> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.chrisp.chat/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# Getting started with the crisp inbox

*Handle customer messages, conversation history, and team collaboration in the shared Crisp Inbox.*

Use it to answer enquiries across your connected channels, get help from teammates, and keep ownership clear through follow-up. This tour covers the tools you need to handle a request from its first message to resolution.

---

# ${color}[#1575dd](Find your way around the Inbox)

Start with the queue you are responsible for and a customer request you can follow from arrival to reply. Use that request to check your account setup while learning where to find the conversation, its owner, and the customer’s details.

${youtube}[Getting started with the Crisp Inbox](k5HuG6fVZLc)

#### ${color}[#405e80](Prepare your account)

Open **⚙️ Settings → Account → Information** to set your profile name and avatar, then check [availability](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-schedule-when-to-appear-online-offline-kvso9a/) and [notifications](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-troubleshoot-operator-push-notifications-issues-13a9kp7/). Send a test customer message and confirm that you can receive it and reply.

#### ${color}[#405e80](Identify the main areas)

Use the conversation list to choose what to work on, the central thread to read and reply, and the right sidebar to check customer context and ownership. Start with the relevant inbox and filters so the list reflects the work you’re responsible for.

**All conversations** in the inbox navigation brings together the main inbox and the other inboxes you can access. Use it to review work across queues, then select an individual inbox when you want to focus on that team. **Assigned to me** narrows the view to conversations you own.

![Crisp Inbox annotated with the selected inbox and conversation filters, conversation list, reply/note composer, and customer sidebar](https://screenshots.invalid/crisp-inbox-annotated-with-the-selected-inbox-and-conversation-filters-conversation-list-reply-note-composer-and-customer-sidebar.png =1000xauto)

---

# ${color}[#1575dd](Handle a customer request)

Treat each conversation as a request with a next action and someone responsible for it. Use the customer’s existing context to decide whether to answer, ask a teammate, or arrange a follow-up, then keep that ownership visible as the work progresses.

#### ${color}[#405e80](Reply to a customer)

Open a conversation, read the recent exchange, and check the customer information in the right sidebar. Write your reply in the composer. You can attach files, [format the message](#1-format-a-reply), insert a [message shortcut (canned response)](#1-create-and-reuse-message-shortcuts) with `!`, or [find a Knowledge Base article](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-share-and-preview-articles-with-users-1xu6qem/) with `?`.

A saved reply is useful for a short answer you repeat, such as asking for an order number. Share an article when the customer needs a procedure they can follow and return to later; add a sentence pointing to the relevant section so they know where to start.

For a reply you have already written, open **AI Tools** in the composer and choose **Rephrase** or **Fix grammar** to refine it. Review the result before sending, especially product names and technical steps. These quick edits are useful when you know the answer and want help expressing it clearly.

Use [Copilot](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-use-hugo-copilot-as-an-ai-assistant-for-customer-support-teams-own9cp/) for help investigating or drafting. Review its output before sending it to the customer. For example, ask it to summarize a long exchange before you take over, or draft an answer from the context you have already checked. For customers writing in another language, LiveTranslate can help translate the exchange; Copilot can also help prepare a draft in the customer’s language.

#### ${color}[#405e80](Work with teammates)

Use [private notes](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-use-private-notes-54srwi/) for internal context and [mentions](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-mention-a-team-member-13s9ou/) to ask a teammate for help. Assign the conversation to the person responsible for the next reply; see [manual and automatic assignment](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-route-and-assign-conversations-to-operators-bv8z4c/).

A [sub-inbox](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-create-and-manage-sub-inboxes-in-crisp-ke3xk7/) groups requests for a team or process. Its access settings determine who can see those conversations.

For a handoff, leave a note such as: *“Customer cannot finish setup. We checked the email address and resent the invitation; the same error remains. Please investigate the invitation status.”* Mention the teammate you need, and assign the conversation if they will own the next action. This keeps the customer from having to repeat the investigation.

#### ${color}[#405e80](Find and follow up on requests)

Use [Inbox filters](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-create-custom-filters-for-my-conversations-13r7hfo/) to find pending, unresolved, resolved, or assigned conversations. With **All conversations** selected in the inbox navigation, **Assigned to me** includes your assignments across the sub-inboxes you can access. Select an individual inbox to work only in that queue.

**Unread** tracks conversations with unread messages, not all requests still awaiting work. Use **Unresolved** or **Pending**, with assignment when needed, to follow outstanding requests after they have been read.

Schedule [a reply or private note](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-schedule-messages-in-the-inbox-tqa5t2/) when you need to follow up later. Use the conversation header’s resolve control when the request is complete.

To share a conversation internally, copy its URL from the web app. The `session_…` value in that URL is the conversation ID. Opening the link still requires access to its workspace and inbox.

#### ${color}[#405e80](Review customer context)

The sidebar shows the customer’s details, segments, custom data, and previous conversations when available. Open earlier conversations for context; a shared contact does not mean separate conversation threads are merged.

Look for information that changes your answer. A saved plan or account ID may help identify the right instructions, while a previous conversation may show that a proposed fix was already tried. Use that context before asking the customer for the same details again.

