Merging conversations

When a customer writes about the same issue on two channels, or sends two emails about it, merge the conversations into one thread so the whole history sits in one place.

How merging works#

• Primary conversation: the one you keep. Every message ends up here, and your replies go out from its inbox.
• Merged conversation: the one merged in. It becomes read-only, is marked as merged, links to the primary and leaves your queue.

Messages are copied into the primary in time order. Customer messages, agent replies, internal notes and attachments are copied. Activity lines are not. Attachments can take a few seconds to appear.

Messages that came from a channel other than email are tagged with where they came from, for example "Received on WhatsApp". An activity line is added to both conversations so you can see what happened.

Which conversations can be merged#

• Into an email conversation: live chat, WhatsApp, SMS, voice, Messenger and Instagram, X, TikTok, Telegram, LINE and imported conversations. The conversation you keep must be the email one.
• Within one inbox: any two conversations in the same inbox, for example two emails in the same inbox or two chats.
• Not possible: two email conversations from different inboxes, and merging into a resolved conversation. Reopen the conversation you want to keep first.

How to merge#

1. Open either conversation.
2. On an email conversation, open the ⋯ menu in the header and choose Merge conversation, then pick the conversations to merge into it. On a chat, WhatsApp or other non-email conversation, click Merge into… in the header, then pick the email conversation to keep. You can also press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows) and type "Merge conversation".
3. Search by name, email, message text or ticket number. Suggested matches show at the top.
4. Select one or more conversations. If a conversation belongs to a different customer, the dialog says so. The customers stay separate.
5. Confirm. The dialog shows which inbox your replies will be sent from.

You can also merge from the customer's conversation list in the right sidebar. Tick the conversations and click Merge.

Merge suggestions#

Commslayer spots likely duplicates and shows a Merge suggestions card at the top of the conversation.

• On an email conversation: an open chat, WhatsApp or other channel conversation from the same customer, or another open email in the same inbox that was active in the last 7 days.
• On a chat or other channel conversation: an open email conversation from the same customer that was active in the last 7 days.

Click Review merge to open the merge dialog with that conversation selected. Dismissing a suggestion hides it on that conversation for everyone on your team, and it can't be undone.

After a merge#

• New customer messages on the merged conversation are added to the primary automatically and marked "New after merge", so nothing is lost if the customer keeps replying on the old thread.
• Replies go out from the primary's inbox.
• The AI agent stops working on the merged conversation.
• The merged conversation stays available, read-only, with a link to the primary.

Undoing a merge#

There's no time limit on undoing a merge.

• From the merged conversation, open the ⋯ menu and choose Unmerge conversation.
• From the primary, open the merged tickets panel and click Undo merge.

The copied messages are removed from the primary and the merged conversation goes back to its earlier status. Replies you sent from the primary stay there.

Rules#

• Merging conversations keeps the customers separate. Administrators and managers can merge customer profiles separately.
• A merged conversation can't be used as the one you keep, and can't be merged again somewhere else.
• A conversation that already has others merged into it can take more, but can't itself be merged away.
• You need access to every inbox involved.

Questions? Contact support from the chat inside the app. It's the chat bubble in the bottom right corner.