Answering first
When a new email or web chat message arrives, the agent reads it and answers — following the inbox's playbook, and looking things up in the documents you have given it. The case stays on the Agent tab while the agent has it.
The agent answers in the customer's own language. It can attach quick-reply buttons for the customer to press, or ask the customer to choose between a few options.
Handing over to the team
When a case needs a person — a refund, a change to an account, an angry customer, anything the playbook does not cover — the agent says that a colleague will follow up and hands the case over. It moves to Open, and the team is notified. See Notifications.
Turning it off for a channel
Each channel has the switch Agent answers first in the inbox settings. It is on by default. Turned off, new enquiries on that channel go straight to the team on the Open tab, and the agent does not answer them.
How replies are signed
An email the agent sends is signed with your company's name, never a colleague's. A reply from a colleague carries their name, and in web chat their name and picture.
Whose agent answers
The agent that answers is the agent of the colleague the case is assigned to. For a case nobody has yet, it is the inbox's default colleague if one is set — ask your agent to set one — and otherwise the workspace owner's.
Asking your own agent about the inbox
Your own agent can work the inbox with you from the chat column: ask it to sum up a case, mark cases as resolved, assign them, add notes or change the playbook.