Where are my threads and conversations in Shared groups?

In Hustle, groups created on and after July 21, 2021 use Shared threads to distribute contacts to agents.

• In Shared groups, even if the contact is assigned or unassigned, there’s only one thread of conversation history between agents and the contact in the group. For more information about using Shared groups, see How do I use Shared groups?

In groups created before July 21, 2021, admins choose between two different assignment strategies, Anyone & Assigned to distribute contacts to agents while creating goals.

• In Anyone & Assigned groups, contacts use a mix of multiple, different threads, even if conversations are between the same agents and contacts in the group. For more information about using Anyone & Assigned groups, see What are the different ways agents can message contacts?

These two different groups (Shared groups vs. Anyone & Assigned groups) use different threads which behave differently based on several factors, including assignment status, read status, workflow status, etc.

This article provides a guide on how threads behave in Shared groups and where to locate them.

Skip to:

• What are Shared threads?
• Which Shared threads appear in the Workflows tab?
• Which Shared threads appear in the Conversations tab?
• What happens to threads in Shared groups when agents are removed?
• What happens to threads in Shared groups when contacts are unassigned?
• How do I give threads to agents in Shared groups?
  
  

What are Shared threads?

The type of thread an agent uses to message contacts is one of the main factors that determine how threads behave. In Shared groups, Shared threads are used to message contacts. Shared threads combine the qualities of both Anyone & Assigned threads depending on whether the contact is assigned to an agent or unassigned.

• • When unassigned, shared threads are available to any agent in the group on a first-come-first-served basis.
  • When assigned, only the assigned agent can receive and send messages on the thread. At any point in time, the shared thread can be unassigned or reassigned to a different agent in the group. 

For information on how to use Shared groups, see How do I use Shared groups?

• For information on how threads behave in Anyone & Assigned groups, see Where are my threads and conversations in Assigned & Anyone groups?
• For information on how to use Anyone & Assigned groups, see What are the different ways agents can message contacts?

Which Shared threads appear in the Workflows tab?

The Workflows tab has workflows, which group individual threads and are available to agents based on the group, the targeting of the goal, and if agents have read replies from contacts. For more information about creating goals, see How can agents message contacts?

Note: Hustle recommends messaging contacts from the Workflows tab, instead of the Conversations tab, to ensure every contact is messaged promptly and conversations don’t get lost.

The two types of workflows available to message in are:

• Begin Sending Messages workflows: Also known as Initial workflows; where you begin the conversation with contacts and send the first message of a goal. For more information, see How do I text using the Hustle web app?
• Reply to...unreads workflows: Also known as Response workflows; where you reply to unread messages from contacts. For more information, see How do I text using the Hustle web app?
  
  

When a contact replies to your initial message, their response will appear in your response workflows first as a reply. Based on the assignment status, the reply can eventually become available to other agents in the group after a period of time set by an admin. For more information on this window of time, see What can organization admins do?

In summary, on the Workflows tab:

•  In Shared groups: 

What Shared threads appear in the Conversations tab?

The Conversations tab allows agents to search for specific threads they own so they can make changes including applying tags, opting out contacts, editing a contact's profile, marking a lead action, or following up on a conversation at a later day or time. Threads in the Conversations tab may not be available in the Workflows tab due to many factors; however, the main reasons in Shared groups involve the contact’s assignment status (unassigned vs assigned) and the status of the conversation (read or unread).

Included in the Conversations tab are:

• Threads where you were the last agent to text the contact.
• Threads for every contact who is currently assigned to you.

Note: Hustle doesn’t recommend using the Conversations tab to manage the replies of active goals; use the Conversations tab to review captured data and if necessary to message on specific threads as needed.

There are two filters for the Conversations tab; 

• All: The All filter includes all threads including assigned and unassigned threads where you were the last agent who messaged on the thread.
• Unresponded: The Unresponded filter includes all threads from the All tab, where the last message on the thread was from the contact.

Note while reviewing the Conversations tab:

• Since threads are group-specific, some contacts may have multiple threads in the Conversations tab with multiple conversation histories.
• Opening a conversation will mark the thread as read and it will be removed from reply workflows. In Shared groups, once a conversation has been marked as read, it’ll be available for review based on the assignment status of the thread:
  • Assigned threads: Every thread of every contact currently assigned to you.
  • Unassigned threads: Threads where you were the last agent who messaged on the thread.

In summary, on the Conversations tab:

• In Shared groups: 

What happens to threads when agents are removed from Shared groups?

When agents get removed from Shared groups, depending on the assignment status of the contact, threads may no longer be available to other agents in the group.

• If contacts are reassigned, unread replies will be available to the assigned agent via Workflows once the response window passes. Read replies will also be available to the assigned agent via the Conversations tab.
• If contacts are unassigned, only unread messages will be available for other agents in the group via Reply workflows after the response window passes. Read messages will continue to be locked to the removed agent.
  

• For Anyone & Assigned, see What are the different ways agents can message contacts?

What happens to threads when contacts are unassigned in Shared groups?

When contacts are unassigned, in Shared groups, their threads will typically be available for review in the Conversations tab of the last agent who sent a message.

For more information on unassigning contacts, see How do I unassign contacts?

How do I give threads to agents in Shared groups?

Using the Conversation Review in the Admin Panel, admins can assign Shared threads to other agents in case the owner of the thread isn't available.

To assign a thread to another agent in a Shared group, open the thread in the current agent's conversations and click Assign

After choosing which agent should reply, the thread will move to the new agent's Conversations tab. Additionally, a URL to that agent's conversations will pop up which admins can Copy so they can easily let the new agent know they have a new thread.

• It can take up to 20 minutes for re-assigned threads from active workflows to become available for new agents to message on.
• Assigned threads in Shared groups are available via the Conversations tab.