Open a sidebar widget’s **…** menu and choose **Edit widgets** to show, hide, or reorder widgets. These preferences apply to your own view. Keep the details you reach for most often near the top, so you can find them quickly while replying.

![The customer sidebar widget settings with show, hide, and reorder controls, using fictitious customer information](https://screenshots.invalid/the-customer-sidebar-widget-settings-with-show-hide-and-reorder-controls-using-fictitious-customer-information.png =600xauto)

#### ${color}[#405e80](Start a conversation when you need to follow up)

[Create a new conversation](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-create-a-new-conversation-lw3wp8/) when you need to contact a known customer about a new topic. For example, send an email from the Inbox to send agreed setup information after an offline meeting, when there is no existing Crisp conversation. Continue the existing conversation when it already contains the context for your reply.

Connect [your support mailbox](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-receive-emails-in-crisp-2zfgvl/) or a messaging integration to bring incoming messages into Crisp. Reply from Crisp when you want your team to see the full exchange: forwarding a mailbox does not synchronize replies sent from that mailbox’s separate email client.

---

# ${color}[#1575dd](Create and reuse message shortcuts)

Message Shortcuts, also called canned responses, save replies your team uses repeatedly. They are available on Mini and above. Keep a shortcut focused on a useful answer or request, such as asking for an order reference, and adapt it to the current conversation before sending.

#### ${color}[#405e80](Create and insert a shortcut)

1. Open **Settings → Inbox Settings → Message Shortcuts**.
2. Enter a **bang**, such as `!order`, and write the message it should insert.
3. Optionally choose a **tag** to group related replies, such as billing or onboarding.
4. Click **Add Shortcut**.
5. In an Inbox conversation, type `!` or the shortcut’s bang, then select the matching suggestion.
6. Check the inserted reply, personalize it as needed, and send it.

For example, `!order` could insert: *“Could you share your order reference so I can check the delivery details?”* Clear bangs and a small set of useful tags make the library easier for new teammates to browse. Update a saved reply when the process it describes changes.

![Message Shortcuts editor showing a fictional !order bang, an orders tag, and its short reply, with the insertion suggestion in the Inbox composer](https://screenshots.invalid/message-shortcuts-editor-showing-a-fictional-order-bang-an-orders-tag-and-its-short-reply-with-the-insertion-suggestion-in-the-inbox-composer.png =800xauto)

#### ${color}[#405e80](Personalize a saved reply)

Replacement tags insert information already available in the conversation. For example, `Hello {{ name.first | "there" }}` becomes *“Hello Sarah”* when a first name is known, or *“Hello there”* when it is missing.

Common values include `{{ name.full }}`, `{{ email }}`, `{{ company.name }}`, `{{ data.your_key }}`, and `{{ operator.first }}`. Use the exact Custom Data key your team stores. Test with a conversation that has the value and one that does not, so an incomplete profile does not produce a broken sentence or link.

#### ${color}[#405e80](Import or export shortcuts)

Use CSV import and export to migrate saved replies, keep a backup, or reuse a library in another workspace.

Open **Settings → Inbox Settings → Message Shortcuts**, then click **… (More)** next to the search bar.

__Import and export options:__
* **Export** downloads your current shortcuts and tags as a CSV file.
* **Import** lets you upload a UTF-8 CSV with required `bang` and `text` columns, plus an optional `tag` column.

For example:

```csv
bang,text,tag
!order,Could you share your order reference?,orders
!welcome,Hello! What can we help you with today?,greetings
```

||| An imported shortcut with an existing bang can replace that saved reply. Export a backup and check for matching bangs before importing.

Choose **Import**, upload the file, and start the import. Review the imported and skipped counts; rows without a bang or text are ignored. After it completes, check a few imported replies in the Inbox, including any replacement tags. Tags help organize the library; they are separate from customer or conversation segments.

---

# ${color}[#1575dd](Format a reply)

Use formatting to make an answer easier to follow: bold the setting a customer should select, number a procedure, or put a technical identifier in inline code. Keep short replies simple, and check how richer content appears on the customer’s channel.

__Crisp messages support Markdown, including:__
* **Bold:** `**Select Settings**`.
* **Italics:** `*Optional step*`.
* **Underline:** `__underlined text__`.
* **Strikethrough:** `~~old value~~`.
* **Links:** `[Open your account](https://example.com/account)`.
* **Inline code:** surround an identifier with backticks.

Use numbered steps for a procedure and bullets for independent items:

```markdown
To update your profile:
1. Open **Settings**.
2. Select **Account** and update your details.

Please include:
* The error message.
* The step where it appeared.
```

You can also use headings, quoted text with `>`, fenced code blocks for longer technical examples, and Markdown tables where a comparison helps. Attach files or insert images when they clarify the answer rather than replacing the written steps.

By default, **Enter** sends the message and **Shift + Enter** adds a line break. Use the **Aa** button to open the enriched editor when you want to format a longer reply. There, **Enter** adds a line break; use the send button, **Ctrl + Enter** on Windows/Linux, or **Cmd + Enter** on macOS to send.

![The Inbox composer with Aa highlighted and the enriched editor open on a short formatted reply](https://screenshots.invalid/the-inbox-composer-with-aa-highlighted-and-the-enriched-editor-open-on-a-short-formatted-reply.png =800xauto)