Closing, archiving and blocking: which one when
Three separate actions, three separate purposes. Closing means "the job is done"; archiving means "remove from the list but keep"; blocking means "take no more messages from this person". None of them deletes history.
Close when the job is done; if the customer writes, the conversation reopens by itself. If closed conversations clutter the list, Archive; they sit in the "Archive & Blocked" view and can be restored. Block only for abuse, and write the reason; a block can be undone but the customer cannot reach you in the meantime.
What you provide
- Your definition of "done" (replied? problem solved?)
- A rhythm for archiving: monthly, or a week after closing
- Who decides on blocking
What Chatinbox does
- Sets the closing and archiving habit with the team during onboarding
- Sets blocking permission by role
- Restores an accidentally archived conversation with you
- Closing: when, and what happens
- Archiving and restoring
- Blocking and the reason field
- The three side by side
Step by step
Close
Press "Close Conversation" in the header. The status becomes Closed and the conversation moves to the "Closed" view. If the customer writes again it opens and returns to the inbox.
The agent closesReopen if needed
Open the closed conversation and choose "Reopen". If the topic is not finished, keeping it in Pending is cleaner than closing and reopening.
Archive
Remove a long-closed conversation you will not look at again with "Archive". It sits in the "Archive & Blocked" view; "Unarchive" brings it back.
Block (only if needed)
For abuse, harassment or persistent spam choose "Block Customer" and write the reason. The reason field is for the rest of the team: if the same person writes from another number, the context is not lost.
We set the permission by roleThe three side by side
Close · Archive
- Close — job done; reopens by itself when the customer writes
- Archive — remove from the list, keep; can be restored
- Both keep the history and the customer card
Block
- The customer cannot send messages
- Only for abuse; not for "I don't want to reply"
- Write the reason; the block can be undone but messages sent in between do not arrive
Let's set up your inbox housekeeping together
In a 15 minute call we define closing, archiving and permission rules for your team.
Panel button names can change. This page was checked against the interface recording on 18 August 2026.
