Claiming a conversation tells your team who has it. It is the Inbox's way of saying "I've got this one." Claiming sets you as the customer's account owner, so the owner you see in the Inbox is the same owner you see on the Customers list, the customer's page and the customer pipeline.
Who can claim and release
You need the Manage customers permission. By default that is Owner, Admin, Manager, Front desk and Service writer. Technicians don't have it by default. Everyone can see who owns a conversation. Only people with the permission see the Claim and Release buttons.
Claim a conversation
- Open a customer's conversation in the Inbox.
- Under the customer's name and phone, look at Account owner:. A conversation nobody owns says Unassigned.
- Click Claim.
The label changes to your name followed by "(you)". The conversation now shows under the Mine chip for you. Hover over Claim to read the tooltip. It reminds you that this also sets you as the customer's account owner across the CRM.
The Claim button shows only once the customer has at least one message in the Inbox.
Release a conversation
Click Release next to the owner. The conversation goes back to Unassigned, and the customer's account owner is cleared everywhere. The button shows whether the owner is you or a teammate, so a manager can release a conversation someone else claimed.
If two people click at once
Only the first click wins. The second person sees the message "[Name] already claimed this thread." and the label shows who has it.
Things worth knowing
- Replying does not claim. Nothing assigns a conversation for you. Send a reply and the owner stays as it was.
- A teammate who has left. If the owner is no longer an active member of your shop, the conversation shows as Unassigned. Anyone with the permission can claim it.
- Visitors can't be claimed. A web chat, Messenger or Instagram visitor who isn't a customer yet has no account owner. Save their contact details first. See The Inbox Leads tab.
- It's recorded. Claiming and releasing are written to your shop's activity log as "Claimed inbox thread" and "Released inbox thread".
- Automatic assignment is separate. For who new leads are handed to, see Auto-assigning new leads to your team.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Q: Why don't I see a Claim button?
A: Either you don't have the Manage customers permission, or the customer has no messages in the Inbox yet. Everyone can still read the Account owner label.
Q: Does claiming change the customer's owner on the Customers page?
A: Yes. The owner of a conversation is the customer's account owner, so claiming or releasing changes it on the Customers list, the customer's page and the pipeline.
Q: Does replying to a customer claim the conversation for me?
A: No. Replying doesn't change the owner. Click Claim if you want it.
Q: Can I claim a conversation that someone else owns?
A: Not directly. Ask them to release it, or release it yourself if you have the permission, then claim it.
Q: Where do the Mine and Unassigned chips get their lists?
A: Mine lists conversations whose account owner is you. Unassigned lists conversations with no owner, or an owner who has left your shop, plus new leads.