# Host multiple participants on an ongoing customer service chat in the agent workspace or CCP
<a name="multi-party-chat"></a>

You can add up to four additional participants to an ongoing customer service chat, for a total of six participants: you, the customer, and four other people. You can use quick connects to add participants.

## Prerequisites
<a name="prerequisites-multi-party-chats"></a>
+ This feature is only available in CCPv2, agent workspace, and custom CCP using Amazon Connect Streams.js.
  + **IT administrators**: 
    + By default, chats can have two participants, such as an agent and a customer. To enable agents to connect up to six parties on a chat, you need to select **Enable Multi-party Chats and Enhanced Monitoring for Chat** in the Amazon Connect console. For instructions, see [Update telephony and chat options](update-instance-settings.md#update-telephony-options).
  + **Developers**: In custom CCPs, use the updated Amazon Connect Streams API to enable multi-party chats, up to six parties. See the [Amazon Connect Streams](https://github.com/amazon-connect/amazon-connect-streams/blob/master/Documentation.md#connectcoreinitccp) documentation on GitHub. 
+ **AWS GovCloud (US-West)**: This feature is not available in the AWS GovCloud (US-West) Region.

## Important things to know
<a name="important-things-multi-party-chats"></a>
+ This feature works for all supported forms of chat: chat/SMS, WhatsApp, and Apple Messages for Business.
+ When you have multiple agents on the chat, such as three agents and a customer, all agents on the chat can view all parties and have the option to disconnect participants from the chat. 
+ If a customer leaves a chat with multiple agents, the chat ends for all participants. 
+ If an agent in a multi-party chat transfers the chat to another agent, all existing agents are disconnected.
+ Read/Delivered receipts do not work with multi-party chat. They do start working again when the chat returns to two participants. 
+ If enhanced monitoring for chat is already enabled, to also enable multiparty chats you need to use the UpdateInstanceAttribute API with the `MULTI_PARTY_CHAT_CONFERENCE` attribute for the first time. Or, you can turn the feature OFF and then back ON to update your settings. For more information, see [ UpdateInstanceAttribute](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/APIReference/API_UpdateInstanceAttribute.html) in the *Amazon Connect API Reference Guide*.

## How to add participants to a multi-party chat
<a name="add-participants-multi-party-chat"></a>

The following image shows the contact and you (the agent) connected on a chat. The customer always appears at the top of the CCP.

![\[The CCP, the agent and the customer connected on a chat.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/ccp-multiparty-chat-two-people.png)


**To add participants**
+ While you're connected to the customer, choose **Quick connects** to add another agent. 
**Tip**  
Your admin can add a message in the flow to be played before the third party is added to the session. 

  The following image shows the CCP after you invite a third participant to join the chat.  
![\[The CCP, messages displayed to the agent and customer.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/multi-party-chat3.png)

  1. **Inviting new agent ...** - This is an example of a custom message that an Admin or Contact Center Manager can configure in the [Play prompt](play.md) block.

  1. **Another participant has been invited** - This is a message from Amazon Connect to let the agent know that they (the agent) made a request to add a participant to this chat.

  1. **Chat started with Agent2** - This message is displayed when the second agent joins/accepts the chat on their end.

## How to manage participants
<a name="manage-participants-multi-party-chat"></a>

The following image shows Agent2's CCP. From the perspective of Agent2, the customer and Agent1 are the other active participants.

Every agent on a chat can disconnect other individual participants.

![\[The CCP, multiple participants on a chat.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/multi-party-chat2.png)


1. The customer and Agent1 are the other participants on the chat.

1. Agent2 can choose the **x** to disconnect any participant from the chat.

You can transfer a multi-party chat to another agent, or disconnect yourself from the ongoing chat. 

**To transfer**
+ Choose the **More** button, and then choose **Quick connect**.  
![\[A chat contact on the CCP, the More button.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/connect/latest/adminguide/images/chat-more-button.png)

**To disconnect**
+ Choose **Leave chat**.

## When do multi-party chats end?
<a name="end-multi-party-chats"></a>

A multi-party chat continues as long as the customer is on the chat.