The Problem Scale Creates
One agent can hold 30 conversations in their head. Ten agents need a system: who owns what, what "done" means, and how fast is fast enough.
The Operating Cadence
- Unassigned triage rotation. One agent owns the pool per shift; oldest-first claiming, 10-minute escalation.
- Role discipline. Owners manage, admins configure, agents handle, viewers observe. Custom permissions cover the exceptions.
- SLA tiers. Sales under 5 minutes, support under 15, measured per agent weekly.
- End-of-day sweep. Mine + Unread must be empty before sign-off; follow-ups carry the rest.
Metrics That Matter
- First-response time (per agent, per week).
- Unassigned ageing — anything over 30 minutes is a process failure.
- Reopen rate — high means premature closes, not fast agents.
