If two or three people answer customers from one WhatsApp number, you already know the problems: two agents reply to the same customer, nobody knows who owns a lead, and when someone leaves, their chats leave with them. A WhatsApp shared inbox fixes this by putting every conversation on one screen that the whole team can use at the same time.
What a shared inbox gives your team
- One number, many agents. Everyone logs in with their own account. Customers still see a single business number.
- Assignment. Give every chat an owner, or turn on auto-assign so new chats rotate through the team.
- Tags and internal notes. Mark leads as Hot, Warm or Cold. Notes are visible to your team only, never the customer.
- Quick replies. Type
/in the reply box to insert saved answers such as prices or addresses.{name}fills in the customer's name automatically. - Media. Send and receive photos, documents and voice notes in the same thread.
- Resolve and rating. Close a chat when it is done. The customer can rate the support, and the chat re-opens if they write again.
- Instagram, Messenger and website chat too. Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger and your website chat land in the same inbox, so the team works from one list.
- Find anything fast. Press Ctrl+K (⌘K on Mac) to jump to any page or open a customer by name.
- Reply-to and reactions. Quote a specific message in your reply and see the customer's emoji reactions.
Automation that works with your team
A shared inbox is most useful when it does not make your team type everything. Relay adds keyword auto-replies, menu flows, an away message with business hours, and an optional AI bot that answers only from the business information you give it. When the bot cannot answer, it hands the chat to a person and the chat is marked as waiting, so nothing is left unanswered.
Know where your leads come from
Relay shows which Click-to-WhatsApp ad a chat came from, captures Facebook and Instagram lead-form submissions as ready-to-reply chats, and gives you a website chat widget and a WhatsApp button for your site. The Reports page shows response time, active chats, ratings and ad-wise chat counts, and you can export contacts, messages or a single chat to CSV.
Who is it for?
- Real estate, education and coaching teams that get leads from ads
- Clinics, salons, gyms and service businesses that take bookings on WhatsApp
- Small online stores answering product and order questions
- Agencies that manage WhatsApp for several clients (each client gets a separate workspace and wallet)
Set up in three steps
- Create your workspace and choose a plan.
- Connect your WhatsApp Business number with the Meta sign-in popup. The number must not be active in the normal WhatsApp app.
- Invite your team, add a few quick replies and turn on an away message.
Frequently asked questions
Can multiple people use the same WhatsApp number?
Yes. With the WhatsApp Business API, many agents can work on the same number at once through a shared inbox such as Relay. The normal WhatsApp Business app limits how many devices you can link.
Can I keep using my current WhatsApp Business app?
The same number cannot be active in the app and on the API at the same time. Use a new number for the API, or move your existing number across after backing up what you need.
Can I see who replied to which customer?
Yes. Each reply records which team member sent it, and each chat can be assigned to one owner.
Is there a website chat widget too?
Yes. Relay includes a website chat widget and a WhatsApp button snippet, and both land in the same inbox.
Does the AI bot reply to everyone?
Only if you turn it on, and only from the business information you provide. When it is unsure, it hands the chat to your team.