> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.theomnibot.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Team Collaboration and Chat Assignment in ChatbotX Inbox

> Set up Inbox teams, assign conversations manually or automatically, and handle cases where no agents are available using Auto Assign in ChatbotX.

When multiple people are working in Inbox at the same time, you need a clear way to decide who handles which customer and who is currently working on what. **Assign Conversation** and **Auto Assign** help you coordinate without constant manual overhead. This article covers everything from creating your first team to making sure customers always receive a response, even when no one is online.

## 1. Create an Inbox Team

Before assigning conversations, group your team members into logical units so you can route entire conversations to a team rather than only a single individual.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Inbox Team settings">
    Navigate to **Settings → Inbox Team**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the team">
    Click **Create Inbox Team**, then enter a clear team name such as "Sales Team" or "Support Team".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add members and save">
    Select the team members who belong to this group, then save.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Use descriptive team names that reflect the team's function (for example, "Tier 1 Support" or "Enterprise Sales") so agents and managers immediately understand which team a conversation is routed to.
</Tip>

## 2. Assign a Chat Manually to a Person or Team

When you are viewing a conversation and want to give it to a specific person or team right away:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the conversation">
    Open the conversation in Inbox.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find Assign Conversation">
    Look at the top area of the conversation panel and find **Assign Conversation**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the assignee">
    Select the team member or team that should take over the conversation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

The assigned person receives a notification and knows the conversation is now theirs to handle.

## 3. Configure Automatic Assignment in Flow Builder

If you do not want to assign chats manually one by one, configure automatic assignment directly inside the Flow so the system handles routing without any human step.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add an Action block">
    In **Flow Builder**, add an **Action** block at the point in the flow where you want assignment to happen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Inbox Actions">
    Select **Inbox Actions → Assign Conversation**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the target">
    Choose the target team member or team that should receive the conversation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

**Example:** When a customer selects "I need pricing support," the Bot can automatically assign that conversation to the Sales team without any manual step from your agents.

## 4. Distribute Chats Automatically Across the Team

**Auto Assign Conversation** distributes chats fairly across available online team members so no one gets overloaded and no one stays idle. You configure this in Flow Builder the same way as a manual assignment, but using the **Auto Assign** action instead.

The following distribution modes are available:

| Mode              | What the system does                                                     |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **All Time**      | Distributes based on each team member's total chat volume over time      |
| **Last 1 Hour**   | Prioritizes the person who handled the fewest chats in the last hour     |
| **Last 8 Hours**  | Prioritizes the person who handled the fewest chats in the last 8 hours  |
| **Last 24 Hours** | Prioritizes the person who handled the fewest chats in the last 24 hours |

<Note>
  Choose a distribution window that matches your team's shift length. For a team working in 8-hour shifts, **Last 8 Hours** gives the most balanced distribution within a single shift cycle.
</Note>

## 5. Handle Cases Where No One Is Online

When you use Auto Assign in Flow Builder, the system produces 2 result branches after attempting to assign:

| Branch      | What happened                                                   | What to do                                                                |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Success** | The system found an available team member and assigned the chat | Continue the flow normally                                                |
| **Failure** | No team member is online or available                           | Trigger a fallback message so the customer is not left waiting in silence |

<Tip>
  On the **Failure** branch, add an automatic message such as *"Sorry, our support team is busy right now. We will get back to you as soon as possible."* This sets clear expectations and prevents customers from waiting without any acknowledgment.
</Tip>