Getting started · Lesson 1 of 8

A shared inbox for customer service: how Bugalou works

All customer questions in one place, so nobody has to go looking and nobody answers twice. This lesson shows you the layout, so you can follow the next lessons straight away.

6 min

What you'll learn

  • How the inbox is laid out
  • How to see who is handling a conversation
  • Where to find channels, AI and settings
  • What each plan includes

Step by step

  1. 1

    Open the inbox and look at the filters

    Click Inbox in the menu on the left. You'll see All, Unassigned, Assigned to me, Snoozed, Expiring soon and Closed, among others. A dental practice, for example, sees WhatsApp questions about appointments alongside emails and website chats, in a single list. Start your day at Unassigned: that's the work nobody is responsible for yet.

  2. 2

    Pick up a conversation

    Open a conversation and click Assign to me. It now shows under Assigned to me, and your colleagues can see you're handling it. That stops two people answering the same customer, the classic problem with a shared email address or a shared phone.

  3. 3

    Keep an eye on Expiring soon

    This lists unanswered chats whose 24-hour reply window closes within 4 hours. The window is a Meta rule: after it closes you can no longer reply freely on WhatsApp, only with an approved template. So check this list a few times a day, even on busy days.

  4. 4

    Get to know the rest of the menu

    Under Channels you connect WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, email and your website chat. AI Agent is where you set up automatic answers, and Automations handles repetitive work. Contacts stores your customers, Analytics shows how things are going, and Help Center is where you publish articles.

  5. 5

    Find the settings

    Click Settings at the bottom of the menu. You get three choices: Organization settings (billing, among other things), Workspace settings (team, routing, preferences) and Personal settings (your own profile). On a phone you only see the personal settings, so do the rest on a computer.

  6. 6

    Check what your plan includes

    The free plan gives you website chat for 1 user and 50 conversations a month, without AI. Starter adds WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email. Pro adds the AI agent, routing rules and the help center, among other things. Pages outside your plan show as a locked preview, so you can already see what's possible.

Common mistakes

Still replying from the old place

If a colleague keeps replying from their own mailbox or phone, the others don't see that answer, or see it too late. Agree that from a set date, customer conversations only happen in the inbox.

Not assigning conversations

When everyone reads along but nobody puts their name on a conversation, everyone assumes someone else has it. Assign each conversation as soon as you start on it. With several colleagues, Pro can do this automatically.

Mixing up customer conversations and team chat

The inbox is for talking to customers, Team chat is for talking to colleagues. So don't type an internal question into a customer conversation without checking where you're typing.

Tips

  • Press Ctrl+K on any page to search for a part of the dashboard.
  • Connect one channel first and work with it for a few days before adding the rest.
  • See Getting Started in the menu? It walks you through the main settings.

You're done when

  • You can explain what Unassigned and Assigned to me are for
  • You know how to assign a conversation to yourself
  • You can find Channels, AI Agent and the three kinds of settings
  • You know what your current plan includes

Frequently asked questions

What is a shared inbox?

A single list of all customer conversations that your whole team manages together. Everyone sees the same conversation and who's handling it, instead of separate mailboxes and phones.

Is Bugalou only for web shops?

No. The web shop connections are an extra. A practice, gym, rental company or consultancy uses the same inbox, channels and AI agent.

Can I try Bugalou for free?

Yes. You can try Starter or Pro free for 14 days without a credit card. There's also a free plan with website chat only, for 1 user and up to 50 conversations a month.