⚡Quick answer-

When a chat moves to the Assigned state, it is auto-assigned to the agent who intervenes in it.
Only the assigned agent can reply; everyone else has read-only access unless a Manager/Admin/Owner reassigns the conversation.

When should I use this guide?

Use this guide to understand how ownership, visibility, and reassignment work once a conversation leaves the Open/Unassigned queues and is assigned to a specific agent.

1. Prerequisites

You’ll typically need:

• A role of Agent, Manager, Admin, or Owner with access to the Inbox module
• A conversation is currently in the Open or Unassigned state

2. How a conversation becomes assigned

A conversation can move to Assigned in two main ways:

3. What Happens When a Conversation Is Assigned?

4. What changes in the UI and permissions

Once a conversation is in the Assigned state:

• In the assigned state, the agent's name is reflected below the customer's name.
• Only the assigned agent can send replies to the customer
• Other agents and team members have read-only access (they can view but not reply)
• Managers/Admins/Owners see controls (e.g., Transfer) to change the owner if needed

5. Can other agents access assigned conversations?

Yes, other agents can view conversations that are assigned—but they cannot reply unless the chat is reassigned or overridden by someone with the right permissions.

6. What Can Other Agents Do with Assigned Conversations?

• View message history for context
• See customer details and tags
• Request a handoff via internal notes or comments (if your platform supports it)

They cannot:

• Send replies directly
• Modify the assignment unless they’re an admin or manager

7. How to Take Control of or Reassign a Chat

If you're an admin, owner, or manager:

1. Go to the Assigned chat in the Inbox
2. Click the “Transfer" button
3. Select yourself or another teammate

If you’re a regular agent:

• You must request reassignment from someone with admin rights

Edge Case: Agent Offline or Unavailable

If the assigned agent is:

• Offline
• On leave
• No longer part of the team

→ An admin/manager can take control immediately to avoid delays.

8. What happens to conversations assigned to deleted agents?

When you delete an agent, all conversations that were assigned to them remain assigned but become orphaned — no active teammate can reply until the threads are reassigned.

System behaviour after deletion

• Conversations stay assigned to the (now-deleted) agent.
• The deleted agent no longer appears in assignee drop-downs, reports, or filters.
• No automatic reassignment occurs unless you have a workflow rule that handles it.

How to clean up orphaned conversations

1. Open Inbox › Assigned.
2. Filter by the deleted agent’s name 
1. If the name is no longer visible, filter by “Last updated by = Agent Name” or use date ranges/tags.
3. Select the conversations and click Transfer → choose an active teammate or a queue.
4. (Optional) Bulk-reassign via Automation/Workflow tools:
1. Trigger: Tag = Needs Reassignment 
2. Action: Assign to = Backup Agent or Round-Robin Pool

9. When a conversation is not in the Assigned state

Different states allow different reply permissions:

10. Where to view assignment history

You can track ownership and changes from several places:

• Inbox › Assigned tab – shows all currently owned active chats
• Chat header – shows the current assigned agent
• Conversation log/activity timeline – shows a full audit trail of assignment changes and reassignments

11. Troubleshooting