Shared Inbox
What “Shared Inbox” means
The Shared Inbox is Calypso’s project-scoped, real-time workspace for handling live customer conversations across multiple users. It is designed for operational correctness in a multi-agent environment:
- a conversation is owned by a project
- work is coordinated through single-assignee ownership (so two people don’t unknowingly respond in parallel)
- access and UI surface area is controlled by role-based scopes (RBAC)
- routing and triage can be partitioned using departments
Operational queues (tabs)
Shared Inbox is optimized for day-to-day handling and typically includes three queues:
- Waiting: open conversations that are waiting for action (commonly unassigned triage)
- All Taken: open conversations currently assigned to someone
- Mine: open conversations assigned to you
Depending on role and configuration, agents may see a simplified experience focused on Waiting + Mine.
Assignment model (multi-user coordination)
Assignment is the core concurrency control mechanism in Shared Inbox. When you assign a conversation to a person:
- Responsibility becomes explicit: the assignee is the primary operator for the thread.
- Queues update immediately: the conversation moves between Waiting / All Taken / Mine based on assignment state.
- Collaboration stays predictable: assignment reduces duplicate replies and makes workload distribution measurable.
Operationally, assignment is most effective when paired with consistent triage rules (for example: “unassigned = triage”, “assigned = active handling”, “closed = resolved”).
Departments (routing + triage partitions)
Departments are a first-class way to group customers and conversations for routing and operational ownership (e.g. Sales, Support, Billing). In Shared Inbox they are typically used to:
- Partition the workstream: filter or focus the Shared Inbox on a department-specific queue.
- Drive routing decisions: workflows can hand off a conversation into Shared Inbox with department context.
- Align staffing and access: larger projects use departments to minimize noise and keep operators focused.
Departments are project-scoped and work alongside tags: departments define the lane a conversation belongs to; tags capture state and intent within that lane.
Role scopes (RBAC)
Shared Inbox behavior is role-aware. Calypso uses role-based access control to keep the operational surface area aligned with least-privilege:
- Owner / Admin: full operational access plus configuration authority (members, routing/flows, project settings). This is the role you want for people who define policies and change workflows.
- Member: standard access for day-to-day usage across sections, including Shared Inbox handling.
- Agent: inbox-focused access optimized for handling conversations quickly; agents may see a simplified Shared Inbox navigation and reduced configuration surface area.
If you don’t see a control you expect (assignment actions, department filters, configuration panels), verify your role under Project → Members.
Tags
Use tags to categorize conversations and drive workflows. Tags can be managed from the conversation panel, and tag state updates in real time.
Closing conversations
Closing removes the conversation from active Shared Inbox lists. Depending on your workflow, closing can also trigger tracking or unsubscribe behavior.
How conversations enter Shared Inbox
Conversations typically enter Shared Inbox through an Inbox handoff step in a workflow. See: