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Customers & Automation

Using the Inbox

Using the Inbox

View and reply to all customer conversations in one place — the inbox unifies SMS and email threads from campaigns, automations, booking messages, and direct replies into a single, organised view.

Where to find it — Web: Sidebar → Engage → Inbox. Mobile: Messages tab in the bottom navigation bar.

Overview

The inbox lets you:

  • View all customer conversations across SMS and email in a unified thread list
  • Reply to customers via SMS or email directly from the conversation
  • Filter conversations by channel (SMS, Email) and assignment (All, Mine, Unassigned)
  • See which conversations need attention, which the AI is handling, and which are resolved
  • Assign conversations to specific team members
  • Use AI-suggested replies and quick reply templates to respond faster
  • Search conversations by customer name or phone number
  • Mark conversations as read or resolved

Note

The inbox requires a PRO subscription. SMS conversations require the Engage add-on and a dedicated phone number (Australia and United Kingdom only). Email conversations are available to all PRO venues, including New Zealand.

Navigating the inbox

On web

The inbox uses a two-pane layout: a conversation list on the left and a conversation detail view on the right. Clicking a conversation in the list opens its thread in the detail pane.

On mobile

The Messages tab shows the conversation list. Tapping a conversation opens the detail view full-screen (or in a side pane on iPad/tablet). Pull down to refresh the list.

Conversation zones

Conversations are automatically sorted into three zones:

Zone Icon What it means
Needs Attention Orange triangle The conversation is escalated or has an unread inbound message — a human response is needed
AI Handling Bot icon The AI assistant is actively handling the conversation
Resolved Checkmark (grey) The conversation is completed or expired

On mobile, zone filter pills appear at the top of the list: "Needs attention", "AI handling", "Resolved", and "All". Each pill shows a count (e.g. "Needs attention (3)").

The unread count badge on the sidebar (web) and tab bar (mobile) reflects the total conversations in the Needs Attention zone.

Filtering conversations

By channel

When your venue has a dedicated SMS number, channel filter pills appear:

Filter Shows
All channels SMS and email conversations
SMS SMS conversations only
Email Email conversations only

If your venue does not have a dedicated SMS number, the inbox shows "Email only" with a mail icon. A hint explains: "SMS requires a dedicated number."

New Zealand venues see email conversations only — SMS is not available.

By assignment

On web, assignment filters appear as a toggle group:

Filter Shows
All Every conversation
Mine Conversations assigned to you
Unassigned Conversations with no staff assigned

Searching

Type in the search field to filter conversations by customer name or phone number.

  • Web: "Search by name or phone…" at the top of the conversation list
  • Mobile: "Search conversations…" at the top of the messages tab

Search filters the current list in real time as you type.

Reading a conversation

Conversation list item

Each conversation in the list shows:

  • Customer name (bold if unread)
  • Source badge — coloured pill indicating where the conversation originated: "Gap Fill", "Reconnect", "Backfill", "Email", "Auto-reply", or "Waitlist"
  • Last message preview — prefixed with "You: " for your replies, truncated to 60 characters
  • Timestamp — relative time (e.g. "5 min ago")
  • Status indicator — shape and colour: red triangle (escalated), blue circle (unread), grey circle (read), grey checkmark (resolved)

Conversation detail

Opening a conversation shows:

Header:

  • Customer name and status badge (Active, Completed, Escalated, or Expired)
  • Customer phone number (tap the eye icon to reveal/hide) or email address
  • Opt-out indicators if the customer has opted out: "Opted out of SMS campaigns", "Opted out of promotional emails", or "Opted out of reconnect"

Context card:

  • Source of the conversation (e.g. booking confirmation, reconnect wave, gap fill campaign)
  • Service name and staff member (if from a booking)
  • Email subject (if an email conversation)

Escalation banner (when escalated):

  • Explains why the AI escalated, for example:
    • "AI reached the 3-message limit. Customer may need a human response."
    • "Customer asked a question the AI couldn't answer."
    • "Customer's intent was unclear after multiple attempts."

Message thread:

  • Messages appear in chronological order with sender labels
  • AI Assistant messages: blue background with bot icon
  • Your replies: indigo background with venue initial
  • Customer messages: grey background, right-aligned
  • Each message shows a timestamp and optional badges (auto-reply, email icon, intent label)
  • Delivery failures show a red alert: "Failed to deliver" with the error details

Replying to a conversation

Composing a reply

  1. Open a conversation from the list.
  2. The reply composer appears at the bottom of the conversation detail.
  3. Type your message in the text field.
  4. Press Send (the arrow icon) or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+Enter (Mac).

The composer automatically detects the conversation channel:

  • SMS conversations: text field with placeholder "Type your reply… or / for quick replies", 320-character limit with character counter
  • Email conversations: text field with placeholder "Type your email reply…", 10,000-character limit

A label below the composer confirms: "Sending as [venue name]".

SMS character counter

For SMS replies, a character counter appears on the right:

  • Shows "{count}/320" with the current character count
  • At 280+ characters: counter turns amber with label "near limit"
  • At 320+ characters: counter turns red with label "over limit" and the send button disables
  • If the message exceeds 160 characters (one SMS segment), a segment counter shows: "{N} SMS credits"

AI-suggested replies

When you open a conversation, click "Suggest reply" (sparkles icon) in the composer footer. The AI analyses the last 6 messages and generates 2–3 short reply options as pills above the text field. Tap a pill to insert the suggested text into the composer. You can edit the text before sending.

