Glossary

Omnichannel inbox

Also called: Unified inbox · Multichannel inbox

An omnichannel inbox is a shared inbox that brings messages from several channels, such as email, messaging apps, social media, website chat and phone calls, into one place.

“Multichannel” means a business can be reached on many channels. “Omnichannel” means those channels are worked from one place, with one history per conversation and the same rules for assignment and reporting.

Each channel keeps its own rules. WhatsApp and Instagram limit how long a business may reply after the customer’s last message, Telegram bots cannot write first, and email has no such window. A good omnichannel inbox shows these limits where the reply is written; see WhatsApp Business API.

The usual pitfall is treating every channel the same. A two-line chat reply and a formal email are different kinds of message, and calls need someone free to answer in real time.