# Inbox

> Connect customer channels and manage shared conversations, assignment, rules, macros, social comments, and AI agents.

Inbox is the shared workspace for customer conversations. It brings email, website and app chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, and phone calls into queues that sales, support, and success teams work together.

For internal team conversations, use [Chat](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/chat) instead.

## Inboxes, channels, and conversations

An **inbox** is a queue with members and assignment rules. A **channel** is a connected customer endpoint, such as a WhatsApp number or a Gmail address, that delivers messages into an inbox. A **conversation** is one customer thread.

Conversations hold status, priority, assignee, inbox, tags, participants, messages, internal notes, and links to CRM records.

## Work the queue

1. Open **Inbox** from the Operations section.
2. Pick **All Inboxes** or one inbox from the switcher.
3. Choose a view, then open a conversation.
4. Assign it, reply to the customer, or add an internal note.
5. Add tags and link the right Contact, Deal, Account, or Ticket.
6. **Close** the conversation, or snooze it until it needs attention again.

### Views

| View | Shows |
|---|---|
| **Assigned to me** | Conversations you own |
| **Mentions** | Conversations where a teammate @mentioned you in a note |
| **Unassigned** | Conversations waiting for an owner |
| **AI handoffs** | Conversations an AI agent passed to a person |
| **All** | Everything you can see |
| **Email**, **Chat**, **WhatsApp**, **Messenger**, **Instagram**, **Telegram**, **Calls** | One channel type (shown only when that channel is connected) |
| **All closed**, **Sent**, **Spam**, **Trash** | Closed conversations, conversations waiting on the customer, and filtered mail |

Search with **Search conversations**, and sort by **Date started**, **Last activity**, **Waiting since**, **Next SLA**, **Priority**, or **Snoozed until**. Your sort choice is remembered.

The list header can also start a **New WhatsApp conversation** from an approved template, open **Test an agent**, and **Sync emails now** when an email channel is connected.

## Reply, note, or instruct the AI

The composer has three modes:

| Mode | Who sees it |
|---|---|
| **Reply** | The customer, on their channel |
| **Note** | Teammates only. Type `@` to mention someone; mentioned teammates are added to the conversation and see it under **Mentions**. |
| **Instruct AI** | Only the AI agent working the conversation. See [AI in the inbox](#ai-in-the-inbox). |

Replies support attachments, emoji, voice messages, and macros (**Use macro**). Email replies have **Cc Bcc**. On WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram you can hover a message and select **Reply** to quote it, or **React** with an emoji. When the WhatsApp 24-hour service window has closed, the text box is disabled and you send an approved message with **Send Template** instead.

**Refine** rewrites your draft — **Make shorter**, **Make friendlier**, **Make more formal**, or **Translate to** another language — when the AI assistant is included in your plan. Press ⌘/Ctrl+Enter to send.

Messages show delivery state (**Sending**, **Sent**, **Delivered**, **Seen**, **Failed**). Customer edits show an **(edited)** marker, and customer reactions appear as chips on the message. On website and app chat you can delete a message you sent; the visitor sees that it was deleted.

## Status, assignment, and snooze

A conversation is **Open**, **Pending**, **Snoozed**, **Resolved**, or **Closed**. Use **Close** and **Reopen** in the header, or the **Status** field in Details for **Pending** and **Resolved**. A customer reply reopens a snoozed, resolved, or closed conversation.

Snooze presets are **Later today**, **Tomorrow**, **Monday**, **One week**, **One month**, and **Custom**. You can also type a duration such as `1 hour` or `2 days`.

Assign a conversation from Details: **Assign to You**, a teammate, or **Unassigned**. Only inbox members who have Inbox in their plan can be assigned.

## Configure inboxes

Open **Settings → Inbox → Inboxes** and select an inbox. Its page has three tabs.

**Access** — who works the inbox: **Available to everyone**, **Select departments**, or **Select users**.

**Assignment** — how new conversations get an owner:

- **Nobody** — the team picks it up from the queue
- **Always this person**
- **Round robin** — take turns across whoever is available
- **Least busy** — whoever has the fewest open conversations

You can also assign to the teammate who replies first, cap **Maximum open conversations per person**, limit assignment to business hours, and choose what happens **When nobody is available** (**Leave it in the queue** or **Assign it anyway**). A separate block controls **When the AI hands over to a human**: route like a new conversation, to someone specific, or to a department, optionally raising priority and sending repeat handoffs back to the same person.

**Settings** — **Auto Close (days)**, customer **Conversation ratings** (CSAT) with reasons for a bad rating, and filters that automatically mark email as spam.

## Connect channels

Open **Settings → Inbox → Channels** and select **Connect a channel**.

| Channel | Setup |
|---|---|
| **Team email** | Connect a Gmail or Microsoft Outlook mailbox |
| **Messenger** | The chat widget for your website and mobile apps |
| **WhatsApp** | Connect a WhatsApp Business number |
| **Facebook Messenger** | Connect a Facebook Page for private messages and public comments |
| **Instagram** | Connect an Instagram Business or Creator account for DMs and comments |
| **Telegram** | Connect a bot token |
| **Phone Calls** | Connect or buy a phone number — see [Calls](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/calls) |

From the channel list you can move a channel to another inbox, or disconnect it. WhatsApp channels also have **Manage templates** for message templates and **Manage Flows** for interactive WhatsApp Flows forms. The website chat widget has its own settings for appearance, mobile SDKs, outbound messages, installation, and security.

### Connect WhatsApp

WhatsApp offers two ways to connect:

- **Keep using the WhatsApp Business app** — the phone app and Workstation share the number. Messages you send from the phone also appear in Workstation. The number must be on a recent app version and active for at least 7 days.
- **Move the number to the Cloud API** — Workstation takes over the number completely.

