Getting around the inbox
One list, one thread, one client card. How to read the list at a glance and tell instantly which conversations still need something from you.
2 min readUpdated August 7, 2026
Every way a client can reach you ends up in the same place. A text, an email, a message from the website chat, a question from their portal page — one client, one thread, however they got in touch.
- 1
- 1Reply to the client, or note for your team
The three panes
The list on the left is your queue. The thread in the middle is the conversation. The client card on the right — on wider screens — is who you're talking to: their contact details, their next appointment, and a couple of facts about their visiting habits, so you can answer without opening another screen.
Reading the list
Three tabs across the top: Open, Closed, Snoozed. Open is where you live.
Each row is built to be read without opening it:
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| A solid dot | Nobody has opened this yet |
| Needs reply | The client spoke last — this one is still owed an answer |
| A red triangle | The AI read it as urgent |
| You: before the preview | The last thing said was said by your side |
| Note: before the preview | The last entry was a team note, not a message |
Unread and Needs reply are not the same thing, and the difference is the whole point. A thread someone opened, read, meant to come back to and never did looks exactly like a finished one — except for that flag.
The thread
Messages read like any chat: the client on the left, you on the right. Amber blocks in the middle are internal notes, visible only to your team. Bubbles with a ✦ are the AI assistant, and when it has handed a conversation over it says so, so you know it won't answer again over the top of you.
Each message carries a small icon showing which channel it went out on, and days are separated by Today, Yesterday or the date — so "she asked on Tuesday" is something you can see rather than reconstruct.
Common questions
What's the difference between unread and needs reply?
Unread means nobody has opened it. Needs reply means the last thing said was said by the client — so a thread someone read, meant to answer, and forgot still carries the flag. That's the one that used to get dropped.
Does leaving a team note count as replying?
No, deliberately. A note is for your team, so it doesn't clear Needs reply — the client is still waiting, and the list keeps saying so.
What do the little icons next to each name mean?
Where the conversation lives: a speech bubble for text, an envelope for email, a globe for the website chat, a person for the client portal. One client has one thread no matter how many of those they use.
What does snoozing do?
Takes the thread out of Open and brings it back when you say — in 3 hours, tomorrow morning, or next Monday. It's for "I can't deal with this until the stock arrives", not for things you're avoiding.
Someone else is looking at the same thread. Will we clash?
You can both read it. Assign it to a person from the toolbar when it matters who owns it — that's what the assignment is for.
Related articles
- Reply to a clientInbox · Answering by text or email, leaving a note for the team instead, and starting a conversation with someone who hasn't messaged you first.
- The client recordClients · The four numbers at the top, the four tabs underneath, and how to read someone's whole history with you in about ten seconds.
- Text, email, chat and portal in one boxInbox · Why one client has one thread however they got in touch, and how to tell which way your reply is about to leave.
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
Book a 20-minute walkthrough and we’ll answer it on a screen share — or start free and try it on your own salon’s data.