Add and use shared inboxes

Overview

A shared inbox is an organizational space where you can categorize or sort conversations. A shared inbox can have channels such as email, Twitter, or SMS feeding into it, or can have no channels and be an empty inbox-- for more information on these options, see Explaining Front inboxes, empty inboxes, and channels.

Any admin can create a shared inbox, edit its settings, and change teammate access. This article will give a general overview of how to add and use shared inboxes. Looking for a specific setup guide for Gmail, Office 365, Twilio and more? Head here for platform-specific setup guides.

Take a Front Academy course here to learn more about leveraging Front inboxes to achieve your goals.

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Instructions

Follow the steps below if your Front account was created after Apr 17, 2023 (your settings sidebar has both an Inboxes and Channels section).

Add a new shared inbox

Step 1

Click the gear icon on the top right of Front and into the Company settings tab.

Step 2

Click Inboxes in the left menu and Add a shared inbox.

Step 3

Fill in the following inbox fields:

• Inbox name: Enter the name of the inbox, which displays in your sidebar and menus.
• Description (optional): Enter a description for the inbox.
• Color: Select a color for the inbox, which displays in your sidebar and menus.
• Access: Select teammates who can access the inbox.
  • Workspace name: Grant access to all teammates in the Workspace, making it a public inbox
  • Restricted: Grant access to specific teammates or teammate groups

Step 4

Click Create inbox. You’ll automatically be taken to your inbox settings.

Step 5 (optional)

Use the top navigation tabs to configure additional inbox settings, custom fields, or business hours.

Step 6

Navigate to your main inbox view to ensure it’s visible in your sidebar. If the inbox is not listed in your sidebar, follow the instructions here to add it.

Now you’re ready to connect a channel to route messages to this inbox! Otherwise, you can use your new inbox as an empty inbox.

Add a new channel

Step 1

Click Channels in the left menu and Connect a channel.

Step 2

Choose a channel type. 

Step 3

Follow the steps on screen to configure the channel type you've chosen. See here for specific setup guides for all supported channel types.

Step 4

Select the inbox to connect to your channel. All messages from your channel will route to this inbox by default.

Step 5 

Click Save changes. You’ll automatically be taken back to your inbox list.

Step 6 (Optional)

Click on the name of the channel to configure additional channel settings.

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Instructions [legacy]

Follow the steps below if your Front account was created before Apr 17, 2023 (your settings sidebar has an Inboxes section and does not have a Channels section).

Add a new shared inbox [legacy]

Step 1

Click the gear icon on the top right of Front and into the Company settings tab.

Step 2

Click on Inboxes on the left menu and Add a shared inbox.

Step 3

Fill out the name and description of your inbox. Click Create.

Step 4

Choose a channel type. 

Or, if you'd like to create an empty inbox, click Continue without channels.

Step 5

Follow the steps on screen to complete setting up for the channel type you've chosen. See here for specific setup guides for all supported channel types.

Step 6

Choose whether you'd like to make the inbox public to everyone on your team, or choose Select which teammates have access and select the desired teammates. Click Continue.

Step 7

Finish configuring your inbox settings. Click Finish to create your new shared inbox.

You and those teammates should now see the new shared inbox listed in the sidebar, and can work out of it or move conversations to it.

Add additional channels to your shared inbox [legacy]

One shared inbox can have multiple channels within it. To add additional channels to an existing shared or individual inbox, go to your inbox settings and click on the Channels section, then Add a channel. For details and tips on using inboxes with multiple channels, check out this guide.

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Move conversations to a shared inbox

Front allows you to move your shared inbox conversations to other shared inboxes, or move personal conversations into shared inboxes. More details can be found in this article.

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FAQ

Can I add this inbox to my teammates' sidebars?

Current: When you create a new shared inbox with restricted access, the inbox will be added to the sidebars of all selected teammates.

For existing shared inboxes or new public inboxes, you will not be able to add the inbox to other teammates' sidebars. Teammates will need to add the existing inboxes themselves.

Legacy: When you create any new shared inbox, including public inboxes, you will have the chance to automatically add the inbox to selected teammates' sidebars.

This setting is found in the Settings subsection of the inbox settings. You can select specific teammates, or click the Select all option to add the inbox to all teammates' sidebars.

This option is only available when first creating an inbox. For existing shared inboxes, you will not be able to add the inbox to other teammates' sidebars. Teammates will need to add the existing inboxes themselves.