Inbox overview

The Inbox is where your team reads customer messages, replies by text or email, reviews call history, and keeps each conversation connected to the right customer. Use this section when a customer asks a question, sends a photo, replies to an email, calls your facility, or needs a follow-up from your team. When your Inbox is used well, staff do not have to search through separate phones, email accounts, and notes to understand what happened.

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What you will accomplish

• Understand what Inbox is for and when to use it.
• Know how the conversation list and timeline work together.
• Pick the right guide for texting, emailing, calling, or setup.
• Spot unread conversations from Overview when your dashboard includes an Inbox panel.

The Inbox keeps customer texts, emails, and calls together so your team can answer with the full history in view. The Live badge means new activity can appear without refreshing. Live tells your team that new customer messages can appear automatically while the page is open.

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Yellow setup notices (normal during your first week)

If phone or email is not finished yet, Inbox may show yellow or gray notices such as Inbox isn’t configured yet at the top of the page and Messaging isn’t configured yet above the message box at the bottom. Expected result: Staff can train on real conversation layouts while setup finishes, without sending messages to customers before your facility line is live.

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What you can do from Inbox

• Start a new conversation with an existing customer or a new phone number.
• Reply by Text when the message should be short and fast.
• Reply by Email when the answer needs a subject line, more detail, or a formal record.
• Use Call on a saved customer or Quick call from the Inbox header when the customer needs a live conversation. See Call a customer from Inbox.
• Review the timeline filters Texts, Emails, and Calls when you want to focus on one type of activity.
• Use Suggest with AI to draft a possible reply when you want a starting point.
• Mark a conversation unread when someone still needs to follow up.
• Watch for the Live badge and teammate presence notes when more than one person uses Inbox.
• Spot Reschedule badges when a customer asks to move an appointment.

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Start with the right guide

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Open Inbox from anywhere in the dashboard

You do not have to click Inbox in the sidebar every time.

• Sidebar: Click Inbox for the full-page view with the conversation list and timeline.
• Overview dashboard: If your facility added an Inbox widget to Overview, unread conversations appear there with links into each thread. See Use Inbox from your Overview dashboard.
• Customer record: From Contacts, open a customer and use message shortcuts when your team needs to reach them from their profile.

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How the Inbox is organized

The Inbox has two main areas.

• The conversation list is on the left. It shows each customer or phone number, the most recent activity, and channel labels such as Text, Email, or Call.
• The conversation timeline is on the right. It shows the selected customer’s messages and calls in time order.
• The reply area is at the bottom of the conversation. This is where you choose Text or Email and write your reply.
• The Call button is near the top of the selected conversation when the customer has a usable phone number.
• The Search field and + button are above the conversation list. Use Search to find an existing thread. Use + (labeled New when you hover) to start a new conversation.

Select a customer on the left to read the full timeline on the right before you reply. Call is on the conversation. Quick call is the phone icon in the Inbox header.

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Choose the right channel

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What unread counts mean

Unread conversations are ones your team may still need to review. In the conversation list on the left, you may notice:

• A blue dot on the customer’s circle when the conversation has unread activity.
• Bold text on the customer name when something new arrived.
• Small numbers on channel labels such as Text or Email when only that channel has unread messages.
• An orange Reschedule badge when the latest preview starts with Reschedule proposed: (see Respond to reschedule requests in Inbox).

The screenshot below shows examples of unread conversations in the list (bold names and blue dots). Unread threads often show a blue dot, bold customer name, and small numbers on Text or Email when only that channel has new messages. An orange Reschedule badge means the latest preview starts with Reschedule proposed:. Open the conversation and read the latest message before replying or marking it handled.

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Your first week with Inbox

If Inbox is new to your facility, work through this short checklist in order. Each step builds on the one before it so your team can answer customers confidently on day one.

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Settings that must be ready

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Helpful habits for your team

• Read the latest messages before you reply.
• Confirm the customer name and phone or email at the top of the conversation.
• Coordinate with teammates so two people do not send conflicting answers.
• Open the related car, invoice, or appointment record when the customer asks about specific work.

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Quick links by job

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Your first hour in Inbox

Use this short path when a teammate is brand new to customer messages. You can finish it in one sitting.

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Important words in plain English

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Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not reply before you confirm the customer name and phone or email at the top of the conversation.
• Do not send two different answers to the same customer — pause when you see a teammate typing in the same thread.
• Do not use the main Search box to find a company name — use the + button search panel instead (see Start a new Inbox conversation).
• Do not assume Text or Email will work if buttons are gray — finish setup in Configure communication settings for Inbox first.
• Do not change Schedule without confirming the new time in Inbox — and do not confirm in Inbox without updating the calendar when the customer asked to move an appointment.

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What success looks like

When Inbox is working well for your facility:

• Customers receive replies on the channel they used (text, email, or call follow-up).
• Every conversation stays on the correct customer record in Contacts.
• Staff can see who sent each outbound message and what still needs a reply.
• Reschedule requests are caught early thanks to Reschedule badges in the conversation list.

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See unread messages from your Overview dashboard

You do not have to open Inbox to notice new customer activity. If your facility uses the customizable home dashboard, add the Inbox widget to show recent unread conversations on Overview. Why this helps: Front-desk staff can spot a new text while they are checking parking or today’s schedule, then click through to the full conversation. For setup steps, see Customize your Overview dashboard.

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Troubleshooting

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What to do next

If your Inbox is not set up yet, start with Configure communication settings for Inbox. If the Inbox is ready and you need to contact a customer, continue with Start a new Inbox conversation.

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All Inbox how-to guides

• Use Inbox from your Overview dashboard — glance at unread messages from your home screen.
• Configure communication settings for Inbox — set up phone, text, email, and alerts.
• Coordinate with your team in Inbox — avoid duplicate replies when several staff share Inbox.
• Start a new Inbox conversation — text a customer who has not messaged you yet.
• Respond to a conversation — read the timeline and choose text, email, or call.
• Send a text message from Inbox — short updates and photo attachments.
• Send an email from Inbox — longer or formal written replies.
• Call a customer from Inbox — Call a saved customer or dial any number with Quick call.
• Respond to reschedule requests in Inbox — move appointments on Schedule and confirm in writing.
• Review calls and transcripts — call history, recordings, and transcripts.
• Handle incoming phone calls — answer from anywhere in the dashboard.
• Use AI-suggested replies in Inbox — draft a reply from recent message history.