Assignment gives every conversation in a shared inbox one owner. Turn on auto-assignment and new conversations go to a teammate the moment they arrive. Assign by hand from the thread header or the right-click menu when you want to choose. The typing indicator in the thread shows when a teammate is already writing a reply.
- Open the inbox's assignment settings
Go to Settings, then Inboxes, open a shared inbox and find the Auto-assignment card. Personal inboxes have no assignment.
- Turn on Assign new conversations
New conversations go to a teammate automatically. Pick Round robin, which hands each new conversation to the next person in turn. Load balanced, which weighs who has the fewest open conversations, is on the Pro plan.
- Choose the rotation
Teammates in the rotation lists everyone with access to the inbox. Tick who takes part. A teammate marked Away is skipped until they are back.
- Keep automated mail out
Leave Skip automated mail on. Newsletters, receipts and auto-replies stay unassigned instead of landing on someone's plate.
- Add caps and routes if you need them
On Pro, each teammate can carry a cap on open conversations, and routes send conversations with a given tag to chosen teammates. A route runs before the rotation.
- Assign by hand when you want
In an open thread, the Assign control in the header lists Assign to me, then teammates with Away marked, then Unassign. Right-click a row in the list for the same choices without opening it.
Away
Open the avatar menu in the top bar and choose Away: Until I'm back, Until tomorrow or Until Monday. Auto-assignment skips you while you are Away, and teammates see the Away chip. With a calendar connected, Settings, Calendar can set you Away during an out-of-office event.
Mine, and the bell
Mine, in the sidebar of each inbox, shows the conversations assigned to you or mentioning you. An assignment also reaches you through the bell in the top bar, and by push or email if Settings, Notifications says so. Assigning yourself notifies nobody.
The typing indicator
When a teammate has a shared conversation open and starts a reply, the thread shows their name with a typing indicator, such as Priya is typing. Avatars in the thread header show who else has it open. That is how two people avoid sending the same answer; there is no lock to grab.