9bx Connect
Chat inbox
One place to answer every customer chat, from your website, WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Instagram and the mobile app.
Contents
- What it is for
- Who can use it
- Where to find it
- The screen explained
- Tasks
- Example scenario
- Tips
- Troubleshooting
- Related pages
What it is for
The Chat inbox is the agent's workspace for live conversations. New chats appear the moment a visitor writes. You read the thread, reply, add private notes for colleagues, hand the chat over, turn it into a ticket or resolve it.
Who can use it
Users with the Inbox permission. Further actions need their own permissions:
| Action | Permission needed |
|---|---|
| Read chats | Inbox view |
| Reply, Take this chat | Inbox reply |
| Transfer | Inbox assign |
| Snooze, Make a ticket, Block visitor | Inbox manage |
| Whisper, Take over | Whisper use |
Live chat is part of the 9bx Connect module. If your plan does not include it, the menu item is hidden.
Where to find it
Chat & Messaging → Chat inbox
The screen explained
The inbox with open-chat tabs, the conversation list, the thread and the visitor panel.
The screen has four areas: the conversation list on the left, the open-chat tabs along the top of the thread, the thread and composer in the middle, and the visitor details panel on the right.
Conversation list
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Search box ("Search name, email or phone") | Finds a chat by the visitor's name, email or phone. |
| All channels | Filters by channel: Website, Mobile app, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Email, Web form, Phone, Call. A channel with unread chats shows how many, for example "Email (3)". |
| All teams | Filters by team (shown when you have more than one team). |
| Unread | Shows only chats with messages you have not read. If there are none: "Nothing unread. You are all caught up." |
| Filters | Opens extra filters. |
| Tabs Mine, Unassigned, All, Bot, Resolved | Mine: chats assigned to you. Unassigned: waiting for someone to take them. Bot: still with the chatbot. Resolved: closed chats. Each tab except Resolved shows how many chats it holds. |
| Overdue | Marks a chat whose first reply is later than your target (set in Chat settings). A counter shows the minutes left ("min left"). |
| Priority | A chat can be Normal, VIP or Urgent. |
Chat status values you will see: Bot, Waiting, Open, Snoozed, Resolved, Missed.
Open-chat tabs and split view
Every chat you open becomes a tab above the thread, like browser tabs.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| A tab | Shows the visitor name. Moving dots mean the visitor is typing. A small amber dot means you have an unsent draft in that chat. |
| x on a tab (or the Delete key while the tab is focused) | Close chat tab. This only closes the tab. The conversation stays open. |
| Split view / Single view | Shows two chats side by side, each with its own composer. Needs a wide screen. Click an open chat tab or a list item to fill a side ("Pick a chat for this side"). |
Keyboard: Alt + Up / Alt + Down (or Ctrl + ] / Ctrl + [) switch to the next or previous open chat. They work even while you are typing.
Thread header
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Take this chat | Assigns the chat to you. Shown when it is not yours. |
| Transfer | Sends the chat to another agent (To an agent) or a team (To a team). |
| Snooze | Hides the chat until the date and time you choose in Snooze until. |
| Resolve | Closes the chat after you confirm "Resolve this conversation?". |
| Reopen | Reopens a closed chat. |
| More → Summarise | Writes a short AI summary of the chat. Needs AI turned on in Chat settings. |
| More → Make a ticket | Creates a support ticket from the chat ("Ticket created."). |
| More → Take over | Takes a chat from the agent who has it (supervisors). |
| More → Block visitor | Blocks the visitor and ends the chat after confirmation. |
A line under the name reads, for example, "WhatsApp · With Rina · Support team", or "Not assigned".
Composer
Switch the mode with the three tabs above the box.
| Mode | Who sees it |
|---|---|
| Reply | The customer. It is sent on the chat's own channel ("Replying on WhatsApp"). |
| Internal note | Your team only (banner: "Only your team sees this"). Type @name to mention a colleague. |
| Whisper | Only the assigned agent. Supervisors use it to coach (banner: "Only the assigned agent sees this"). Needs the "Supervisors may whisper" option on. |
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Text box | Enter sends, Shift + Enter adds a new line. Type / to search saved replies. |
| Paperclip (Attach file) | Choose files. You can also drag and drop files anywhere on the thread ("Drop files to attach") or paste an image from the clipboard. A chip per file shows progress ("Uploading"). Remove file drops it. |
| Emoji | Opens the emoji picker. |
| Saved replies | Pick a ready-made reply. {name} becomes the visitor's name. |
| Suggest replies | AI proposes replies from the knowledge base. Click one to place it in the box, then edit it. |
| Send / Add note / Send whisper | Sends in the current mode. |
Each chat keeps its own draft, mode and attached files. Switching to another chat and back loses nothing.
Ticks on your replies: Sent, Delivered, Seen. A message that failed shows not delivered with Retry.