### Connect Telegram

Telegram uses a bot created through the verified [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) account:

1. Send `/newbot` to BotFather.
2. Enter a display name and a unique username ending in `bot`.
3. Copy the complete API token.
4. In Workstation, select **Settings → Inbox → Channels → Connect a channel → Telegram**.
5. Paste the token, choose the inbox, and connect the channel.
6. Open the bot in Telegram and send `/start` to test it.

Treat the token like a password. If it is exposed, use BotFather's `/revoke` command and reconnect with the replacement token.

A Telegram bot cannot start a private conversation. The customer must message the bot first. Telegram does not use WhatsApp templates or the WhatsApp service window.

## Social comments

Public comments on your Facebook and Instagram posts and ads arrive through the connected Facebook Messenger and Instagram channels. The conversation shows the post, an **Ad** badge when it came from an ad, and the comment threads.

For each comment you can **Reply** publicly, **Reply privately** with a direct message (valid for 7 days after the comment), or **Hide**, **Unhide**, or **Delete** it.

## Inbox Rules

Rules handle common messages and comments automatically. Create them in **Settings → Inbox → Rules**, from scratch or from a template:

- **Comment keyword → auto-DM the link**
- **Reply menu (1 / 2 / 3 / 4)**
- **Opt-out on STOP / إيقاف**
- **Hide comments with banned words**

A rule starts when **A new message is received** or **A new comment is received**, on the channels you pick. Conditions include **Contains keywords** (match any or all), **Is exactly**, **Contains a link**, **Contains only emojis**, and **Contains only mentions**.

Actions:

- **Send a reply** — for comments, sent as a private DM to the commenter
- **Hide / delete comment**
- **Add an inbox tag**
- **Opt the contact out** — on this channel only, or on all channels
- **Reply menu** — numbered options, each with its own reply or opt-out, plus a fallback reply

Turn each rule on or off with its switch. Rules run on the [Workflows](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/administration/workflows) engine; select **Open in workflow builder** to edit one. Keep conditions narrow so a broad auto-reply or moderation action doesn't catch legitimate messages.

## Macros

Macros are saved replies with optional one-click actions. A macro can include attachments, **Set status**, **Add tag**, and **Assign** or unassign.

Each macro has **Available for** (**Everyone** or **A specific inbox**) and **Available when** (**Replying** or **Adding notes**). Organize macros in folders, duplicate useful ones, and **Export** the library as JSON. Configure them in **Settings → Inbox → Macros**; owners and admins can create and edit macros.

[Tickets](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/tickets) share the same macro library (also reachable from **Settings → Tickets → Macros**). On a ticket, a macro inserts only its text — its actions and attachments apply in the inbox only.

## Customer context and tickets

Every person who writes in gets a Contact automatically. Workstation matches an existing Contact by email, then phone, and creates one when there is no match. Anonymous website visitors become Contacts once they share a name, email, or phone. The contact record's **Conversations** tab lists that person's conversations.

Open **Details** to see and change the conversation:

- **Assignee**, **Priority**, **Status**, and the AI agent's state
- SLA timers such as **First reply due**
- **Links** to a **Ticket**, **Deal**, or **Account**
- the **Contact**, with **Contact notes**, **Recent conversations**, and **Recent orders** (**Create order**)
- **Tags**, **Conversation attributes**, and **Suggested CRM updates** the AI noticed in the conversation
- **From ad** or **From post** when the customer came from an ad

You can drag Details sections into the order you prefer. When a Contact with a pipeline is linked, the header shows a stage picker (**Set contact stage**).

To open a formal service record, select **Links → Ticket → Create ticket**. Turn on **Include conversation thread** to copy the messages into the new [Ticket](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/tickets).

## AI in the inbox

An [AI agent](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/ai-agents) can be deployed to an inbox to suggest replies or answer customers on its own.

- When the agent is answering, a banner says so. Select **Take over** to pause it and reply yourself, then **Resume AI** to hand back.
- In suggest mode, an **AI suggested reply** card appears above the composer. Select **Use** to insert it.
- **Instruct AI** sends the agent a private instruction, such as "offer the 10% discount". Use **Send & resume AI** to resume it in the same step.
- When the agent hands a conversation to a person, it appears under **AI handoffs** with an **AI brief** in Details explaining why and suggesting the next step.
- Rate any AI message with **Good reply** or **Bad reply**, and give a reason for bad ones. Ratings feed the agent's **Feedback** view.
- **More actions → Improve the AI agent** analyzes what went wrong in this conversation and proposes knowledge or playbook changes you can apply.
- **More actions → Show AI costs** shows what the conversation's AI work cost from your [AI balance](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/commerce/ai-balance).

## Visibility and permissions

You see a conversation when you are its assignee or owner, a participant (including by @mention), or a member of its inbox, within your workspace visibility rules.

| Permission group | Actions |
|---|---|
| `inbox_conversations` | view, create, update, assign, close |
| `inbox_messages` | view, reply, note |
| `inboxes` | view, create, update, delete |
| `inbox_channel_accounts` | view, create, update, delete |
| `inbox_rules` | view, create, update, delete |

Inbox requires the **Inbox & Calls** add-on. See [Plans & Add-ons](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/commerce/plans-and-add-ons).

## Related pages

- [Calls](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/calls)
- [AI Agents](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/ai-agents)
- [Tickets](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/tickets)
- [Contacts](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/sales/contacts)
- [Chat](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/operations/chat)
- [Workflows](https://workstation.repzo.com/docs/administration/workflows)