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Setup Inbox Channels for your Service Team

Updated 4 weeks ago by Stephen Boss

In this guide, you’ll learn how to maximize the efficiency of your service team by setting up channels in Inbox. These steps will prepare your team for working out of Inbox.

What You’ll Accomplish:

Understand Inbox channels – Learn what they are and how to set them up.
Create a clear channel plan – Design channels based on your team's goals and service structure.
Assign team members effectively – Set up team members with optimal channel notifications for their roles.

Prefer to watch? You can follow along with our video guide or continue reading below for a detailed walkthrough.

[VIDEO GUIDE]

1. Introducing Inbox Channels

Inbox Channels are real-time views of your threads (aka Service Tickets), designed to streamline notifications and serve as a hub for managing threads. Let’s start with an overview before diving into best practices.

[SCREENSHOT]

Key Benefits of Channels:

No Manual Refreshing: Channels update in real-time, so there's no need to refresh your view.
Customizable Push Notifications: Channels allow for flexible notification settings, so team members can stay informed based on their specific needs.
Dynamic Cards: View essential details about a thread at a glance without needing to click into each one.
Universal Search: Quickly find any thread using the search functionality.

2. How to Set Up Your First Channel

Steps to Create a Channel:

To set up your first channel, head to Inbox and click the + icon next to Channels. Note: You must be an admin to create a channel.
Set an Icon & Name: Choose an icon and name to identify the channel.
Assign Team Members: Add team members who will interact with the channel.
Create Your Flow: Channels are powered by Flows, which control how threads are routed in and out of the channel. You can choose between:
- Standard [DEFAULT]: Threads stay in the channel throughout their lifecycle.
- Dynamic: Threads enter the channel when they meet filter criteria and leave once they no longer match.

[GIF OF CHANNEL CREATION]

Best Practices for choosing when to setup Dynamic or Standard Channels
1. Standard Channels: Use when you need a permanent record of threads, like an "All Service Requests" channel that retains tickets for long-term reference.
2. Dynamic Channels: Ideal for managing threads in specific states. For example, a Triage Channel will dynamically pull in unassigned threads and automatically remove them once they’re assigned.

3. Creating a Plan

Before setting up your channels, it's essential to develop a clear strategy. Follow these key principles to ensure your channel setup aligns with your service team's workflow:

Triage Channel for Quick Response
Delivering exceptional service starts with fast responses. A dynamic Triage Channel helps first responders react swiftly to new requests. Whether you have dispatchers or not, setting up a Triage Channel ensures unassigned tickets are addressed immediately.
Team Channels for Focused Workspaces
Create a dedicated channel for each team in your service desk that mirrors their current workspaces in your PSA (Professional Services Automation). This helps your teams focus on their assigned tasks, providing a clear and structured view.
All Threads Channel for Full Visibility
An All Threads Channel provides your team with access to all service requests, regardless of assignment. This is useful for quickly locating tickets without switching between team-specific channels.

Key Tip: Limit Channels to Essentials
"Less is more" applies to channel setup. Avoid overloading your team with too many channels. Focus on a streamlined experience by limiting the channels to their Triage and team-specific workspaces for optimal productivity.

How to Create a Plan for Your Service Team

Before setting up Inbox, it’s crucial to create a blueprint. Here's how to craft your plan:

Map Out Your Current Workflow
Use a diagramming tool to visualize how service requests are routed and escalated today. Document who handles triage, how tickets are assigned, and where escalations occur. You may already have a workflow map or process document that you can build on!
Translate Your Diagram into Channels
Use your diagram to create a table of the channels you'll need in Inbox. Think about how your team currently views tickets in your PSA and replicate those views in Inbox. Keep in mind the best practices outlined above for channel creation.

Suggested tools
You can use free diagramming tools like diagrams.net or professional tools like Visio or Miro.

Below, I've diagrammed some examples for some common models we see.

Example 1: Flat Service Desk Model (No Dispatcher)

In this model, your service desk operates without escalation tiers, handling all requests in a first-come, first-served manner. Here’s a sample channel plan:

Channel Name	Purpose	Routing Type	Best Use Case	Recommended Members	Example Filter Criteria	Recommended Notification Settings	Additional Notes
1. Triage	Optimize for quick response	Dynamic	Quickly responding to unassigned tickets	All Service Team Members	`Board = Help Desk AND Owner IS BLANK`	Set to ALL for the entire team	Alerts team members when a new unassigned request comes in.
2. All Threads	Provide access to all service requests	Standard	Access all threads for searching without specific team channels	All Service Team Members	`Board = Help Desk`	Set to OWNER for the entire team	Use to find any service request quickly. Replaces individual team channels.

Example 2: Tiered Service Desk Model (With Dispatcher)

In this model, requests are routed through a dispatcher (Service Coordinator) and handled by Tier 1 and escalated to Tier 2 teams when necessary.

