Filters, Tabs, and Managing Unread

When the phones are busy and messages are coming in from multiple patients at once, the Conversations inbox can fill up fast. Dental Marketing Tool gives you several built-in views and tools to cut through the noise so nothing slips through the cracks.

Understanding the Main Inbox Views

Along the top of the Conversations tab you will find a row of quick-access views. Each one filters the conversation list to a specific subset so you can focus on what matters most right now.

• All shows every conversation, open or closed, read or unread.
• Unread narrows the list to only conversations that have at least one message your team has not opened yet. This is the fastest way to see exactly who is still waiting for a response.
• Recents surfaces conversations sorted by the most recent activity, regardless of read status. Use this when you want to stay on top of the live flow of the day.
• Starred shows only conversations a team member has marked with a star. Starring is useful for flagging a patient you need to follow up with later without losing their thread in the main list.
• Mine shows only conversations that have been assigned to you. If your practice uses conversation assignments, this view keeps each staff member focused on their own queue.

Using the Unread View Effectively

The badge count you see next to Conversations in the main menu reflects your total unread messages. Clicking into the Unread view shows each conversation that contributed to that count. Open a conversation to read it, reply if needed, and the thread will automatically drop off the unread list.

If a message came in that does not need a reply right now (for example, a patient confirming their appointment), you can still clear it from the unread list by marking it read manually. See Marking Read, Starring, and Archiving for the exact steps.

Starring Conversations for Follow-Up

The star icon on each conversation thread acts as a personal bookmark. You might star a conversation when:

• A patient asks a question you need to check with the doctor before answering.
• You are waiting on a callback or a form to come back before continuing.
• A new patient inquiry came in during a rush and you want to make sure it gets a proper reply when things slow down.

To star a conversation, hover over it in the list and click the star outline that appears, or open the conversation and click the star near the patient's name. To review everything you have starred, click the Starred view at the top of the inbox.

Filtering by Channel or Status

In addition to the tab views, the Conversations inbox includes a filter panel that lets you narrow results further. Common filters include:

• Channel: show only text messages, only emails, or only a specific source like Facebook or your website chat widget.
• Status: toggle between open and closed conversations. Closed threads are archived but searchable anytime.
• Assigned to: see conversations assigned to a specific team member. This is handy for a front desk lead who wants to check in on the team's queue without switching accounts. For more on assignments, see Assigning Conversations to Your Team.

Apply filters by clicking the Filter button near the top of the conversation list. The filters stack, so you can combine them, for example, showing only unread emails assigned to a specific team member.

Searching Within Conversations

When you need to find a specific patient or message, use the search bar at the top of the Conversations panel. You can search by patient name, phone number, or keywords from a message. Search works across all channels and all time, including closed threads.

Keeping the Inbox Clean as a Team Habit

A tidy inbox is a team effort. A few habits that keep things manageable on busy days:

• Mark a conversation read as soon as you have seen it, even if you are not the one replying. This keeps the unread count accurate for everyone.
• Close threads once the patient's question is fully resolved. This keeps the active inbox focused on work in progress.
• Use stars for anything that genuinely needs a follow-up, and clear stars once that follow-up is done.
• If your practice has multiple staff in the inbox, use assignments so each open conversation has a clear owner. That way nothing sits unanswered because everyone assumed someone else handled it.

For a quick refresher on the inbox layout as a whole, visit Conversations: Your Unified Inbox. If your team is also using quick replies, combining those with the starred view is one of the most effective ways to handle a high-volume morning without missing a patient.