Managing Conversations Inbox

Why use the Shared Inbox?

• No more missed messages — All incoming chats appear in one place, visible to your whole team

• Clear ownership — Staff can assign chats to themselves so everyone knows who is handling what

• Stay organised — Filter by Pending, Unassigned, or All to see exactly what needs attention

Handle unassigned chats

When a customer messages you for the first time, the chat appears in the Unassigned tab.

1. Click the Unassigned tab in your Inbox.

2. Select a chat to preview the message.

3. Click Attend (or Assign to me) to move it to your active list and start replying.

Start a new conversation

You can reach out to customers in two ways:

• Existing Customer: Search for their name or phone number in the sidebar.

• New Customer: Click Start conversation , enter the country code and phone number, then click Start WhatsApp

Understand the 24-hour rule

WhatsApp only allows free-form messages within 24 hours of a customer’s last reply. Here’s what that means in practice:

• Window open — The customer replied to you recently. You can type and send freely.

• Window closed — The customer hasn’t replied in over 24 hours. The text box will be locked and you’ll need to send an approved template to re-open the conversation.

Send a Template

Use templates to start a conversation, send an order update, or re-open the 24-hour window.

1. Click the Template icon (the message bubble) in the toolbar.

2. Choose an approved template (e.g., Welcome).

3. If required, select the context (e.g., the specific Customer ) to auto-fill the variables.

4. Click Send .

Send free-form messages & Quick Replies

Standard Free-form & Attachments

Type your message in the input box and hit Enter . Use the toolbar icons below the text box to quickly share attachments or use system features:

• Emoji, Image, Video, Document: Standard media sharing.

• Template (Message bubble): Send pre-approved WhatsApp templates.

• Mini Apps (Pointing finger): Send interactive Mini Apps forms to the customer. See What is a Mini App to learn more.

• Plus (+): Click this to send order-related documents. Selecting this will prompt you to choose an order first, allowing you to send: Order PayNow QR, Order Invoice, Order Receipt, and Order Photos.

Quick Replies

If the 24-hour window is open, you can quickly send pre-made standard replies (FAQs) to save time.

• Simply type / in the text box.

• A popup of your created Quick Reply templates will appear for you to choose from.

The ‘Replied’ Toggle & Pending Chats

Next to the Send button, you’ll see a Replied toggle. This helps your team track which conversations still need follow-up.

• Replied (on) — The conversation is marked as done for now

• Pending (off) — The conversation stays in your Pending list as a reminder that the customer still needs a final response

Use the Pending tab at the top of your sidebar to filter and find customers who are still waiting.

Closing & Reopening Chats

When a customer’s issue is resolved, close the chat to keep your inbox tidy.

1. Click the three dots ( ••• ) at the top of the chat

2. Select Close conversation

3. You can also choose to Block contact from this menu if necessary.

To reopen a closed chat:

4. Click the All tab in the sidebar

5. Select the closed conversation

6. Click Reopen at the bottom.