Inbox Overview
The Inbox is where your team reads and answers every customer conversation in Resool. Messages from WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, email, website chat, SMS, Telegram and your other connected channels arrive in one shared list, so agents can reply, assign, add notes and close conversations without switching apps. It is built for support, sales and agency teams of any size that share the same customers.
Before you begin
- Connect at least one channel. Until you do, the Inbox shows Connect your first channel and a Connect a channel button. See Connecting Channels.
- What you see depends on your role:
- Owners, Admins and Managers see every conversation in the workspace.
- Agents see conversations assigned to them, routed to one of their teams, or where they were added as a collaborator.
- Viewers see the same conversations as Agents but can't reply or change them.
How the Inbox is laid out
Open Inbox from the left rail. The page has four parts, from left to right.
Inbox
The full Inbox with demo data: the views panel on the left (All conversations, Assigned to me, Unassigned, Incoming Calls, Collaborations, Blocked Contacts, Lifecycle and Teams sections), the conversation list with the Inbox / Calls / Comments tabs, an open WhatsApp conversation in the middle with the composer, and the contact details panel on the right.
File: screenshots/inbox-overview-layout.png
1. Views panel
The panel on the left lists the inboxes you can open: All conversations (or My teams for Agents), Assigned to me, Unassigned, Incoming Calls, Collaborations and Blocked Contacts, followed by one inbox per Lifecycle stage, one per team under Teams, and your Custom inbox list. Each shows how many conversations it holds. See Conversation Views and Filters and Custom Inboxes.
2. Conversation list
The middle-left column lists the conversations in the selected view. At the top you can switch between three tabs:
- Inbox: chats with your contacts on every channel.
- Calls: WhatsApp calls and calls you logged. See WhatsApp Calls.
- Comments: comments on your Facebook and Instagram posts. See Facebook and Instagram Comments.
Each row shows the contact, channel, last message and time. Rows can also show a reply-due or overdue timer, an Important star, and an AI badge when an AI agent is handling the conversation. Use the Show and Sort by menu to filter by status, the search icon to search, and the select icon to act on several conversations at once.
3. Conversation
The centre shows the messages with the customer, internal notes from your team, and system events such as assignments and status changes. The header holds the actions you use most: the contact's lifecycle stage, Assign, Collaborators, search in the conversation, Snooze, the call button and Close. The More actions menu has the rest, such as Mark as pending, Merge into…, Create ticket and Block Contact.
The composer at the bottom is where you write replies and internal notes. See Replying to Conversations.
4. Contact details panel
The right-hand panel shows who you're talking to: name, channels, phone, email, contact fields, companies, tags and internal notes, plus tabs for files, activity, deals, tasks, tickets and connected apps. Click Contact details in the header to show or hide it. See Contact Details Panel.
How conversations work
- One open conversation per contact. When a contact writes to you, Resool adds the message to their open conversation, even if they switch channels. The reply line in the composer shows which channel your reply goes out on.
- Statuses. A conversation is Open, Pending, Snoozed or Closed. A reply from the contact brings a pending or snoozed conversation back to open. After a conversation is closed, the contact's next message starts a new conversation. See Conversation Status, Snooze and Close.
- Assignment. A conversation can be assigned to one teammate or to an AI agent, and up to 9 teammates can be added as collaborators. See Assigning Conversations.
- Messaging windows. Some channels only let you reply for a limited time after the contact's last message. See Messaging Windows and Templates.
How to handle a new conversation
- Open Unassigned (or Assigned to me if conversations are assigned automatically).
- Click a conversation to open it. Press A to assign it to yourself.
- Read the contact details on the right, then type your reply and press Enter.
- Add an internal note with Add comment if a teammate needs context. Mention them with @.
- When the customer's question is answered, click Close, pick a Conversation Category if asked, and click Close Conversation.
Inbox › open a conversation
The conversation header of an open conversation: contact avatar with channel badge, name, lifecycle stage button, assignee button, collaborators icon, search icon, Snooze, call button and the Close button with its arrow.
File: screenshots/inbox-overview-header.png
Use the Inbox on your phone
The Resool mobile app for Android and iOS has the same Inbox, with All, Open, Closed and Snoozed tabs and the same actions as chips under the contact's name. See Mobile App.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Why can't I see a conversation my teammate is talking about?
Agents only see conversations assigned to them, routed to one of their teams, or where they're a collaborator. Ask your teammate to add you as a collaborator, or ask an Admin to add you to the right team.
What you can do:
- Check Collaborations in the views panel.
- Ask an Owner or Admin to review your role in
Settings › Members.
Why does the Inbox say "Connect your first channel"?
The workspace has no connected channels yet. An Owner or Admin can connect one from Settings › Channels.
Why can't I type a reply?
Either your role can't reply (Viewer), the contact is blocked, or the channel's messaging window has closed. You can still add internal notes in all three cases. See Messaging Windows and Templates.
Does the Inbox update in real time?
Yes. New messages, typing indicators, assignments and status changes appear without refreshing the page.