Rules by channel, team or topic
Route by the number a customer wrote to, the channel, the words in the first message, or whether they’re an existing customer.
In developmentPart of inChat early access
Assignment & routingEvery conversation has exactly one owner.
Routing rules assign new threads by channel, team or topic, or share them evenly with round-robin. Ownership is visible on every thread, and a handoff carries the full history with it.
The job it does
Shared inboxes fail when everyone owns everything.
When five people can see a message, each assumes another will answer it. Or two people answer at once with different prices. Clear ownership is the fix, and it has to be automatic or it won’t happen on a busy day.
Without it
- Whoever opens the app first decides who handles the lead
- Two teammates reply to the same customer
- High-value inquiries land with whoever is free, not whoever fits
- Handoffs happen by forwarding screenshots
With inChat
- Rules assign new conversations the moment they arrive
- Owner shown on every thread and in every list
- Specialist topics go to the people who handle them
- Reassign in one click, with notes and history attached
Capabilities
What assignment & routing includes.
Round-robin
Share new conversations evenly across a team, skipping anyone marked away or at their limit.
Existing owner first
When a known customer writes again, the conversation goes back to the person they’ve been talking to.
Handoffs that keep context
Reassign with a note. The new owner sees the full thread, the record and why it was handed over.
Handoffs
Hand over the conversation, not just the phone number.
A lead that books a consult moves from sales to the person who delivers the work. In most small teams that handoff is a text that says “call this person”. In inChat it’s a reassignment, with an internal note explaining what was promised.
- Reassign from the thread or from a list
- Internal note attached to every handoff
- The customer keeps writing to the same number
- Ownership changes recorded in the timeline
How it works
Getting started, step by step.
Map how leads should flow
Write down who should get what today: by service, location, language or channel. That becomes your first rules.
Create rules, in order
Rules are checked top to bottom. The first match assigns; anything unmatched stays visible as unassigned.
Turn on round-robin where it’s fair
Use it for general inquiries; keep specialist topics with specialists.
Review unassigned daily
An empty unassigned view means your rules are working. A full one means they need another line.
Especially useful for
Assignment & routing FAQ
Questions about assignment & routing.
What it does, how it’s designed, and what’s still being decided.
Ask us something elseLead routing usually assigns a record, such as a form submission. Conversation routing assigns the live thread, so the owner is the person who answers. inChat is designed to do both at once: a new conversation creates or matches a contact and assigns the thread.
No, by design. One owner keeps accountability clear. Others can still read, add internal notes and be @mentioned.
The plan is that round-robin skips people marked away, and managers can bulk-reassign. Exact out-of-office behavior is being finalized with early-access teams.
It’s in development as part of the launch scope. inChat is in early access.
Related
Related features and reading
- ProductTeam collaboration
- ProductWorkflow automation
- GlossaryRound-robin assignment
- GlossaryConversation assignment
- ArticleShared inbox ownership rules
- ProductUnified inboxEvery connected channel in one shared team inbox.
- ProductConversation managementStatuses, views and waiting timers so nothing sits unanswered.
Early access
Make every conversation count.
Join the early-access list to see inChat in action, help shape what we build next, and be first to know when your team can start.
- A walkthrough built around your channels
- Early look at pricing and plans
- A direct line to the product team