Overview
Conduit supports two common inbox models:
- Contact-based inbox: one ongoing thread per person (or guest)
- Ticket-based inbox: one separate issue record per request
Both can work well. The best choice depends on whether your team primarily manages relationships or individual tasks.
A contact-based inbox keeps communication centered on the person. Messages from the same contact are grouped into an ongoing conversation, even when the topic changes over time.
How it behaves
- New messages from a contact continue the same thread
- Context stays in one place (history, preferences, prior resolutions)
- Agents and teammates reply in a continuous conversation flow
- Follow-up questions are naturally handled in the same thread
Best for
- Hospitality and property operations
- Guest communication across the full stay lifecycle
- Teams that want full relationship context before replying
Ticket-based inbox
A ticket-based inbox treats each request as a separate work item. One contact can have multiple open tickets at the same time, each with its own status and lifecycle.
How it behaves
- Every new issue creates (or is assigned to) a distinct ticket
- Each ticket has clear ownership, status, and resolution tracking
- Work can be routed by issue type or priority
- Reporting focuses on queue performance (SLA, time to resolution, backlog)
Best for
- IT and internal support desks
- Product or technical support teams
- Operations with strict SLA and queue management requirements
Side-by-side comparison
Practical examples
A guest asks about check-in, then later requests early checkout, then asks for parking help. In a contact-based inbox, your team keeps one continuous thread and sees the full context instantly.
Example 2: Internal IT support (ticket-based)
An employee reports a VPN problem, a laptop battery issue, and a password reset request. In a ticket-based inbox, each issue is tracked separately, assigned to the right specialist, and measured against SLA targets.
Pros and tradeoffs
Pros
- Strong relationship continuity
- Faster replies with full context visible
- Cleaner experience for teams handling repeat interactions
Tradeoffs
- Harder to measure separate issues in the same conversation
- Complex multi-issue threads can become noisy
Ticket-based inbox
Pros
- Clear ownership and accountability per issue
- Better queue prioritization and SLA reporting
- Easier to manage high-volume support operations
Tradeoffs
- Context can fragment across multiple tickets
- Agents may need to jump between tickets for one person
Which should you choose?
Use a contact-based inbox when your team’s success depends on relationship continuity and conversational context.
Use a ticket-based inbox when your team’s success depends on issue-level accountability, queue management, and SLA performance.
Change your inbox model
A workspace Admin can enable or disable Ticket Inbox under Settings → General → Ticket Inbox.
This setting applies to the entire workspace and takes effect immediately for
every user. When Ticket Inbox is disabled, anyone viewing it is redirected to
Contact Inbox. Coordinate the change with your team, especially during active
support shifts.
- Contact-based inbox for guest/customer conversations
- Ticket workflows for complex or technical escalations
That gives your front-line team a relationship-first experience while preserving strict operational tracking for issue resolution.
