How to Use the Conversation Inbox

The Conversation Inbox in Out Front CRM is your central hub for communicating with leads and customers across all channels. Whether messages come in via text, email, Facebook, Google, or your website chat widget, you can manage everything from one unified inbox.

Step 1: Access the Inbox

1. Log into your Out Front CRM account.

2. From the left-hand menu, click on Conversations.

3. You’ll automatically land in the Inbox tab.

This is where you’ll see every active conversation across all connected platforms.

Step 2: Understand the Inbox Layout

Your inbox is divided into key sections:

• Left panel: Shows the list of conversations, sorted by most recent activity.

• Middle panel: Displays the selected message thread with all replies.

• Right panel: Shows the contact’s profile, activity log, tags, custom fields, notes, and recent communication history.

Each conversation will show:

• The name of the contact (or number if not yet saved)

• The last message preview

• The channel (SMS, email, Messenger, etc.)

• The status (unread, assigned, resolved)

Step 3: View and Reply to Conversations

To respond to a message:

1. Click on the conversation from the left-hand panel.

2. In the message box at the bottom, type your reply.

3. Choose the channel you’d like to reply through (SMS, email, etc.).

4. Hit Send.

You can also:

• Use message templates to save time with canned responses.

• Attach files or images.

• Add emojis.

• Insert appointment booking links.

Step 4: Assign, Tag, and Manage Conversations

Out Front CRM allows you to manage conversations like a team-based inbox:

• Assign to a User: Click the user icon to assign the conversation to yourself or another team member. This keeps responsibility clear.

• Add Tags: Use tags to label conversations by topic or priority (e.g., “hot lead,” “follow-up,” “support request”).

• Mark as Resolved: Once a conversation is complete, click Resolve to archive it and keep your inbox clean.

• Add Notes: Use internal notes (only visible to your team) to jot down context or reminders.

Step 5: Filter and Organize the Inbox

You can use filters to quickly find the conversations you want to focus on:

• All, Unread, Assigned to Me, Resolved

• Filter by Channel (SMS, email, Messenger, etc.)

• Search by name, phone number, or email address

These filters help you and your team stay organized and efficient, especially as volume grows.

Step 6: Trigger Automations from Conversations

From within a conversation, you can manually trigger workflows and automations:

1. Click the three-dot menu (•••) in the top-right corner of the message thread.

2. Select "Add to Workflow".

3. Choose from your existing workflows to trigger automated emails, texts, or tasks.

This is useful for manually enrolling contacts into nurture sequences or follow-up systems.

Step 7: Monitor Conversation Performance

To track how your team is doing:

1. Go to Reporting > Conversation Reports.

2. View key metrics like:

   • Average response time

   • Number of messages sent and received

   • Channel performance breakdown

This helps identify areas for improvement and ensures leads get timely responses.

Step 8: Best Practices for Using the Inbox

• Resolve conversations once they’re complete to avoid clutter.

• Assign ownership of every new conversation to ensure follow-up.

• Use templates to save time and maintain consistency in replies.

• Set up notifications so your team is alerted to new incoming messages instantly.

• Link contacts to opportunities or workflows directly from the inbox to streamline pipeline management.

With the Conversation Inbox, your team can stay connected to leads and customers without switching between tools or channels. It’s a single place to centralize communication, boost efficiency, and deliver great service.