NEXT - Inbox

This article explains how to use the Inbox in NEXT. The Inbox is your central hub for managing all incoming and outgoing conversations across every connected channel including calls, messages, and email. It is intended for all users.

Before using the Inbox, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

• Your NEXT account is active and has both a valid email address and phone number associated with it. Accounts without a phone number may experience unexpected behavior and may not have full access to Inbox functionality.

• The All Channels filter is available by default and does not require any channel configuration.

• To send email or SMS conversations, the corresponding channels must be configured by an administrator.

• To receive and manage team conversations, a team must be created, and you must be added as a team member by an administrator.

Click Inboxes in the left navigation panel to open your inboxes. The screen uses a multi-panel layout:

• Left panel — Global navigation.

• Middle panel — Inbox sidebar listing My Inbox and Teams.

• Right panel — Displays the conversation list when no conversation is selected, or the active conversation when a conversation is open.

A global header appears above the Inbox content. When a conversation is open, additional optional panels — such as Contact, Tickets, and Meetings — may appear on the right side of the screen.

The Inbox sidebar is organized into two sections:

My Inbox

Your personal inbox for direct contact conversations. Click My Inbox to load your conversations in the right panel.

Teams

Shared inboxes for team-based conversation management. Team inboxes allow teams to manage customer conversations from a central shared location, routing them to a shared queue where any assigned team member can view, respond to, and manage them.

NOTE: If you reject an incoming call offer from a team inbox, you will not receive a new call offer from that inbox for 1 minute.

Team inboxes appear listed by name beneath the Teams header. Click any team inbox to view its conversations.

NOTE: The team inboxes shown in the sidebar depend on the teams you belong to. If you do not see any team inboxes listed, contact your administrator to be added to a team or to confirm team setup. Clicking + Create Team opens an in-app Create Team dialog where you can enter a team name, color, and members.

In the Conversation Header, click All Channels to open the channel filter menu. Select one or more channels to display only conversations from the selected sources. Available channels include:

• Email

• Call

• SMS

NOTE: When you select multiple channels, the filter label changes to display the number of selected channels (for example, 2 Channels) instead of All Channels. The channel filter is only available in the conversation list view and is not shown when an individual conversation is open.

From My Inbox or a Team Inbox

1. Click + New at the top right of the conversation list header. The New Conversation modal opens.

2. Click the To field and type a contact name or phone number. Select a contact from the search results, or enter a phone number directly and press Enter or choose Add "[number]" from the dropdown.

3. Click Continue to create the conversation and open it.

NOTE: When starting a conversation from a Team Inbox, the modal title includes the team inbox name — for example, New Conversation · Sales. To close the modal without starting a conversation, click Cancel or the × icon.

Clicking a contact or conversation opens the conversation view. The Conversation View consists of the following areas:

• Center column – Displays the conversation history and compose area.

• Optional side panel – Displays additional conversation details when available.

• Widget rail – Located on the far right and provides access to conversation-related widgets.

Conversation history (center column, top)

Displays the full message history with the contact, including messages and call log entries. Each message includes the sender name, timestamp, and delivery status. Messages are grouped by day using date dividers. Use the Jump to... dropdown at the top right of the conversation area to navigate to a specific point in the conversation history.

Compose area (center column, bottom)

Use the compose area to send a new message:

1. Click the Text message dropdown to select the channel you want to use.

2. Type your message in the Write a message... field.

3. Click the Send icon to send.

Click Show details to expand the sender and recipient fields. Click Hide details to collapse them.

Suggestions

When available, a Suggestions bar appears above the compose area with AI-generated quick-reply options, such as Acknowledge & Respond, Provide Next Steps, and Request More Info. Click a suggestion to use it, or click the × to dismiss the bar.

Side panel (optional)

The side panel displays contextual information about the contact. From here you can:

• Click Call, Message, Video, Email, or Share to contact or share the person on a different channel.

• View and edit contact information — Company Name, Job Title, First Name, Last Name, Primary phone, and Primary email — directly inline.

• Click + Add property to add additional contact fields.

• Add or view notes in the Notes section. Click + next to Notes to add a new note.

Side panel and widget rail (right)

A panel on the right displays contextual widgets. Use the icon rail on the far right edge to switch between:

• NextIQ

• Contact

• Meetings

• Tickets

When the Contact widget is open, it displays the contact's profile and information. A visibility indicator (for example, Public) appears next to the Contact Information header, showing whether the record is visible org-wide or private. From here you can:

• Click Call, Message, Video, Email, or Share to contact or share the person on a different channel. (Video opens a menu with Meet now and Schedule meeting.)

• View and edit contact information — such as Company Name, Job Title, First Name, Last Name, Primary phone, and Primary email — directly inline. (Additional fields may appear based on contact configuration.)

• Click + Add property to add additional contact fields.

• Add or view notes in the Notes section. Click + next to Notes to add a new note.

Use the tabs on the right edge of the contact panel to switch between the contact's profile, schedule, and conversation history views.

• Meetings — view scheduled meetings or schedule a new meeting for the contact

• Tickets — view or create tickets linked to the contact

• NextIQ — AI assistant for the conversation

• Collapse sidebar — Click the collapse icon next to the Inbox title at the top of the sidebar to hide the inbox sidebar and expand the conversation panel.