Use the inbox to manage the conversations that need attention from your team.
The inbox brings together customer replies, support questions, order follow-up, and conversations that a playbook, route, or AI agent escalates to a person.
If you are comparing the Inbox with playbooks and campaigns, start with How Hellotext works.
If you are setting up AI or playbook escalations, read AI handoff to Inbox.
How conversations move through the inbox
A conversation can start when a customer replies to a message, writes through a connected channel, or needs attention after a playbook, route, order, or tracked event.
Your team can keep the conversation unassigned, assign it to a teammate, reassign it to someone else, or close it when no further action is needed.
Closed conversations reopen automatically when the customer replies again or when new activity requires your team to act.
Assign clear ownership
Every conversation should have a clear owner when a person needs to respond.
Use assignments to decide who is responsible for the next reply. This keeps customers from waiting while multiple teammates assume someone else is handling the conversation.
Keep reading: Assign conversations.
If the conversation was escalated by an AI agent, playbook, or route, also review AI handoff to Inbox.
Use roles to match responsibilities
Roles define what each teammate can see and do.
Agents usually focus on conversations and customer profiles. Managers can also manage marketing, playbook, and automation work. Administrators can manage broader business settings.
Keep reading: Team roles and permissions.
Track response health
Response rules help teams understand which conversations are on track and which ones need faster attention.
Use response times when you want operational visibility across channels, teammates, and teams.
Keep reading: Response times and response rules.
Admin and ownership tasks
Some team tasks affect account control rather than daily conversation handling. Keep ownership changes deliberate and limit them to the right administrator.
Keep reading: Transfer business ownership.
Replying with the message editor
When a teammate replies from the inbox, the message editor provides formatting, tracked links, personalization tags, and supported rich content for the active channel.
Keep reading: Message editor overview.