Reading and replying to conversations

The inbox brings together all conversations from your connected channels. Here you read them, reply and tidy up. How to connect a channel is described under Inbox.

Before you start:

• You need the View inbox permission to read conversations and Manage inbox to reply or archive. Without View inbox, the inbox does not appear in the sidebar.
• At least one channel must be connected. Otherwise you see a link to SettingsIntegrations.

Opening the inboxCopy link to this section

An open conversation shows the messages in order, with name and time. At the bottom is the reply field (marker 2 in the example).

The background of a conversation follows the channel: beige for WhatsApp, blue bubbles for Messenger, pink for Instagram and light grey for website chat.

Sending a replyCopy link to this section

Next to the time on your own messages you see a tick for sent, a double tick for delivered and a blue double tick for read. Replies you send through the WhatsApp Business app or the Messenger app also appear in the conversation for as long as the integration is active.

You cannot edit a message you have sent yourself. The channels do not offer that option. On Messenger and Instagram, a delete button appears next to your own text messages. It only hides the message in Tillor; the customer keeps the message in their own app.

Incoming Messenger photos are stored and shown in the conversation; in the list, a photo icon appears instead of text. Emoji reactions to Messenger messages appear as counters under the message.

WhatsApp and the 24-hour reply windowCopy link to this section

A customer who sends you a message on WhatsApp opens a free 24-hour reply window. Tillor shows Free reply window open with a countdown. If the window has closed, 24-hour window closed appears and your reply is sent as a paid WhatsApp template, until the customer writes again.

• If no payment method has been added for your WhatsApp Business account in Meta WhatsApp Manager, Tillor blocks paid replies. Free replies within the window remain possible.
• If Meta has not yet approved the template in your organisation's language, your reply waits. This usually takes a few minutes and can take up to 48 hours.

What happens next?Copy link to this section

• Your reply appears in the conversation with a tick: sent, delivered or read. If delivery fails, it shows Not delivered.
• An archived conversation disappears from Open. If the customer writes again, the conversation reappears.
• The conversation also appears on the customer, under CustomerscustomerCommunication.

Finding and tidying up conversationsCopy link to this section

• Search: filter threads by name or phone number, within Open or Archived.
• Unread: in Open, unread conversations are shown in bold with a red dot. Click Mark all as read at the top of the list to mark everything as read in one go.
• Archive: click Archive on a finished conversation in Open.
• Restore: open a conversation in Archived and click Restore to bring it back and be able to reply again.
• Context menu: right-click or long-press a conversation for Mark as read, Mark as unread, Pin conversation or Unpin conversation, Archive and Restore.

The number next to Inbox in the sidebar counts open conversations where the last message is from the customer and still awaits a reply. New messages appear live; the number updates itself.

TagsCopy link to this section

With tags you label conversations for your whole team.

1. Open a conversation and use the Tags block in the side panel.
2. Create a tag with New tag or choose an existing one. Use the tag menu to edit or delete tags.
3. Filter the list with the tag icon next to the platform filter.

Tags with AI can apply can be added by Tillie after an automatic reply. Tags your team has already set stay in place.

NotificationsCopy link to this section

Users with Inbox message notifications receive a push notification for every new message from a customer. Your own replies do not trigger a notification.

With View inbox you also see a notification at the bottom right for a new message, in the same dock as pending identity scans and active phone calls. It shows the sender, the channel and a snippet of the text. Click it to open the conversation. The notification disappears after about ten seconds, unless you keep the mouse over it. If the conversation is already open, no notification appears.

Conversations and customersCopy link to this section

Tillor links a conversation to a customer where possible:

• WhatsApp by phone number.
• Messenger by a matching name, or by a phone number or email address that the customer shares in the conversation themselves.
• Instagram by a matching name or @ username.

Meta does not pass on an email address or phone number through Messenger and Instagram. A customer's open conversations also appear under CustomerscustomerCommunication.

The side panel on the right shows the participant's details per channel, such as the WhatsApp number, the Instagram username with profile link or the page for website chat. Use the panel icon above the conversation to hide or show the panel.

Problems?Copy link to this section

See alsoCopy link to this section