A shared inbox is a common space where the conversations and requests that several people in a team need to handle arrive. Instead of messages scattered across individual mailboxes, everyone sees the same conversations, knows who is dealing with each one and can pick up a colleague's thread.
Why a shared inbox
In many SMEs, requests arrive through several channels and end up with whoever saw them first. The result is familiar: two colleagues reply to the same customer, a request goes unanswered because everyone thought someone else was handling it, and no one can find the history when the customer calls back.
A shared inbox solves these problems with a few simple principles:
- One place where all conversations arrive
- Clear assignment: each conversation has a visible owner
- A complete history: previous exchanges, internal notes, information already given
- A status: new, in progress, waiting for the customer, resolved
Useful features
| Feature | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Assignment | Showing who is handling a conversation, avoiding duplicates |
| Internal notes | Talking between colleagues without the customer seeing |
| Prepared replies | Saving time on frequent situations, keeping a consistent tone |
| Filters and views | Seeing unassigned conversations, urgent ones, those in a given language |
| Notifications | Alerting when a conversation arrives or has waited too long |
| Target time | Spotting conversations that exceed the intended response time |
| Search | Finding a conversation by customer, topic or date |
Shared inbox and AI assistant
With an AI assistant, the shared inbox changes role. It no longer receives every question, only those the assistant cannot or should not handle alone. Each conversation passed on arrives with its context: the question, the answers the assistant already gave, the sources cited and the reason for the handover.
It is where human handover lands. A good handover lets the colleague understand the request in seconds and reply without making the visitor repeat themselves. The person can reply in the same conversation, through live chat if the visitor is still there, or later.
The shared inbox is also where you watch the assistant. All conversations, including those it settled alone, can be reviewed there. Unanswered questions and frequent handovers show which documents to complete.
Organizing the team around the inbox
A tool is not enough; you need rules of use, even simple ones:
- Who watches the inbox, and at what times of day
- How conversations are shared out: by topic, by language, in turn
- What response time to aim for for a first reply, during and outside opening hours
- Who takes over during absences, so nothing gets stuck during holidays
- When to close a conversation, and what to note before closing it
For a team of two or three people, these rules fit in a few lines. They prevent most forgotten requests.
Shared inbox and data protection
A shared inbox concentrates personal data: names, contact details, descriptions of situations. A few precautions are needed: named accounts rather than a shared login, rights limited to those who need them, removing access when someone leaves the team, and respecting the retention period set for conversations.
The inbox in KernChat
KernChat brings all the conversations of an organization's assistants together in a shared inbox. The team can take a conversation, assign it to themselves or a colleague, talk through internal notes, use prepared replies and answer the visitor in the same window. Waiting conversations are flagged, with a target time and opening hours set per organization.