Handling your first conversation

When a customer sends a message through any connected channel, a new conversation appears in your inbox. This guide walks you through opening, replying to, and managing that conversation so you can deliver fast, helpful support from the very first interaction. Whether the message arrives via live chat, email, or a social channel, the workflow is the same.

The conversation view

Click on a conversation in the sidebar to open it. You will see the full message history on the left and customer details on the right. Including their name, email, previous conversations, and any custom attributes. Use the customer details panel to quickly understand context before you respond, so you can personalize your reply and avoid asking the customer to repeat information.

Replying to customers

1. Select the conversation you want to respond to.
2. Type your message in the reply box at the bottom of the conversation view.
3. Use the toolbar to format text, attach files, or insert canned responses for common questions.
4. Press Enter or click Send to deliver your reply.

To add an internal note visible only to your team, click the Note tab before typing. Internal notes are useful for sharing context with colleagues without the customer seeing the message.

Conversation status

Every conversation has a status that helps you track its progress:

• Open. Needs attention from an agent.
• Pending. Waiting for a customer reply or additional information.
• Snoozed. Temporarily paused; it will reappear at the time you choose.
• Resolved. The customer's question has been answered.

When you have answered a customer's question, click Resolve to close the conversation. If the customer replies again, the conversation will automatically reopen.

Assigning conversations

You can assign a conversation to yourself or another agent using the assignment dropdown in the conversation header. You can also assign it to a specific team for group handling. Assigning conversations promptly ensures nothing falls through the cracks and helps distribute workload evenly across your team.

Best-practice tips

• Respond quickly. Aim to send an initial reply within a few minutes. Even a brief acknowledgment builds customer confidence.
• Use canned responses wisely. They save time on repetitive questions, but always personalize them so the reply feels human.
• Add internal notes. Before reassigning a conversation, leave a note summarizing what you have already done so the next agent can pick up seamlessly.
• Resolve promptly. Keeping resolved conversations open clutters your inbox and makes it harder to spot conversations that still need attention.

Common pitfalls

• Forgetting to switch tabs: If you accidentally type a customer-facing reply in the Note tab (or vice versa), the message will go to the wrong audience. Always double-check which tab is active before sending.
• Leaving conversations unassigned: Unassigned conversations may be overlooked. Assign or self-assign as soon as you begin working on a conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reopen a resolved conversation manually?

Yes. Open the resolved conversation from the Resolved filter and change its status back to Open. This is useful when you need to follow up with a customer after an issue has been closed.

What happens if two agents reply to the same conversation?

Both replies will be sent to the customer. To avoid duplicate responses, assign the conversation to a single agent before replying.

Do internal notes notify the customer?

No. Internal notes are visible only to agents on your team and are never sent to the customer.