Inbox Overview

Inboxes are the center of Waveline call routing. Personal inboxes can act as team member work phones, while shared inboxes connect shared business numbers, members, conversations, business hours, recording rules, hold music, default ring order, and call flows.

Before you begin

• Set up billing and at least one phone number before handling real calls.
• Decide whether the inbox should belong to one team member or be shared by a team.
• Prepare owner, members, number assignment, and call-flow behavior for the inbox.

Where to find it

Go to Phone -> Inboxes. Open an inbox to manage label, members, phone numbers, ring groups, business hours, recording, hold music, unhandled dispositions, and call flow.

Step-by-step

1. Create or open an inbox.
2. Set a clear label that team members can recognize during calls and messages.
3. Assign one or more phone numbers.
4. For shared inboxes, add members and confirm their dial methods.
5. Set business hours and default ring groups.
6. Configure recording, disclosure, hold music, and unhandled dispositions.
7. Build and publish a call flow if routing needs more than the default ring order.

What happens next

• The inbox becomes the context for calls, conversations, voicemail, analytics, and number routing.
• Archived inboxes detach phone numbers and preserve history for existing members where available.
• Personal inboxes behave differently from shared team inboxes because they are tied to an owner.

Best practices

• Use personal inboxes for individual work lines and shared inboxes for queues, locations, or departments.
• Keep labels clear so transfer destinations are obvious.
• Do not assign a number to an inbox until you have tested where calls and messages go.

Troubleshooting

• If calls do not route, check number assignment, members, ring groups, business hours, and published flow.
• If team members cannot see messages, check inbox ownership, membership, and permissions.
• If an inbox was archived by mistake, avoid reusing its old number until an admin confirms the desired state.

Related pages

• Shared vs personal inboxes
• Assigning numbers
• Default ring groups
• Call flows overview