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
| Area | Contact-based inbox | Ticket-based inbox |
|---|
| Primary unit of work | Person/conversation | Issue/ticket |
| Thread model | Persistent, relationship-first thread | Separate thread per problem |
| Context | Rich contact history in one view | Detailed issue history per ticket |
| Ownership | Often shared by relationship owner/team | Explicit assignee per ticket |
| Reporting focus | Contact outcomes, response quality | SLA, backlog, resolution metrics |
| Works best when | You need continuity with the same people | You need strict process per issue |
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.
- 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.
