons > > You may see Next, Close & Next, or End & Close as the default buttons, depending on the Channel you're helping the Customer in. See Next and Close & Next Buttons Behaviors to learn more. ## Help the next Customer ### Routing Engine automatically routes Customers based on Channel Availability - **Voice** – Phone calls automatically route as long as you are available in the Voice Channel and not already on a phone call. - **Messaging** – Social messages, SMSes, or chats route automatically up to [Standard Messaging Capacity](https://help.gladly.com/docs/configure-messaging-routing-settings#standard) configured by Administrators. - Click **Next** to receive more up to the [Maximum Messaging Capacity](https://help.gladly.com/docs/configure-messaging-routing-settings#maximum) limit configured by Administrators. - You can receive both Voice or Messaging Contacts at the same if available in both Channels. ### Routing Engine automatically routes only one Customer upon going available for a Channel - **Email, Task, Voicemail** – A Mail or Task item (if there’s any waiting) will automatically route upon going available in the Email, Task, Voicemail Channel. You must click **Next** to request additional Mail or Task items as long as you are available in the Email, Task, Voicemail Channel. - **Note –** There’s no limit to the number of Mail or Task items you can request, but you should do so only if you have the capacity to work on new items. ### Customer issue is not yet solved, but you are ready to work on a new Customer. Upon responding to the Customer, click **Next** adjacent to the Availability Controls. This keeps the current Conversation open while allowing you to receive a new Customer waiting in an Inbox to help. ![Icons representing messages, calls, and notifications with a 'Next' button for navigation.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/Channel-Availability-Next-1.png) - You can also click **Next** adjacent to Topics. You'll receive Customers already assigned to you until all of them are helped. ![Navigation options for furniture inquiry with highlighted topics and next button.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/Next-only-button-1.png) If you want to close the Conversation, click ![](https://connect.gladly.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/up-caret-icon.svg) then click **Close & Next**. ![Buttons for closing or proceeding to the next step in a user interface.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/close-next-button-only.png) ### You’ve solved the Customer’s issues, and you're ready to help a new Customer Click **Close & Next** from the bottom right corner of the Customer Profile. This will mark the Conversation as **Closed** and Gladly will route the next Customer needing attention in your My Customer list. ![Navigation menu showing topics related to South America with a next button.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/Close-and-next.png) If no Customers need your attention, you'll be routed to a Customer waiting in the Inboxes you're assigned to based on the Channel(s) you're [available](https://help.gladly.com/docs/set-your-channel-Availability-to-help-customers) in. ### You’ve solved the Customer’s issues, but you're not ready to help a new Customer You have multiple options to stop any new incoming requests from coming through after you close a Conversation. - If you remain [available](https://help.gladly.com/docs/set-your-channel-Availability-to-help-customers) on any Channels, you can decline new requests. Declining incoming requests will stop Gladly from routing them to you, which could impact your availability-related metrics. - Toggle your [Availability](https://help.gladly.com/docs/set-your-channel-Availability-to-help-customers) status to make yourself unavailable. - Click **Close** on the bottom right corner of the Customer Profile screen by clicking ![](https://connect.gladly.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/up-caret-icon.svg). While this will not immediately route you to the next Customer, based on the Channel(s) you're available in, a phone call or chat could still be routed to you.