Run the Inbox for a team: assign, quick replies, reply goal

Before you start

A new conversation starts with the order's assigned person when they can answer it. Changing the order's ownership follows order assignment and needs Reassign quotes and orders.

Work the Inbox as a team

1. 1

   Step 1: Find unanswered work

   Open Needs reply or Mine. Use Show to filter Overdue or Unread. The list shows the conversations matching that workload.

   The empty messages distinguish Nothing needs a reply, Nothing assigned to you, and No unassigned conversations. Check your view before assuming there is no work.

2. 2

   Step 2: Assign the conversation

   Open the conversation and click its assignee. Choose an eligible teammate or Unassigned. The header shows the selected person.

3. 3

   Step 3: Set the right conversation state

   Reply when the customer needs an answer. Use Close when the conversation is done, or choose Open, Waiting, or Closed through the status control.

   Reopen reverses a closure. A new customer or vendor reply also reopens the conversation. Closing isn't a way to prevent the customer from contacting you again.

Assign or close many at once

1. 1

   Step 1: Select the conversations

   Tick the relevant rows. Rows your role cannot change are greyed out with an explanation, including vendor conversations outside your access.

2. 2

   Step 2: Apply the shared action

   Click Close, or Assign… and choose a teammate or Unassigned. The selected conversations update to the chosen state or responsibility.

   Review the selected records first. A batch can include several customers or vendors, so keep the action appropriate for every selected conversation.

Save and use quick replies

1. 1

   Step 1: Add a saved answer

   Go to Settings›Messages & notifications›Quick replies. Click Add quick reply. Enter a Title and Text.

   The title is the Inbox button label and allows 60 characters. The text allows 2,000 characters. You can save up to 20 quick replies.

2. 2

   Step 2: Add supported placeholders

   Use {{customer.first_name}} for the customer's first name and {{order.number}} for the order number. Click Save quick reply. The confirmation reads Quick reply saved.

   

   Edit or reorder saved replies as your team needs. Deletion asks Delete quick reply? before removing the saved answer.

3. 3

   Step 3: Insert and review the answer

   Under the Inbox reply box, click Quick replies and choose the answer. Its text is inserted at the cursor with supported placeholders filled.

   Review the wording before sending. The control isn't offered on an internal note or on the order page's Conversation card.

Set your reply time goal

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose the number of hours

   Go to Settings›Messages & notifications›Sending settings›Replies. Under Reply time goal, enter Hours as a whole number from 1 to 168.

2. 2

   Step 2: Save the goal

   Click Save. Reply time goal saved confirms the change. The default is 4 hours.

   

   The goal counts clock hours, including nights and weekends. It begins with the first unanswered reply from someone on file. Closed conversations are never overdue.

What happens next

Mine and Unassigned reflect your assignments. A reply clears the unread badge and stops the reply clock. Overdue remains until someone replies or closes the conversation.

Rows and headers show elapsed overdue time, such as Overdue 2h or Overdue 3d. Use that information to prioritize work, alongside the content of the customer's request.

If something goes wrong