Guides
Shared inbox and human handover
Automation handles the predictable questions, and the inbox handles everything else. The handover between the two is where most teams lose conversations.
Short answer
Open a conversation in Live Chat and press Reply myself; the bot pauses so only your team replies. Within 24 hours of the customer’s last message you can send free text, and after that you must pick an approved template. Press Mark as done or Give back to bot when you finish, and automation resumes on the next inbound message.
Before you start
- WhatsApp connected, and a test message from your phone reaches Live Chat.
- A published flow, so unattended messages still get an answer.
- Approved templates for replying outside the 24-hour window.
Working the inbox#
About 5 minutes
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.
Press Reply myself
This pauses the bot on this thread only. Without it, your reply and an automated one can arrive together and contradict each other.
Use the order context
The customer panel shows recent orders, COD status, lifetime value and cart history. You do not need to open Shopify admin.
Assign if it is not yours
Assign the thread to the teammate who owns it. Do not leave it unowned in the shared queue.
Mark as done
Mark as done moves the chat to Done and hands new messages back to the bot. To hand back without closing the request, press Give back to bot.
The 24-hour window, in practice#
This is a WhatsApp rule, not a TopEdge setting. Inside 24 hours of the customer’s last message you can send anything.
Outside it, only an approved template goes through, and the customer’s reply reopens the window. Details: the service window.
Finding the thread you need#
| Filter | What it narrows to |
|---|---|
| Queue | All chats, Needs you (waiting on your team) or Done, plus a filter per agent or team. |
| Date | All time, today, last 7 days or last 30 days. |
| Search | Name, phone number, or a snippet from a message. |
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.
- Reply myself stops automated replies on that thread.
- Give back to bot resumes automation on your next inbound message.
If the inbox is misbehaving#
Inbox is completely empty
- TopEdge isn't receiving your messages (reconnect from Settings → WhatsApp) — 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 Reply myself on the thread; that is what pauses automation.
- Check whether a teammate pressed Give back to bot or Mark as done mid-conversation.
The bot never replies again after a handover
- The thread is still paused. Press Give back to bot, or Mark as done if the request is finished.
- Check your flow is still Published in Flow Builder.
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, and other conversations keep running their flows. It stays paused until someone presses Give back to bot or Mark as done, which is why a thread that seems permanently silent is usually still paused.
- 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.