"Apu, price koto?" arrives on Messenger at 11 at night. The same buyer asks again on WhatsApp, on the owner's phone. Instagram DMs sit on a third phone. Two people reply with two different delivery charges, and nobody can say who already answered. When the person with the phone is off, the chats wait.
With a unified inbox, every message from every channel lands in one list. Each chat has one owner. Your AI agent answers the routine questions, and your team answers the rest.
A unified inbox is one screen that collects customer messages from several chat channels, so a team can read and answer them in one place. It is also called a shared inbox or team inbox.
What is the SaleMag unified inbox?
SaleMag's unified inbox is an omnichannel team inbox for WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram and WeChat. All conversations sit in one thread list. New messages, delivery ticks, assignments and typing indicators update live, with notification sounds.
It is built for businesses in Bangladesh that sell and support customers in chat, with two or more people answering.
Which channels does the unified inbox support?
The SaleMag unified inbox receives direct messages from six channel types. The table shows how each one connects:
| Channel | How it connects |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp (official) | WhatsApp Business API through Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API, with embedded signup |
| Facebook Messenger | Connect your Facebook Page; see Messenger AI agent |
| Direct messages of your Instagram business account; see Instagram DM automation | |
| Telegram | A bot token from BotFather; groups supported; see Telegram bot |
| Official Account | |
| WhatsApp (QR) | Scan a QR code; unofficial, with a ban risk |
What does not come in: replies to SMS and email (SaleMag sends those outbound only), and comments on Facebook or Instagram posts.
How can several people answer one WhatsApp number?
In SaleMag, each conversation is assigned to one teammate, so the same customer never gets two answers. The inbox gives your team these tools:
- Folders: Mine, Unassigned, All open, Snoozed and Resolved.
- Assignment: give a conversation to one teammate. They get a notification.
- Statuses: open, pending, snoozed and resolved.
- Labels: coloured tags such as "COD pending" or "Complaint". Filter the inbox by label, channel or account.
- Internal notes: private notes on the thread that the customer never sees. @mention a teammate to notify them.
- Activity log: who assigned, changed status, labelled or handed over a chat, and when.
- New conversation: pick a contact and a channel and send the first message from the inbox.
What can teammates send from the composer?
Your teammates can send saved replies, files, store products, reactions and, on official WhatsApp numbers, approved templates.
- Saved replies: type
/and a shortcut to drop in a saved answer, such as your delivery charge or return policy. - Attachments: images, video, audio, PDF and Office files up to 20 MB.
- Products: share an item from your connected store. See eCommerce.
- Emoji and reactions: reactions work on WhatsApp and Telegram.
- Templates: the composer shows whether the 24-hour window is open, and opens the message template picker when it is closed.
How does the unified inbox work with the AI agent?
SaleMag's AI agent answers new messages on the channels you link to it. Its chats show an AI badge in the inbox.
When the AI agent is unsure, or the customer asks for a person, it hands the chat over. This is called human handover. The chat switches to human mode, your team is notified, and the AI agent stops replying in that chat until a teammate hands it back with one click.
The AI agent also stays out of the way in two other cases:
- It stops auto-replying once a chat is assigned to a person.
- It stays quiet for 15 minutes after any teammate replies, including replies from the WhatsApp Business app on a coexistence number.
What can each team role see in the inbox?
SaleMag has six roles, set per workspace. Each role decides which chats a person can read:
| Role | Inbox access |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Full access, including team and billing |
| Manager | Works the inbox; cannot manage the team or billing |
| Moderator | Sees and assigns every chat |
| Agent | Sees chats assigned to them or still unassigned |
| Editor | No inbox access |
| Viewer | Cannot read chats |
How do I measure team response time?
The SaleMag inbox report shows how fast your team replies and closes conversations:
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Median first response | How long customers wait for the first reply |
| Median resolution | How long a conversation takes to close |
| Opened vs resolved | Whether the backlog is growing |
| Channel mix | Where your chats come from |
| Agent leaderboard | Workload and speed per teammate, exportable to CSV |
There are no SLA alerts. You read the numbers in the report.
How is this different from the WhatsApp Business app on one phone?
The WhatsApp Business app is made for one person on one phone. A unified inbox is made for a team. The table compares the two:
| WhatsApp Business app | SaleMag unified inbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | WhatsApp only | WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, WeChat |
| Assign a chat to one teammate | No | Yes |
| Limit who sees which chats | No | Yes, by role |
| Response time per teammate | No | Yes, in the inbox report |
| Keep using the app on the phone | Yes | Yes, with coexistence on official numbers |
Who is the unified inbox for?
- F-commerce shops with two or more people answering chats.
- Brands running ads to WhatsApp and Messenger that need fast first replies.
- Businesses that want the AI to handle routine questions and people to handle the rest.
- Agencies that answer chats for several client brands.
Customer details, tags and opt-ins from every chat are saved in the CRM. For busy days, read how to handle an Eid sale inbox rush.
How do I get started?
Create an account and connect your first channel in Channel Setup. Compare plans on the pricing page.
Step by step
- 1
Create your account
Sign up at SaleMag and create a workspace for your business.
- 2
Connect your channels
Open Channel Setup. Connect WhatsApp with Meta's embedded signup, your Facebook Page and Instagram account, and a Telegram bot token.
- 3
Invite your team
Add teammates and give each one a role, such as Agent or Moderator, so they see the right chats.
- 4
Add saved replies and labels
Save answers you type every day, like delivery charge and return policy, and create labels such as "COD pending".
- 5
Turn on the AI agent
Optional. Link an AI agent to a channel so it answers first and hands chats to your team when needed.
Frequently asked questions
What is a unified inbox?
A unified inbox is one screen that collects customer messages from several chat channels, so a team can read and answer all of them in one place. It is also called a shared inbox, team inbox or omnichannel inbox.
Which channels come into the SaleMag unified inbox?
WhatsApp through Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API, Facebook Messenger, Instagram direct messages, Telegram bots and WeChat Official Accounts. A QR-linked WhatsApp number also works, with a ban risk. Incoming SMS and email do not reach the inbox; SaleMag sends those channels outbound only.
Can several people answer from one WhatsApp number in SaleMag?
Yes. Every teammate works from the same SaleMag inbox, and each conversation can be assigned to one person, so two people do not reply to the same customer at once.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app with the SaleMag inbox?
Yes. SaleMag supports coexistence, so a number on Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API can stay in the WhatsApp Business app on the phone. A reply sent from the app also keeps the AI agent quiet in that chat for 15 minutes.
Can I reply to a WhatsApp customer after 24 hours?
Yes, with an approved message template. On an official WhatsApp number, the SaleMag composer shows whether the 24-hour window is open and opens the template picker when it is closed.
Are Facebook or Instagram comments in the SaleMag inbox?
No. The SaleMag unified inbox handles direct messages only. Comments on Facebook and Instagram posts are not pulled in, and SaleMag has no comment auto-reply.
Can I limit which chats a team member can see?
Yes. A teammate with the Agent role sees only chats assigned to them or still unassigned. Moderators, Managers and Administrators see every chat, and Editors and Viewers cannot read chats.
How much does the SaleMag unified inbox cost?
SaleMag plan prices are on the pricing page. Meta charges separately for WhatsApp template messages and changes its rates from time to time.
About the author
WhatsApp & F-commerce automation, Dhaka
The Dhaka team that builds SaleMag, the AI sales inbox for WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram used by online sellers in Bangladesh.