📝 Overview

Conversations is the unified inbox in Marketing Suite. It brings your customer messages from different channels into a single place, so your team can view and respond to everything together without switching between platforms.

This guide covers connecting your channels, managing notifications, and how your AI Chat Receptionist fits into the inbox.

🔌 Connecting Your Channels

Before you can send and receive messages, you need to connect the channels you want to use. You can manage your connections under Administration ➜ Conversations settings. Channels you can bring into your inbox include:

Email, for sending and receiving customer emails directly in Conversations.
Facebook Messenger, for managing your Facebook Page conversations.
Instagram, for replying to Instagram direct messages.
WhatsApp, for managing messages sent to your WhatsApp Business number.
Web Chat, for conversations started by visitors through the AI chat widget on your website.

💡 You don't have to connect everything at once. Start with the channels you use most and add more when you're ready. Before connecting a channel, it's also worth checking your notification settings (covered below), so your team only receives the alerts they want.

The sections below cover how to set up each channel.

📧 Click the arrow to learn how to set up Email

Email works out of the box. Your account comes with its own Conversations email address, and all emails you send from Conversations use this address, with customer replies routed straight back into the same conversation thread automatically.

If your business already uses an email address for customer enquiries, you can forward those emails into Conversations, so customers keep emailing your familiar address while your team replies from one shared inbox:

Go to Administration ➜ Email Configuration ➜ Advanced email settings and copy your Forwarding address.
In your email provider's settings (such as Gmail or Outlook), add this address as a forwarding destination.
If your provider asks you to confirm the forwarding request, the confirmation message appears in Conversations. Open it and click the confirmation link, then finish enabling forwarding with your provider.

💡 The sender settings at the top of the Email Configuration page apply to your email campaigns rather than Conversations, so you don't need to change them for your inbox to work.

📘 Click the arrow to learn how to connect Facebook Messenger

You'll need a Facebook Business Page (not a personal profile) with admin access and Messenger enabled on the Page.

Go to Administration ➜ Conversations settings and find the Facebook Messenger section.
Click Sign in with Facebook and log in with the Facebook account that has admin access to your Business Page.
Review and grant the requested permissions. When asked, grant access to all Pages linked to your account, as the connection can fail without this.
Select the Business Page you want to connect, then click Connect.
Back in Conversations settings, click Turn on Messaging and check your Page shows as connected.

💡 In line with Facebook's messaging policies, you can message people who have messaged your Page or interacted with it first. If your Page isn't listed during setup, check that you have admin access and that Messenger is enabled in your Page settings.

📸 Click the arrow to learn how to connect Instagram

You'll need a professional Instagram account (Business or Creator, not a personal account) that's connected to a Facebook Page, plus admin access to that Page.

Go to Administration ➜ Conversations settings and find the Instagram section.
Click Sign in with Instagram. You'll be taken to Facebook to log in with the account linked to your Instagram.
Grant the requested permissions, including access to all Pages linked to your account.
Select the Instagram account you want to connect, then click Connect.
Back in Conversations settings, click Turn on Messaging and check your Instagram account shows as connected.

💡 In line with Instagram's messaging policies, you can reply to people who have sent your account a direct message first. If your Instagram account isn't listed during setup, check it's a professional account and that it's connected to your Facebook Page.

💬 Click the arrow to learn how to connect WhatsApp, and what to expect

To connect WhatsApp, go to Administration ➜ Conversations settings, find the WhatsApp Business Messages section, and click Sign in with Facebook. You'll be guided through connecting your WhatsApp Business account, including verifying a phone number for it.

Once connected, the conversations that appear in your inbox are based on what WhatsApp's Business API provides access to. Here's what to expect:

New messages come through automatically. All new incoming WhatsApp messages after connecting appear in Conversations, and this is the primary use case.
Chat history is partial. Some recent history may appear after connecting, but WhatsApp doesn't provide full historic chat threads by default. Expect recent conversations tied to your WhatsApp Business number rather than your complete archive.
Only business chats sync. Private or unrelated past chats don't come through, only interactions linked to the WhatsApp Business number you connect.
Replies are free-form, new outreach needs a template. When a customer messages you, you can reply freely within 24 hours of their last message. Starting a brand-new WhatsApp conversation, or replying outside that window, requires a Meta-approved message template.

💡 Web Chat is set up as part of your AI Chat Receptionist. See the AI Chat Receptionist guide in this collection for how to create the widget and install it on your website.

🔔 Setting Up Notifications

You can choose which alerts you receive for new activity in your inbox, so new messages and leads never slip past you.

Click Notifications in the top-right, followed by Settings.
Scroll down to the Conversations section and choose which notifications you want to receive. We recommend enabling both new messages and new leads.
Click Save.

🧑‍💻 Working as a Team

Conversations is built for collaboration. Everyone with access can view and respond to messages, and when a teammate replies you'll see their profile picture next to the message, so it's always clear who said what.

💡 Account owners and admins can access Marketing Suite by default. To give other staff members access, grant them the Marketing Suite staff permission in your TeamUp account.

🤖 Your AI Chat Receptionist and the Inbox

If you've set up the AI Chat Receptionist, its conversations appear in your inbox alongside everything else. You can review how it's responding, and step in yourself whenever a conversation needs a human touch.

Conversations where the AI couldn't identify the visitor's contact details are kept in the Anonymous Visitors tab, which is worth checking regularly so promising leads don't go unnoticed.

💡 For full setup instructions, see the AI Chat Receptionist guide in this collection.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find answers to common questions or additional details that may not be covered in the main instructions.