Once more than one person answers customer texts, a new problem appears: two people reply to the same customer with different answers, or each assumes the other one has it. A shared inbox fixes that by putting every thread from your business number in one view, with a named owner and a clock on it. We design the rules, help you configure the tool and train the people who'll use it.
We're the marketing and consulting side of the work; we're not a contractor and we don't touch any equipment. The inbox and its history belong to your business.
What's included
The tool is the easy part. Most of this service is about agreements between people.
- Ownership rules. Who replies during office hours, who covers evenings and weekends, and how a thread is claimed so nobody doubles up.
- Response windows. A realistic promise for each time of day, written into your first texts so customers know what to expect.
- Field-to-office flags. A simple way for a tech on site to mark a thread "needs a quote," "needs a callback" or "done."
- Escalation. What happens if a thread sits unanswered past the window: who gets alerted, and how.
- Notes and tags. A short list of tags (new inquiry, booked, quote sent, not our work) so you can count outcomes later.
- Opt-out handling. One agreed way to record a STOP reply so nobody on the team texts that person again by accident.
- Training. A 45-minute session with your team and a one-page cheat sheet for the truck.
Who it's for
Teams of two or more where texts arrive faster than one person can handle.
That includes owner-plus-office setups, companies with a part-time dispatcher, and seasonal businesses that add temporary staff during peak months. If one person handles every text, start with text-back and scripts instead; a shared inbox adds little until there's someone to share it with.
Timeline
Usually three to four weeks, mostly because people need time to adjust.
- Week 1: map who touches customer communication today, including personal phones and voicemail habits.
- Week 2: configure the inbox, tags, alerts and access for each person.
- Week 3: training and a soft launch during regular hours.
- Week 4: add evening and weekend rules, then review the first full week of threads together.
How we measure it
Shared inboxes generate useful data almost for free:
| Measure | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Unclaimed threads past the window | The clearest sign the rules aren't working |
| Median first human reply time | What customers actually experience |
| Threads by tag | How many inquiries became booked work or quotes |
| Duplicate replies | A sign ownership isn't clear |
We review these with you monthly at first, then quarterly once things are steady.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using personal mobiles. It feels faster, but customers end up with staff numbers, history leaves when people do, and opt-out requests get lost.
- Everyone gets every alert. When eight phones buzz for every text, everyone learns to ignore them. Alert the owner of the thread, then escalate.
- No after-hours plan. If evening texts sit until morning, say so in the first message. Silence is worse than a clear "we'll reply at 8 a.m."
- Forgetting the STOP list. An opt-out has to be respected by the whole team, not just whoever saw it. ISED's texting guidance also reminds businesses to train employees and any third parties who text on their behalf.
- Collecting more than you need. Under federal privacy law, businesses are expected to handle personal information carefully. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has a summary of Canada's privacy laws; we keep inbox notes to what the job needs.
Before you start
Write down every phone a customer might text today, including the owner's cell. That list usually explains why texts are getting lost. Then read our CASL texting guide, check pricing, or get in touch through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Can my techs reply from their own phones?
They can reply through the texting tool's app on their phones, so the customer always sees your business number, never a personal one. That keeps the history in one place and protects staff privacy.
What happens when someone leaves the company?
Because the inbox belongs to the business, you remove that person's access and the conversations stay. That's one of the main reasons we avoid setups built on personal mobile numbers.
Do we need a full-time dispatcher for this?
No. Many teams run a shared inbox with an office manager covering business hours and a rotating on-call person for evenings. The rules matter more than headcount.
Will it work with our field-service software?
Often, yes. Many field-service and phone platforms include texting. We check what you already pay for before suggesting anything new.