One Inbox for Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp

A shared inbox brings Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and your website chat into one screen, so every message from a student is seen, assigned to one person and answered, no matter which app they used. To set one up, connect each channel to the same system, agree who handles new chats, and turn each serious enquiry into a lead with an owner.

Why one inbox

Students message you wherever they found you: your Facebook page after a Meta ad, Instagram after a reel, WhatsApp from a poster, or the chat bubble on your website. When each channel has its own app:

• messages are missed because nobody checked that app
• counselors answer from personal phones, so the history stays with them
• the same student writes on two channels and gets two different answers
• nobody can see how many enquiries came in, or how fast they were answered

What to connect

1. Facebook Messenger. Connect your consultancy's own Facebook page.
2. Instagram Direct. Connect your own Instagram business account.
3. WhatsApp. You need your own WhatsApp Business number and a verified Meta business account. This usually takes more set-up than the other channels, so start early.
4. Website chat. A chat bubble on your website, with your colours, title and welcome message.

Walk-ins can join the same flow through a QR code at reception that opens a short form on the student's own phone.

Agree how chats are handled

Before you switch on, decide:

• Who picks up new chats? For example front desk during office hours, or whichever counselor claims the alert first.
• When does a chat become a lead? Usually once the student shares their name, phone and destination.
• When is a chat resolved? Mark it resolved once answered, so the open list shows real work only.

Daily habits that make it work

• Assign every chat. Unassigned means nobody's.
• Use saved replies for the questions you answer every day, so answers are faster and consistent.
• Turn chats into leads with one form, so the conversation and the student's file are linked.
• Watch the reply window. Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp limit how long after a student's last message you can reply freely. A visible countdown helps counselors answer in time. After the window closes on WhatsApp, you need approved message templates.
• Let a chatbot cover nights. A simple flow can greet new chats, collect name, phone, destination and intake, and hand over to a person in the morning.

Measure it

Track the time from a student's message to the first human reply, by channel and by counselor, and who is still waiting. See following up leads faster and weekly numbers for owners.

Common set-up mistakes

• Leaving counselors on personal WhatsApp. The shared inbox only works if it's the only place you reply.
• No owner for new chats. Everyone sees the message and nobody answers.
• Forgetting the website. Website visitors who can't ask a question leave.

Who replies when: a simple rota

A shared inbox still needs people behind it. A rota stops "everyone saw it, nobody answered":

• Office hours: front desk or the first counselor to claim the alert picks up new chats. Assigned chats stay with their counselor.
• Lunch and busy periods: name one person who watches the unassigned list.
• Evenings and holidays: let the chatbot collect details, and have the first person in each morning clear the overnight list before anything else.

Write the rota down and share it in the staff group. When a reply is slow, check the rota before blaming the person.

How ConsultMarg helps

ConsultMarg brings Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp (connected on request) and website chat into one shared inbox. You can assign and resolve chats, use canned replies and a chatbot builder, see a reply-window countdown, and turn any chat into a lead with one form. See the inbox or book a demo.