Glossary

Shared inbox

Also called: Team inbox · Group inbox · Shared mailbox

A shared inbox is one inbox that a team uses to read and answer customer messages together, so everyone sees each conversation and who is handling it.

A shared inbox replaces a common mailbox password or a phone passed between colleagues. Each person signs in with their own account, so the team can see who replied, who is working on what and which messages are still waiting.

The core of a shared inbox is ownership. A conversation that everyone can see but nobody owns tends to wait, and a conversation two people answer at once confuses the customer. Most shared inboxes solve this with assignment, statuses such as open and closed, and internal notes that customers never see.

Shared inboxes often start with email and later add chat apps. When each channel gets its own inbox, the team is back to switching tabs, which is the problem an omnichannel inbox addresses.