Inbox

The Drop Cowboy® inbox puts every text, web chat, email, voicemail, call and fax with a contact into one conversation. You reply from the box at the bottom of the conversation, and each conversation has one assignee.

Reply to a text

1. Open Inbox in the left menu.
2. Pick a conversation. Use the dropdown at the top to show You, Your Teams, Mentions, Unassigned or All, and the tabs to show Open, Snoozed or Closed.
3. In the reply box, click the Text tab.
4. Next to "Send from:", pick the phone line to reply from. The contact sees a number from this line.
5. Type your reply. Type # to insert a macro.
6. Click Send Text. On a closed conversation the button reads Send Text and Reopen.

To leave a private note for your team instead, click the Note tab, type @ to mention a teammate, and click Add Note.

If it doesn't work:

• "No text-enabled phone lines". None of your lines can send texts yet. Send texts from a phone line to set one up.
• "Please select a phone line to send from." Pick a line next to "Send from:", then send again.
• "Contact is on your Do Not Contact list". The text was not sent. To learn how the do-not-contact list works, see How consent works.
• "Delivery failed, please try again". Wait a moment and click Send Text again. If it fails twice, check that the contact's number can receive texts.

Take over a web chat

When an AI agent answers your chat widget, the bar above the conversation shows who has it: AI assistant, Awaiting handoff or Human agent.

1. Open Inbox in the left menu and pick the chat. The contact shows Online or Offline.
2. To answer yourself, click Take over. The bar changes to Human agent.
3. In the reply box, click the Chat tab. If the AI wrote a handoff summary, click Insert draft to use it, or Discard to drop it.
4. Type your reply and click Send.
5. To hand the chat back, click Resume AI.

To add the widget to your site, see Add the chat widget to your site. To set up the agent, see Set up an AI chat agent.

Reply to an email

1. Open Inbox in the left menu and pick the conversation.
2. On an email in the timeline, click Reply, Reply All or Forward. Or click the Email tab in the reply box.
3. Check From. It shows your mailbox.
4. Fill in To and Subject. Click Add Cc or Add Bcc to copy others.
5. Write the email. Attachments can total up to 10 MB.
6. Click Send Email.

If it doesn't work:

• "No mailbox selected" or "No available mailboxes". You need a sending domain and a mailbox. Add an email domain, then give each person a mailbox.
• "Subject is required". Add a subject and send again.
• "Email exceeds the 10 MB size limit". Remove an attachment or send a link instead.

Assign a conversation

1. Open Inbox in the left menu and pick the conversation.
2. At the top of the conversation, click the assignee. It shows Unassigned or a name.
3. Pick a teammate or a team. A message confirms the change.

Other controls at the top of the conversation:

• Summarize writes a short summary of the conversation.
• The star marks it as a priority.
• The menu holds Snooze and Open Contact.
• The close button moves the conversation to Closed. Click Reopen to bring it back.

Send or receive a fax

1. Open Inbox in the left menu and pick the contact's conversation. On the right, click Fax.
2. In Send a Fax, check To. If the contact has no fax number, click Add fax number to add one to the contact.
3. Under From, enter your Name.
4. Under Caller ID Route, pick the phone line to send from. The fax goes out from the best-matching local number on that line.
5. Optional: under Callback Number Route, pick the line whose number prints on the cover sheet for call-backs.
6. Drop your file under Upload Document. Most document formats work.
7. Add a Subject and Message for the cover sheet, then click Submit.

To learn which number people see, read Choose the caller ID people see. Always identify your business location truthfully when asked by recipients.

To receive faxes, open Phone Numbers, pick a phone line, and turn on Fax Mode on its Settings tab. Voice calls to that line's numbers stop while it's on. Incoming faxes show in the contact's conversation. All sent and received faxes are listed on the Faxes page.

If it doesn't work:

• "Please add a phone line with phone numbers to your account." Set up a phone line with at least one number, then try again.
• "Drop a file." Upload the document before you click Submit.

Get emailed about unanswered conversations

These emails flag chats and texts that sit unanswered while nobody has the inbox open.

1. Open Settings in the left menu, then click Inbox Notifications.
2. Turn on Send inbox notification emails.
3. Under "How long to wait", set minutes for Web chat and for Everything else. The defaults are 5 and 30 minutes.
4. Under "How often at most", set Wait at least to space out the emails. The default is 60 minutes.
5. Under "Which conversations count", turn on the types you care about, such as Text messages, Emails, Missed calls or Web forms. Web chat always counts.
6. Click Save Changes.

These settings apply to your whole team. Unassigned conversations email everyone with inbox access. Assigned ones email only the assignee. Each email lists the five conversations that have waited longest.

To stop these emails for yourself, open My Profile in the My Account menu and turn off Email me about unanswered conversations. Each email also has an unsubscribe link.

If you don't see Inbox or Inbox Notifications, ask your account owner for access.

This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations vary by jurisdiction and use case. Always consult with qualified legal counsel to ensure your specific practices comply with applicable federal and state laws.