Visitor details panel
Open it with Show details. Hide details closes it.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified / Blocked | Verified means your website signed the visitor in. |
| Email, Phone, Contact | What the visitor told you. |
| On page, Device, Country, Pages seen, First seen | Where they are and what they use. |
| Labels, Priority | Tags and priority on the chat. |
| Earlier chats | Previous conversations with the same person. Once the person is linked to a client, this includes their conversations on every channel (an email, a missed call, a WhatsApp chat), each with its channel icon. |
| Open client / Create client | Opens the matching client, or creates one from the chat ("Client created." or "Linked to the existing client."). |
| See their screen | Asks for co-browsing. The visitor must allow it and form fields stay hidden ("Request sent. The visitor must allow it."). Needs Co-browse switched on for the widget. |
Email, web form and phone conversations
The inbox is shared by every channel. Besides chats from your website, app, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram and SMS, three more channels can open conversations here. Each has its own switch in Chat settings and is off until you turn it on.
| Channel | What opens a conversation | How you answer |
|---|---|---|
| An email to your support mailbox. It still becomes a ticket as before; the conversation shows the email and every reply after it. | Type in the composer. Your answer is added to the ticket as a reply and emailed to the customer ("Your reply is added to the ticket and emailed to the customer."). A file you attach goes the same way: it is added to the ticket reply and attached to the email (a very large file is sent as a download link). Replies written on the ticket page show here too. | |
| Web form | A web form that opens a ticket. | As for email: the reply goes to the customer by email when the form had an email address. |
| Phone | A missed call or a voicemail. Each caller has one conversation that collects their missed calls and voicemails. A voicemail can be played in the thread, with its text when transcription is on. | There is no text box. Press Call back to call the number from your softphone, then resolve the conversation. |
Internal notes stay in the inbox: they are not copied to the ticket.
Make a lead or a ticket
From More in the thread header:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Make a ticket | Turns the chat into a ticket with the transcript. Not shown when the chat already has a ticket (email and web form chats always do). |
| Open ticket | Opens the ticket behind the chat. |
| Create lead | Makes a lead from the person (name, email, phone, linked client), once. The thread shows "Lead created". |
| Open lead | Opens the lead list at that lead. |
WhatsApp 24-hour window
WhatsApp allows free text only for 24 hours after the customer last wrote. While the window is open you see "WhatsApp window closes in about N h." When it is closed the composer says "The 24 hour WhatsApp window is closed. You can only send an approved template until the customer writes again." and offers Send a template. If the person is not yet a client you see "Link this person to a client first, then send a template from the message composer."
Keyboard shortcuts
Single-key shortcuts work when the cursor is not in a text box.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| J | Next chat in the list |
| K | Previous chat in the list |
| R | Jump to the composer to reply |
| E | Resolve the open chat |
| Alt + Up / Down | Previous or next open chat (works anywhere) |
Alerts and sounds
When a message arrives you get an alert titled "New chat message". You can turn on Sound for new messages and Desktop notifications. Allow notifications in your browser when it asks.
Tasks
Answer a new chat
- Open Chat inbox, tab Unassigned.
- Click the chat, then Take this chat.
- Read the thread and the visitor panel.
- Type your reply and press Enter.
- When the customer is happy, press Resolve (or E).
Pass a chat to another team
- Press Transfer.
- Choose To an agent or To a team.
- Press Transfer. The visitor sees "Chat transferred" and the new agent joins.
Ask a colleague a question without the customer seeing
- Switch the composer to Internal note.
- Type
@Rinaand your question, then press Add note.
Reply after the WhatsApp window has closed
- Open the chat. The banner says the window is closed.
- Press Send a template and choose an approved template.
- When the customer answers, the window reopens and you can type freely.
Answer an email in the inbox
- Pick the Email channel in All channels.
- Open the conversation and read the email.
- Type your answer and press Send. The customer gets it by email, in the same thread as the ticket.
Call back a missed call
- Open a Phone conversation. It shows "Missed call" or "Voicemail" with the time; play the voicemail if there is one.
- Press Call back. Your softphone calls the number.
- Resolve the conversation when you are done.
Hold a chat for later
- Press Snooze, pick a date and time in Snooze until, then confirm.
- The chat returns to your list at that time.
Example scenario
Karim at Padma Net Support sees an Overdue chat from a visitor on the website: "My router light is red." He presses Take this chat, uses /reboot to insert a saved reply, and attaches a photo guide by drag and drop. The visitor is a known customer, so Open client shows the account. The problem needs a technician, so Karim chooses More → Make a ticket, then Resolve. The visitor sees a short rating form.
Tips
- Use J and K to move through the list and R to start typing without the mouse.
- Notes never reach the customer, but the whole team can read them.
- Use split view in a busy hour when you handle two long chats.
- Check the amber draft dot on tabs before you leave for the day.
Troubleshooting
The Chat inbox is missing. You lack the Inbox permission, or your plan does not include live chat.
"AI suggestions are not set up." Turn AI on and add an AI provider in Chat settings.
WhatsApp or Telegram chats do not arrive. Turn on "Show WhatsApp and Telegram messages here" in Chat settings, and connect the number or bot under Messaging setup.
I cannot reply in a closed chat. Press Reopen.
The visitor sees no reply. Look for not delivered on the message and press Retry.