> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.custral.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Assemble a support inbox

> Channels, routing, tickets, SLA.

By the end of this recipe you'll have a shared support inbox receiving email and chat, an automation that opens a Ticket on every first message, and an SLA timer that tracks response time.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect the channels">
    Connect a shared support mailbox (e.g., `support@yourcompany.com`) via Nylas. Install the chat widget on your help center. See [Email overview](/comms/email/overview) and [Chat & Widget](/comms/chat/overview).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up routing">
    On each channel, define routing rules. Round-robin assignment to the Support team during business hours; route to an "After hours" queue otherwise. See [Channel routing](/comms/sms/receiving) for the rule syntax.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build the Tickets object">
    Create a Tickets object with: Title (text), Reporter (relation → Contacts), Assignee (user), Status (status with stages: Open, In Progress, Waiting, Resolved, Closed), SLA Due (date), Conversation (conversation relation).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Auto-create a Ticket on first inbound message">
    **Automations → New workflow**. Trigger: **when an email is received** (or **when a chat conversation starts** for the widget). Action: **create a record** on the Tickets object, populating Reporter from the conversation participant and Conversation from the trigger. Add a second action to set SLA Due to "now + 4 hours".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build the inbox view">
    Create an Inbox view backed by Conversations, filtered to channel: email + chat, status: open, assigned to me or my team. Save as "Support Inbox".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the SLA dashboard">
    New Dashboard view. Drop in: a stat tile showing "Open tickets breaching SLA in \< 1h", a heatmap of inbound volume by hour-of-day, a line chart of average first-response time over the last 30 days. The dashboard powers the daily standup.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Check>You now have a support inbox with auto-ticketing and SLA tracking. Iterate by adding canned responses, AI triage agents, and per-channel routing rules.</Check>

## See also

* [Inbox views](/comms/inbox/views)
* [Workflow triggers](/automation/workflows/triggers)
* [Status property type](/data/properties/select/status)


## Related topics

- [Recipes](/recipes/overview.md)
- [Inbox](/comms/inbox/overview.md)
- [Chat Agents](/ai/chat-agents/overview.md)
- [Get support](/support.md)