Use this guide when more than one person on your team works in Inbox at the same time.

Inbox is shared. When your team uses the built-in coordination tools, customers get one clear answer instead of two different replies from two different people.

What you will accomplish

• Understand what the Live badge means and how conversations update automatically.
• See when a teammate is typing or on a call in the same conversation.
• Know who sent each outbound message in the timeline.
• Hand off a conversation with Mark unread when follow-up is still needed.

Before you start

• Your team should already have access to Inbox.
• If Inbox buttons are gray, finish setup in Configure communication settings for Inbox first.
• Agree on a simple team habit: read the timeline before replying, and coordinate when two people might answer the same customer.

What the Live badge means

Near the top of the Inbox page, you may see a Live badge next to the page title.

Why this matters: You do not need to click refresh to see new customer activity. When a text arrives while you are on the page, the conversation list and timeline can update on their own.

See when a teammate is working in the same conversation

When you open a customer conversation, look just below the customer name at the top of the timeline.

You may see a short note such as:

• Alex is typing…
• Sam is typing an email…
• Jordan is on a call…

These notes appear when another teammate is viewing the same conversation and is actively typing or on a phone call.

See who sent each team message

Outbound messages in the timeline—the ones your team sent—often show initials in a small circle next to the message.

Why this matters: When a customer replies days later, you can see who handled the last message and whether that person should follow up again.

Hover over the initials when your device supports it. You may see the teammate's name or email.

How unread messages work

Inbox helps your team spot conversations that still need attention.

In the conversation list on the left, unread threads may show:

• A blue dot on the customer's circle
• Bold customer names
• Small numbers on Text, Email, or Call labels when only that channel has unread activity

Conversations mark themselves read when you open them

When you click a conversation and read it, Inbox usually marks it as read automatically.

Why this matters: The blue dot goes away so your team knows someone has seen the latest message. If you opened the thread but cannot finish the reply, use Mark unread so the next person knows follow-up is still needed.

Hand off a conversation with Mark unread

Use Mark unread when you reviewed a message but cannot send the final answer yet.

1. Find the customer in the list

   On the left side of Inbox, find the customer row.

2. Open the conversation menu

   On a computer: right-click the customer's name.

   On a phone or tablet: press and hold the customer's name until a menu appears.

3. Click Mark unread

   Click Mark unread.

   Expected result: The conversation shows as unread again (bold name and blue dot) so the next staff member knows someone still needs to respond.

For more on replying after you read the timeline, see Respond to a conversation.

Helpful team habits

• Read the latest messages before you reply.
• Pause when you see a teammate typing in the same conversation.
• Use Mark unread instead of assuming someone else will remember to follow up.
• Open the related car, invoice, or appointment record when the customer asks about specific work.
• Keep replies focused on one topic so the timeline stays easy to read.

Troubleshooting

What to do next

When you are ready to reply, continue with Respond to a conversation.

If the customer asked to change an appointment time, see Respond to reschedule requests in Inbox.