Shared inbox and human handover
Automation handles the predictable questions. The inbox exists for everything else — and the handover between the two is where most teams lose conversations.
Open a conversation in Live Chat and press Take control — the bot pauses so only your team replies. Inside 24 hours of the customer’s last message you can send free text; outside it you must pick an approved template. Press Release to bot when you are done, and automation resumes on the next inbound message.
Before you start
- WhatsApp connected with the messages webhook subscribed.
- A published flow, so unattended messages still get an answer.
- Approved templates for replying outside the 24-hour window.
Working the inbox
- Open the conversation Unread threads rise to the top of the list. The customer panel on the right shows who they are.
- Check the window before you type If the composer accepts free text, you are inside 24 hours. If it asks for a template, the window has closed.
- Take control This pauses the bot for this thread. Without it, your reply and an automated reply can arrive together and contradict each other.
- Use the order context The customer panel carries recent orders, COD status, lifetime value and cart history, so you do not have to open Shopify admin.
- Assign if it is not yours Assign the thread to the teammate who owns it, rather than leaving it unowned in the shared queue.
- Resolve and release Resolve closes the ticket; Release hands the thread back to the bot. Do both — resolving alone leaves the bot paused.
The 24-hour window, in practice
This is a WhatsApp platform rule, not a TopEdge setting. Inside 24 hours of the customer’s last message you can send anything. Outside it, only an approved template will go through — and that template reopens the window if they reply. Full detail in the service window.
Finding the thread you need
| Filter | What it narrows to |
|---|---|
| Status | All, assigned to me, open, needs help, or a specific agent. |
| Date | Today, last 7 days, last 30 days. |
| Search | Name, phone number, or a snippet from a message. |
How to check it worked
- A test message from your phone appears in the inbox within seconds.
- Free text sends without a template picker inside the window.
- Outside the window, a template send succeeds.
- Take control stops automated replies on that thread.
- Release to bot resumes automation on your next inbound message.
If the inbox is misbehaving
- Inbox is completely empty
- The messages webhook field is not subscribed — see Connect WhatsApp.
- Message from a personal phone; a business number cannot message itself.
- Confirm a flow is Published, otherwise inbound messages arrive with no reply.
- Send button is disabled or says the session expired
- The customer has not messaged in over 24 hours. Pick an approved template.
- If WhatsApp is disconnected, reconnect in Settings.
- A Marketing template to an opted-out contact is blocked — check their consent in Audience.
- The bot keeps replying while an agent is typing
- Press Take control on the thread — that is what pauses automation.
- Check whether another teammate released it back to the bot mid-conversation.
- The bot never replies again after a handover
- The thread is still taken over. Press Release to bot.
- Resolving a ticket does not release it — they are separate actions.
- Live Chat reference — Every control in the inbox.
- Chat rules and routing — Assign and escalate automatically.
- Shared inbox with order context — Why order context matters.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not send a free-form WhatsApp reply?
The customer has not messaged you in the last 24 hours, so the service window has closed. WhatsApp only allows approved templates outside that window. Once the customer replies to your template, free text works again for another 24 hours.
What happens to the bot when an agent takes over?
It pauses for that conversation only. Other conversations keep running their flows. The bot stays paused until someone releases the thread, which is why a thread that seems permanently silent is usually still taken over.
Can several agents work the same WhatsApp number?
Yes. That is the point of a shared inbox — one business number, many agents, with assignment so two people do not answer the same customer. Each reply is attributed to the agent who sent it.
Updated 2026-10-04