Every customer interaction -- whether it starts on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, or your website's live chat -- lands in one place: the Chatmo Inbox. No more switching between apps or losing track of messages. Your team sees everything in a single, organized view and can respond from the same screen.
How the Unified Inbox Works
When a customer sends a message through any connected channel, Chatmo automatically creates a conversation thread in the inbox. Each thread carries the channel icon so you can tell at a glance whether someone reached out via WhatsApp, Instagram DM, or another platform. The conversation stays tied to that customer -- so if the same person contacts you on WhatsApp today and Instagram tomorrow, you can still access their full history.
Conversations are grouped by customer identity. If a contact has multiple channel connections, you may see separate threads per channel. Use contact merging (covered in the Contacts section) to unify them.
Conversation List Layout
The left panel of the inbox displays your conversation list. Each entry shows:
- Customer name (or phone number if no name is saved)
- Channel icon -- identifies the source platform
- Last message preview -- the first few words of the most recent message
- Timestamp -- when the last message was sent or received
- Assigned agent avatar -- shows who is handling the conversation
- Unread badge -- a count indicator for messages you haven't opened yet
Conversations with unread messages appear in bold and rise to the top by default, so nothing important slips through the cracks.
Assignment Status Sidebar
On the left side of the inbox, you'll find the assignment status sidebar that provides a summary of how conversations are distributed:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| All | Total number of conversations in the inbox |
| Assigned | Conversations that have been assigned to a specific agent or team |
| Unassigned | Conversations that haven't been assigned to anyone yet |
| Resolved | Conversations that have been resolved |
Each status displays a count so you can see at a glance how many conversations need attention. Click on any status to filter the conversation list accordingly.
Search Functionality
The search bar at the top of the inbox lets you find conversations quickly. Search is debounced (300ms), so results appear automatically as you stop typing. You can search by:
- Customer name
- Message content -- search for specific words or phrases mentioned in any conversation
Filtering Conversations
With dozens or hundreds of active conversations, finding the right one fast matters. Chatmo provides an Advanced Filter with the following options:
| Filter | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Date Range | Filter by time period: Today, Yesterday, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, This month, Last month, or Custom |
| Human Agent | Search and select a specific human agent to view conversations they handle |
| AI Agent | Search and select a specific AI agent to view conversations handled by a bot |
| Campaign/Broadcast | Search and select a specific campaign or broadcast to view related conversations |
| Status | Select one or more statuses: OPEN, PENDING, or RESOLVED |
| Channel | Select a specific channel: All, Instagram, WhatsApp Unofficial, WhatsApp Official, Telegram, Facebook, or Web Chat |
You can combine multiple filters at once to narrow down results. For example, show only conversations with status OPEN on WhatsApp Official handled by a specific agent.
Use the Date Range filter to review conversations from a specific period when doing evaluations or reporting. Combine it with the Human Agent filter to assess individual agent performance.
Conversation Status
Every conversation in Chatmo carries a status that reflects where it stands in your workflow. Understanding these statuses helps teams stay organized:
| Status | Meaning | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Open (OPEN) | Active and needs attention | A customer has sent a message and is waiting for a reply |
| Pending (PENDING) | Waiting on the customer or an external action | You've replied and are waiting for the customer to respond, or you're waiting on internal information |
| Resolved (RESOLVED) | Issue is handled and the conversation is closed | The customer's question has been answered or their request fulfilled |
Changing Conversation Status
You can change the status of a conversation manually using the status controls at the top of the conversation view. To resolve a conversation, click the green Resolve button in the conversation header.
Resolving a conversation does not delete it. Resolved conversations can be reopened at any time if the customer sends a new message -- Chatmo will automatically set the status back to OPEN.
Unread Indicators
Chatmo uses several visual cues to help you spot unread conversations:
- Bold text -- the conversation entry appears in bold when it contains unread messages
- Unread count badge -- a numbered circle shows how many new messages are in that thread
- Sidebar counter -- the Chat menu item in the sidebar displays a total unread count across all conversations
- Browser notification -- if enabled, you'll receive desktop notifications for new incoming messages
These indicators clear automatically once you open a conversation and view the messages.
Best Practices for Inbox Management
- Use the assignment status sidebar -- Check the All, Assigned, Unassigned, and Resolved counts to get a quick picture of inbox health before starting your work.
- Use Advanced Filter regularly -- Combine Date Range, Status, and Channel filters to focus on the most relevant conversations.
- Resolve conversations promptly -- Don't leave resolved issues in the OPEN status. This keeps the inbox lean and makes metrics more accurate.
- Monitor the Unassigned queue -- Conversations without an assigned agent are easy to overlook. Check regularly to make sure no customer is left waiting.
- Search over scrolling -- When your inbox is busy, searching is almost always faster than scrolling through hundreds of conversations.
Next Steps
Now that you're familiar with how the inbox works, head over to Conversation Management to learn how to handle individual conversations in detail, or explore Chat Features to discover the messaging tools available to you.