Smart Inbox
The Smart Inbox is Relay's AI-powered ticket management view that automatically organizes your tickets for maximum efficiency.
Overview
Unlike traditional ticket lists, the Smart Inbox uses AI to triage tickets into three columns:
| Column | Description | Typical Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Triaged | New tickets analyzed by AI, awaiting action | Review, assign, respond |
| Active | Tickets you're currently working on | Continue conversation, update status |
| On Hold | Waiting for customer response | Monitor, follow up if needed |
How It Works
Automatic Triage
When a new ticket arrives:
- AI Analysis: Ticket is analyzed for priority, sentiment, and content
- Summary Generated: 2-3 sentence overview created
- Priority Suggested: AI recommends urgency level
- Placed in Triaged: Ticket appears in the left column
Column Transitions
Tickets move between columns automatically based on status:
New Ticket → Triaged
↓
Agent Replies → Active
↓
Customer Replies → Active (stays or returns)
↓
Awaiting Customer → On Hold
↓
Resolved/Closed → Removed from inbox
Using the Smart Inbox
Triaged Column
What's here: New tickets that need attention
What to do:
- Review the AI summary (visible on hover or in preview)
- Check the suggested priority
- Assign to yourself or a team member
- Start working on the ticket
Quick actions:
- Click to open and respond
- Drag to Active column to claim it
- Right-click for assignment options
Active Column
What's here: Tickets you or others are actively working on
What to do:
- Continue conversations
- Add internal notes
- Update status as needed
- Resolve when complete
Filtering active tickets:
- My tickets: Only tickets assigned to you
- All active: All team's active tickets
- Unassigned: Active but not assigned
On Hold Column
What's here: Tickets waiting for customer response
What to do:
- Monitor for customer replies
- Follow up if no response
- Close if abandoned
Automatic behavior:
- Tickets move here when status is "Pending"
- Return to Active when customer replies
Customizing Your View
Switching Views
Toggle between inbox layouts:
- Smart Inbox: Three-column AI-triaged view
- List View: Traditional ticket list
- Table View: Spreadsheet-like view
Click the view switcher in the top right to change.
Filtering
Use the filter bar to narrow down tickets:
- Status: Open, Pending, Resolved
- Priority: Urgent, High, Normal, Low
- Assignee: Specific agent or unassigned
- Tags: Any configured tags
- Date Range: Created or updated timeframe
Sorting
Sort tickets by:
- Created date (newest/oldest first)
- Updated date (most recent activity)
- Priority (urgent first)
- SLA status (breaching first)
Working Efficiently
Quick Actions
From the inbox, you can:
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Open ticket | Click anywhere on the ticket row |
| Preview | Hover to see summary and details |
| Assign | Click the avatar icon |
| Change priority | Click the priority badge |
| Add tag | Right-click → Add tag |
| Change status | Right-click → Change status |
Keyboard Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
J / K | Navigate up/down |
Enter | Open ticket |
A | Assign |
P | Set priority |
S | Change status |
Escape | Close / go back |
Bulk Actions
Select multiple tickets for bulk operations:
Xto select/deselect individual ticketsShift + Xto select a rangeCmd/Ctrl + Ato select all visible
Bulk action toolbar appears with options:
- Bulk assign
- Bulk status change
- Bulk tag
- Bulk reply
- Bulk delete (admin only)
AI Enhancements
In the Inbox
- Priority badges: Color-coded urgency indicators
- Sentiment indicators: Visual mood representation
- Summary preview: Quick ticket overview on hover
When Opening Tickets
- Full AI summary: Detailed ticket summary
- Reply suggestions: AI-generated response options
- Similar tickets: Related historical tickets
- Article recommendations: Relevant KB articles
Tips for Success
-
Start with Triaged: Begin your day by working through triaged tickets
-
Don't let Triaged grow: Keep this column as empty as possible
-
Use bulk actions: Handle similar tickets together
-
Trust the AI priority: AI suggestions are based on sentiment and content analysis
-
Review On Hold daily: Follow up on stale tickets
-
Create saved views: Save common filter combinations for quick access
Troubleshooting
"Tickets aren't being triaged"
- Check that AI features are enabled in settings
- Verify your organization has API credits
- Some very short tickets may skip AI analysis
"Wrong tickets in On Hold"
- On Hold is based on "Pending" status
- Check your automation rules for status changes
- Manually adjust status if needed
"Can't see all columns"
- Ensure your browser window is wide enough
- Try collapsing the sidebar
- Switch to List view on smaller screens