In this article, you'll learn how to use filters, manage several conversations at once, and use other handy tools to keep your communication on track.
What are Conversation Filters?
Conversation Filters are tools in the Conversations inbox that control which conversations you see, based on conditions you choose. They help you stay organised, prioritise your work and focus on the conversations that matter, without searching through the whole inbox.
Conversation Filters work alongside inbox tabs, sorting options and bulk actions. Together, they give your team full control over how conversations are viewed and managed.
Key benefits of Conversation Filters
Used well, filters make it much easier to see and control your conversations.
Focused inbox views: See only the conversations that match certain criteria, such as assigned users, mentions or tags.
Better team efficiency: Cut out the noise so team members can focus on conversations that need action.
Advanced logic support: Combine several rules using AND / OR logic for precise filtering.
Scalable inbox management: Handle large numbers of conversations without sorting them by hand.
Filters panel
The Filters panel is the heart of filtering. It lets you filter using rules with several conditions.
Opening the Filters panel
Click the Filters icon (three horizontal lines). The Filters panel opens on the right side of the screen.
Filter Builder
The Filter Builder lets you set detailed rules that control which conversations appear in your inbox.
Available filter types include:
Filter By Assigned
Filters conversations by the user assigned as the conversation owner. This helps team members quickly see the conversations they're responsible for, or spot unassigned conversations that need an owner.
You can choose Logged In User in the user dropdown so the filter applies to whichever team member is currently logged in. This is useful for shared Conversation Views.
Filter By Follower
Filters conversations where a specific user has been added as a follower. Followers can see the conversation without being its main owner, which is useful for collaboration and oversight.
You can choose Logged In User in the user dropdown to show conversations where the currently logged-in user is a follower.
Filter By Mention
Filters conversations where a user has been @mentioned. This helps you find conversations that need attention or were flagged for a particular team member.
Filter By Last Message Direction
Filters conversations by whether the most recent message was Inbound (from the contact) or Outbound (sent by a user or an automation). This helps you see which conversations are waiting for a reply and which have already been answered.
Filter By Last Outbound Message Type
Filters conversations by whether the most recent outbound message was sent Manually by a user or Automated through workflows or campaigns. This is useful for tracking personal engagement compared with automation.
Filter By Last Message Channel
Filters conversations by the channel used for the most recent message, such as SMS, Email, Calls, Voicemail, Live Chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or GBP. This lets your team focus on specific channels.
Filter By Tag
Filters conversations linked to specific contact tags. Tags help you categorise contacts and conversations, so it's easier to group and manage conversations using your own labels.
Filter condition
The condition decides how the selected filter type is checked.
Common conditions include:
Is: Includes conversations that match the selected value.
Is not: Excludes conversations that match the selected value.
Filter value
The Value field sets the exact user, tag, channel or attribute the filter uses.
How it works:
Dropdowns are searchable.
You can select one or more values, depending on the filter type.
AND / OR logic
AND / OR logic controls how several filter rules work together.
Logic within a filter group
When a group has more than one rule, the logic toggles decide how they're checked.
AND: All rules must be true.
OR: Any rule can be true.
Logic between filter groups
When you create more than one filter group, extra AND / OR toggles decide how the groups work together.
This allows advanced setups, such as combining assignment, mentions and tags in a single filter.
Managing multiple conversations
A busy inbox can be hard to keep on top of. Conversation actions let you manage several conversations at once, so you stay in control and organised.
Conversation selection checkboxes
Each conversation in the inbox has a checkbox on the far left. Ticking one or more checkboxes turns on bulk management features.
How it works:
Select one conversation to apply actions to that conversation only.
Select several conversations to use bulk actions.
A select-all option appears when there are multiple conversations.
Bulk Actions toolbar
The Bulk Actions toolbar appears automatically when you select one or more conversations.
Available actions include:
Mark as Read: Marks the selected conversations as read.
Mark as Unread: Sets the conversations back to unread.
Add Star: Flags the conversations as important.
Remove Star: Removes the star.
Delete: Permanently deletes the selected conversations.
Starred conversations
Starring is a simple way to highlight important messages and come back to them later, so you can keep track of high-priority conversations.
Star icon
The star icon appears in the conversation list and inside each conversation.
How it works:
Click the star to mark the conversation as starred.
Find your starred conversations in the Starred inbox tab.
Sorting conversations
Sorting lets you arrange your conversations in the way that suits you best. There are several sorting options, so you can always find what you need quickly.
Sort icon
The sort icon (up/down arrows) opens a dropdown of sorting options.
Available sorting options include:
Latest All Messages: Shows conversations with the most recently sent or received message at the top, whether the message was manual or automated.
Oldest All Messages: Shows conversations with the oldest last message at the top, so you can spot conversations that have been quiet the longest.
Latest Manual Messages: Sorts conversations by the most recent message sent manually by a user. Automated messages from workflows or campaigns are left out.
Oldest Manual Messages: Sorts conversations by the oldest manually sent message, so it's easier to find conversations that haven't had recent personal attention.
Longest SLA Overdue: Puts conversations that have been past their SLA the longest at the top, so your team can deal with the most serious delays first.
Next SLA Target: Sorts conversations by the nearest upcoming SLA deadline, so your team can reply before an SLA is missed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do Conversation Filters update in real time?
Yes. The inbox updates straight away when you apply, remove or change filters.
Q: Can I save filter combinations?
Not at the moment. Filters only last for your current session, so you'll need to apply them again when you come back to the inbox.
Q: What's the difference between the Assigned and Follower filters?
Assigned is the main owner of the conversation. Follower includes users added so they can see or help with the conversation.
Q: Can I use more than one channel in a single filter?
Yes. The Last Message Channel filter lets you select several channels.
Q: Does deleting conversations with bulk actions remove them permanently?
Yes. Deleted conversations can't be recovered.