Skip to navigation

Inbox

Review calls, chats, and messages left by callers.

Inbox in the sidebar collects every interaction your receptionist handles. It has four views:

  • All conversations: every call and website chat, except spam.
  • Needs attention: open messages, quote requests, and caller questions, and calls marked urgent or emergency. See Quote requests.
  • Done: conversations and items you have finished, such as messages marked done, converted quote requests, and answered questions.
  • Spam: calls marked as spam. The view shows how many there are, and a dot when one is unread.

Questions your receptionist could not answer are collected separately in FAQ.

Conversations

Each conversation includes the full transcript, the start time, duration, and receptionist, and outcome labels:

OutcomeMeaning
AppointmentA booking was made, or Cancelled if one was cancelled
OrderAn order was placed or changed
Client · NewA new client was created
MessageThe caller left a message
Question · Needs answerThe receptionist could not answer a question

Caller details

A phone call shows the caller’s number, or Not shared when there is none. If the number does not belong to a client yet, select Save as contact. If several clients share the number, select Choose client and pick who the call was with.

Done and spam

Select Done on an open conversation to move it to the Done view, and Reopen to bring it back. A conversation also leaves Done when something in it is reopened.

Select Spam to move a call to the Spam view. Spam calls show Spam as their status and never appear in Needs attention or Done. If a call was marked as spam by mistake, open it in the Spam view and select Not spam.

On a spam call, select Block next to the caller’s number to block it. The reason is set to Spam.

If your business is in the US and spam protection is off, All conversations and Spam show a Keep spam calls out banner, which you can dismiss. Select Turn on spam protection to switch it on. See Call handling.

Intent and priority

After each conversation, Reception.ai labels it with a short intent, such as “Roof Leak Repair”, and a priority:

PriorityWhen it is used
EmergencyA safety-critical situation is still happening, such as a flood, fire, or medical emergency
UrgentThe caller says it is time-sensitive and a missed callback has real consequences
NormalEverything else

A situation that has already been made safe is urgent or normal, not an emergency. Messages from sales pitches, vendors, recruiters, robocalls, and payment demands are normal, however pressing they sound.

A call’s priority is never lower than the priority of the messages left on it, unless the call is spam.

Review conversations regularly to verify your receptionist’s answers and find patterns that suggest new rules, procedures, or knowledge base updates.

Messages

When a caller wants a callback or asks to leave a message, the receptionist records it with a priority level. Messages come from phone calls and website chat. If the caller adds details or changes something later in the same call, the receptionist updates that message instead of leaving a second one.

Each message shows the caller’s words, a short handover note from the receptionist, and the caller’s number. Numbers typed in chat are marked as shared by the caller, since they cannot be verified.

Messages are linked to a client automatically when the caller’s phone number is usable. From each message you can:

  • Select the client’s name to open their record, or Save contact if the caller is not a client yet.
  • Select Mark done when you have handled it, or Reopen to bring it back to Needs attention.

The Inbox item in the sidebar shows the number of unread messages, highlighted in red when any are emergency or urgent.

To stop taking messages, turn off Messages in Settings → Features.