Customer service agent · Lesson 1 of 5
How to work as a team in a shared inbox
Messages from all your channels land in one list. In this lesson you set up your working day so every conversation has one owner and nothing gets left behind.
6 min
What you'll learn
- The right order to work through your inbox
- Picking up a conversation or handing it over
- Choosing between a label and a folder
- Saving your own views
Step by step
- 1
Check which channel you are looking at
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and your website chat all sit together in the Chats list. To see just one, pick a channel under Channels, or one number if you have several WhatsApp numbers. That helps when, say, a dental practice runs a separate number for each location.
- 2
Work through the filters in a fixed order
Start with Expiring soon: unanswered chats whose 24-hour window closes within 4 hours. Then go to Assigned to me, since that's already yours, and then to Unassigned. Check Mentioned as well, because that's where colleagues ask for your help.
- 3
Pick up the conversation before you reply
Click Assign to me at the top of the conversation. On chat channels you have to: until it's assigned to you, the text box says Assign to start typing. That way your colleagues see you've got it and the customer doesn't get two answers.
- 4
Hand over to whoever can solve it
Under Assign, use the User tab for one colleague or the Team tab for a whole group. Pick a team when it doesn't matter who takes it, and a person when they already know the background. The conversation's timeline keeps showing who picked it up, handed it over and closed it.
- 5
Use labels for what something is
Add a label with the label button in the header, like Quote or Complaint. You create new labels under Settings › Labels. The star adds a customer to your Favourites, and under More actions you set a priority: High, Medium or Low.
- 6
Use folders for where something belongs
Right-click under Folders and choose New folder. Then just drag conversations in, for example into Warranty or Wholesale, and nest folders inside each other if you like. A plumbing company could keep everything about one running job together this way.
- 7
Save your favourite view
Once your filters are right, click Save current filter under Saved filters and give it a name. Sort by Longest Open so old questions don't sink out of sight. Hide the parts you never use with Show/hide sections.
Common mistakes
Replying without assigning
You think a colleague has it, your colleague thinks you do, and the customer waits. Agree as a team that nobody reads a conversation and leaves it without assigning it or passing it on.
Putting everything in folders
A folder is a place, not a property. If you want to count complaints later, use a label. Folders are for finding a group of conversations again.
Too many labels
With dozens of labels everyone picks something different and your numbers stop meaning anything. Agree on a short list that any colleague can apply without thinking.
Hitting spam too quickly
Spam conversations are deleted automatically after 14 days. If you're not sure a message is fake, assign it to a colleague rather than marking it as spam.
Tips
- Decide per shift who keeps an eye on Unassigned, and that list stays short.
- Use folder names everyone understands, not one person's abbreviations.
- Looking for an old conversation? Check Closed too, it's still there.
You're done when
- You work through the filters in the same order every day
- Every open conversation is in the name of a person or team
- Your team has a short, agreed list of labels
- You've saved at least one view
Frequently asked questions
What is a shared inbox?
One place where a team handles the messages from every channel together. Everyone sees the same conversations and who is picking up which, so nobody has to share passwords or phones.
What's the difference between a label and a folder?
A label says what a conversation is, for example Complaint. A folder is where you keep a group of conversations, for example Wholesale. Use labels for overview and folders to find things again.
Do I have to assign an email first as well?
You can reply to email without assigning it, but not on the chat channels. It's still worth assigning an email so your team knows it's been picked up.
Can customers see my labels and folders?
No. Labels, folders, priorities and assignments are only visible to your team in Bugalou.