Every conversation in the Inbox is in one of three states, shown in the status filter above the conversation list.
How a chat changes state
- A new conversation opens when a contact messages in for the first time, or reopens automatically if they message again after being closed — see the Reopened chat and New and reopened chat automation triggers.
- Closing a chat can happen manually from the chat header, as a bulk action, or automatically from an automation — see the Chat closed trigger.
- Snoozing removes a conversation from your active view without closing it, for when you’re waiting on something — an internal answer, a customer’s promised follow-up — and don’t want it cluttering Open in the meantime.
- Assigning or moving a chat changes who owns it without changing its status — see Chat assigned and Chat moved.
A closed conversation is not deleted — its full history stays intact and searchable, and it reopens automatically the moment the contact messages again. Close conversations freely; closing is a triage state, not a commitment that the relationship is over.
Where lifecycle state shows up
- The conversation list status filter and sort order.
- Automation triggers that fire on a lifecycle event — useful for notifying a team when a VIP contact’s chat is closed, or for routing a reopened chat back to whoever handled it last.
- Bulk actions, for changing the state of many conversations that match a filter at once.