Quick replies

Click "Quick replies" (file icon) in the composer toolbar or type / when the text field is empty. A popover opens with your saved templates:

  • Search templates by name or body text
  • Click a template to insert its body into the composer (replaces current text)
  • Click "Manage quick replies" at the bottom to create or edit templates

Concierge draft (PRO)

Click "Draft with Concierge" in the composer footer to open the AI Concierge with the conversation context pre-loaded. The Concierge can draft a more detailed, context-aware reply.

Managing conversations

Assigning to a team member

  1. Open a conversation.
  2. Click the assignment dropdown in the conversation header (shows "Unassigned" by default).
  3. Select a staff member from the list.

The conversation appears in that team member's "Mine" filter. To unassign, select "Unassigned" from the dropdown.

Marking as read

  • Web: Opening a conversation marks it as read automatically. Use "Mark all as read" from the conversation list if available.
  • Mobile: Tap the checkmark icon (top-right of the messages tab) to mark all conversations as read. A confirmation appears: "Mark {N} conversation(s) as read?"

Resolving a conversation

Click the Resolve button (checkmark icon) in the conversation header. The conversation moves to the Resolved zone. Resolved conversations can be found by scrolling to the collapsed Resolved section in the list, or by selecting the "Resolved" zone filter on mobile.

AI summary

Click "Summarise" (sparkles icon) in the conversation header. The AI generates a 2–3 sentence summary of the conversation, displayed in a collapsible "AI Summary" panel at the top of the thread. An 80-character headline is also saved and shown as a preview in the conversation list.

Conversation sources

Conversations appear in the inbox when customers reply to any outbound message. The source badge tells you where the conversation originated:

Source Badge Meaning
Gap fill Blue "Gap Fill" Customer replied to a gap-fill offer
Reconnect Purple "Reconnect" Customer replied to a reconnect wave
Backfill Green "Backfill" Customer replied to a cadence backfill campaign
Email Orange "Email" Customer replied to an email
Auto-reply Orange "Auto-reply" Customer's email client sent an automatic reply
Waitlist Blue "Waitlist" Customer replied to a waitlist notification

Role access

Action Owner Manager Stylist
View inbox and conversations Yes Yes No
Reply to conversations (SMS/email) Yes Yes No
Assign conversations Yes Yes No
Resolve conversations Yes Yes No
AI summarise and suggest reply Yes Yes No
Send one-off SMS (quick SMS) Yes Yes Yes

Platform differences

Feature Web Mobile
Navigation Engage → Inbox Messages tab
Layout Two-pane (list + detail side-by-side) Full-screen list → detail on tap (side pane on iPad)
Zone filters Sections with headers (collapsed Resolved) Pill toggle: Needs attention, AI handling, Resolved, All
Channel filters Toggle group: All channels, SMS, Email Pill toggle with counts: All channels (N), SMS (N), Email (N)
Assignment filters Toggle group: All, Mine, Unassigned Not shown (assignment via detail only)
Search Inline in conversation list Search field at top of messages tab
Mark all read Not prominently surfaced Checkmark icon button with confirmation
AI Summarise Inline button in header In "More actions" overflow menu
Call button Inline in header In "More actions" overflow menu
Keyboard shortcuts Ctrl/⌘+Enter to send, "/" for quick replies, Arrow keys to navigate list "/" for quick replies
Compose new message Not surfaced (reply-only) Customer picker modal for new SMS
Swipe actions Not available Swipe to resolve/reopen

Tip

Use keyboard shortcuts to work through conversations quickly on web: Arrow keys navigate the list, Enter opens a conversation, and Ctrl+Enter (or ⌘+Enter) sends your reply without reaching for the mouse.

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Inbox is empty — no conversations showing Conversations appear when customers reply to your outbound messages (campaigns, automations, booking confirmations). If you have not sent any outbound messages yet, there will be no conversations. Check that your campaigns and automations are active.
Cannot see the Messages tab or Inbox The inbox requires a PRO subscription. If you are on the FREE plan, upgrade to PRO. On web, the inbox is under Engage → Inbox in the sidebar.
Cannot send SMS replies SMS requires a dedicated phone number via the Engage add-on (Australia/UK only). Check Settings → Engage to verify your number is active. New Zealand venues cannot send SMS — use email replies instead.
Message shows "Failed to deliver" The message could not be delivered to the customer. For SMS, check the phone number is valid and the customer has not blocked the number. For email, the address may be invalid or bouncing. The error details are shown below the failed message.
Customer conversation is stuck in "AI Handling" The AI handles conversations automatically. If you need to take over, open the conversation and send a manual reply — this pauses AI handling for that thread.
Unread badge count seems wrong The badge counts conversations in the Needs Attention zone (escalated or unread inbound). Conversations handled by the AI do not count. If you have read a conversation but it is escalated, it still counts until resolved.
Cannot find a specific conversation Use the search field to filter by customer name or phone number. If the conversation is resolved, check the Resolved zone (collapsed by default on web, or use the "Resolved" filter pill on mobile).
Opt-out pills showing on a conversation The customer has opted out of that message type. You cannot send campaign messages to opted-out customers, but you can still reply to their direct messages. Respect their preference.

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Last updated: March 2026