How to run a shared inbox without losing track of customers
Give every customer conversation an owner, a next action and a check-again date. Set up a shared inbox routine with tools you already use.
An Alembic resource · Version 1.1
A shared inbox triage playbook for a small team
Give live conversations an accepting owner, a next action and a follow-up date, with a simple handover agreement and fictional example.
Seeing a message does not assign its work
A shared inbox needs an agreement about ownership before it needs another set of colours. Name the triage owner for each coverage period, a backup, and the route for decisions they cannot make. Include what happens outside those hours.
Use a few states with explicit meanings:
| State | What must be recorded |
|---|---|
| Unassigned | The triage owner who will establish the next action. |
| In progress | A person who accepts the work, plus the action and due or check date. |
| Waiting | The missing input or decision, and who will follow up when. |
| Closed | The result, sent response or reason that no further action is needed. |
A question sent to a dispatcher does not mean the customer’s booking has changed. Keep the conversation waiting until the necessary decision is available and the customer’s request is actually handled.
At handover, read back the unresolved items and have the next owner accept them. “Forwarded to the team” leaves responsibility ambiguous.
The full playbook adds a blank inbox agreement, a repeatable triage pass, a conversation log and a fictional repair-business handover. It explains the relevant Google Groups and Microsoft 365 permission controls alongside the operating rules your team needs to agree.