Understanding the Inbox in SparrowDesk
The Inbox is the first screen you see after logging into SparrowDesk. This is where all customer conversations land and where your team can manage, organize, and respond to them efficiently.
Sidebar Views
On the left sidebar, conversations are organized into different views or folders.
Default Views
- Assigned to me: Shows conversations assigned to you.
- All Conversations: Displays every active conversation in the workspace.
- Unassigned: Lists conversations not yet assigned to any agent.
- Mentions: Shows conversations where you have been tagged.
- Closed: Contains conversations that have been marked as completed.
- Deleted: Displays conversations that have been soft-deleted.
- Spam: Captures conversations marked as spam.
Team Views
If you are part of one or more teams, each team will have its own view in the sidebar.
Custom Views
Custom Views are personalized folders you or your teammates create to group conversations based on specific conditions or filters (for example, all high-priority tickets, conversations from a certain customer, or overdue cases).
They make it easier to quickly access the conversations that matter most to you without applying filters every time.
- Visibility depends on permissions — you will only see views you are allowed to access.
- You can drag and drop custom views to reorder them, and the order will apply only to you, not the entire workspace.
Conversation Table View
On the right side, you will see conversations displayed in a table view. Each row represents one conversation and shows important details, such as:
- Subject
- Priority
- Requester
- Status
- Assigned to
- Other conversation fields (both default and custom fields)
Sorting Rules
Conversations are sorted by last updated by default (latest at the top).
To sort conversations in the UI, hover over the column header that supports sorting. You will see a small arrow icon appear. Click on this arrow to toggle between ascending and descending order for that column.
Some fields support custom sorting:
Default Fields
- Status → Sorted by the order defined in your workspace configuration.
- Priority → Sorted by Low → Medium → High → Urgent.
- Overdue → Sorted by time pending.
- Last update → Sorted by timestamp.
- Subject, Requested by, Assigned to → No sorting available.
Custom Fields
Sorting is available for these field types:
- Single line text
- Dropdown (based on option order)
- Number
- Date
Managing Columns
You can customize the table columns to suit your workflow:
Rearranging Columns
Drag and Drop: Grab the column header and move it to your desired position.
Insert Option: Hover over a column header, click the arrow button, and select Insert column left or Insert column right. Then choose the column to place.
Important Notes
- The Subject field always stays in the first position.
- Reordering is unique to your account and does not affect your teammates’ views.
Responding to conversations from the Inbox
When you click a conversation from the inbox table, SparrowDesk opens the full conversation view. This is where you read the customer’s messages, respond to them, and take action on the ticket.
The conversation history appears in the main area of the screen and includes:
- Messages sent by the customer
- Replies sent by agents
- Internal notes shared within your team
Messages are shown in chronological order, with the most recent message at the bottom. Customer messages and agent messages are visually distinct, making it easy to follow the conversation and avoid sending replies by mistake.
Drafting replies
At the bottom of the conversation, you’ll find the reply box. From here, you can choose to:
- Reply to the customer, or
- Add an internal note for your teammates
While typing a reply, SparrowDesk automatically saves your message as a draft. This helps you step away from a conversation and return to it later without losing your work.
Drafts are saved per agent. Only you can see your own draft — drafts created by one agent are not visible to other teammates. Drafts stay saved until you send the message or clear the draft yourself.
Updating conversation and contact fields
While replying to a conversation, you don’t need to leave the ticket to manage its details.
From the same conversation view, you can update key ticket information such as:
- Status (for example, Open, Pending, or Closed)
- Priority
- Assignee or team
- Tags and other ticket fields
All updates happen in real time and are recorded as part of the ticket’s activity.
Viewing activity history on a conversation
Every conversation in SparrowDesk keeps a record of what has happened over time. This activity history helps you understand the full context of the ticket, even if you’re opening it for the first time.
The activity history appears alongside the conversation and shows important updates such as:
- Replies sent to the customer
- Internal notes added by agents
- Changes to ticket status, priority, or assignee
- Tags being added or removed
This makes it easy to see how a conversation has progressed and what actions have already been taken.