Channel Name	Purpose	Membership	Example Filter Criteria	Recommended Notification Settings	Additional Notes
1. Triage (Dispatch)	Manage and triage incoming requests	Service Coordinators	`Board =` `[Help Desk, Systems Engineering, Networking]AND Owner IS BLANK`	Set to ALL for Service Coordinators	Ensures quick response and triage of new, unassigned requests.
2. All Threads	Universal access to all service requests	All team members	`Board = [Help Desk, Systems Engineering, Networking]`	Set to OWNER for all team members	Universal channel for full visibility across all teams and requests.
3. T1 - Service Desk	Handle requests assigned by Dispatch	Service Desk team (Tier 1)	`Board = Help Desk`	Set to OWNER for Service Desk team members	Focused workspace for Tier 1 to resolve issues.
4. T2 - Systems Engineering	Handle escalated requests	Systems Engineering team (Tier 2)	`Board = T2 - Systems Engineering`	Set to OWNER for Systems Engineering	Escalated requests specific to Systems Engineering are handled here.
5. T2 - Networking	Handle escalated requests	Networking team (Tier 2)	`Board = T2 - Networking`	Set to OWNER for Networking team	Escalated requests specific to Networking are handled here.

Example 3: Pod-Based Service Model (Shared Dispatch with Customer-Aligned Pods)

In this model, a shared dispatch team handles all incoming requests and routes them to specific Tier 1 service pods, each assigned to a dedicated set of customers. Each pod resolves most issues but escalates more complex cases to a centralized Tier 2 escalations team.

Channel Name	Purpose	Membership	Example Filter Criteria	Recommended Notification Settings	Additional Notes
1. Triage (Dispatch)	Manage and triage incoming requests	Dispatch Team	`Board =` `[All Customer Service Boards, T2 - Escalations]AND Owner IS BLANK`	Set to ALL for Dispatch Team	Ensures quick response and triage of unassigned requests across all pods.
2. All Threads	Universal access to all service requests	All Team Members	`Board = [All Service Boards, T2 - Escalations]`	Set to OWNER for all team members	Full visibility across all teams and requests.
3. Pod 1 - Customer Group A	Handle Tier 1 requests for Customer Group A	Pod 1 Team	`Board = [Customer Group A Boards]`	Set to OWNER for Pod 1 Team Members	Focused workspace for Pod 1 to manage and resolve requests for specific customers.
4. Pod 2 - Customer Group B	Handle Tier 1 requests for Customer Group B	Pod 2 Team	`Board = [Customer Group B Boards]`	Set to OWNER for Pod 2 Team Members	Same as above but for different customer group.
5. T2 - Escalations	Handle escalated requests from all pods	Tier 2 Escalations Team	`Board = T2 - Escalations`	Set to OWNER for Tier 2 Team Members	Handles escalated requests from all customer pods that require higher expertise.

4. Let's Set Up Your Channels

It’s time to configure Inbox and optimize it for your team’s workflows!

Inbox is a powerful tool designed to help your team respond quickly, resolve issues efficiently, and ultimately provide exceptional service to your customers. The key to success is setting it up the right way from the start.

Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up Your Channels

Log in to Inbox
Head to your Inbox dashboard and click the + icon next to Channels to begin creating your first channel. Remember, only admins have access to create and configure channels.
Set Up Triage Channel for Quick Response
Start by creating your Triage Channel:
- Choose an icon and name for the channel (e.g., "1. Triage").
- Select the team members who will be first responders or dispatchers.
- Configure the channel as Dynamic, and set the filter criteria to pull in unassigned requests. This ensures your team sees new requests immediately and can respond quickly.
- Set notifications to ALL for members of this channel so no request goes unnoticed.
Why it’s important: Your Triage Channel is your frontline defense. It ensures fast response times, preventing tickets from slipping through the cracks.
Set Up Team Channels for Focused Work
Now, set up a dedicated channel for each team or service pod:
- Name the channels appropriately (e.g., "T1 - Service Desk," "Team Rocket").
- Assign the relevant team members to each channel.
- Set these channels as Standard, using filter criteria based on ticket assignment and service boards.
- Set notifications to OWNER so team members are notified only for their assigned threads, ensuring they stay focused on their work.
Why it’s important: These channels act as daily workspaces, where team members handle requests based on their roles and assigned tasks.
Set Up the All Threads Channel for Full Visibility
Create an All Threads channel that provides visibility across all teams:
- Assign all team members to this channel.
- Set it as Standard, with filter criteria pulling in threads from all service boards.
- Set notifications to OWNER, so team members can search and find threads without overwhelming their inbox.
Why it’s important: The All Threads channel offers a bird’s-eye view of all tickets, allowing team members to track requests outside of their direct responsibility without cluttering their daily workspace.

Prefer to use Inbox only for Chat support?
If you want to use Inbox solely for chat requests, you can easily configure it that way! For each of the channels above, simply apply the filter criteria to your flows to only include chat-based requests.

Edit your flow for each channel to include the following filter criteria:
AND Chat Touchpoint = All Messenger Products

This way, you can limit your team’s exposure to non-chat threads while still using Inbox’s powerful features for customer support.

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