Desktop app
The shared SMS inbox
How Cradle decides who on your team can see an SMS conversation, and how teammates join a thread by replying.
A Cradle SMS conversation isn't tied to one person on your team. It's shared: anyone who joins a thread can see and reply to it, and joining happens automatically the first time someone sends or replies on it.
How it works
A thread is the back-and-forth between one of your Cradle SMS numbers and one customer's mobile. Cradle keeps a list of who's joined that thread. Visibility follows the list:
- Nobody has joined yet. Anyone on your team with access to the Cradle SMS number can see and reply.
- One or more teammates have joined. Only those teammates see the thread in their messaging area. Other people on your team don't.
- A new teammate replies. They're added to the thread automatically. They see the full history (every message before they joined) and every new message from then on.
There's no "claim" button and no "take over" action. The trigger is replying or sending on the thread.
When you'd use this
You'd lean on the shared model when:
- A customer texts your shared business mobile and whoever's around at the moment is best placed to reply.
- Two teammates have been working with the same customer and both want visibility on the conversation.
- A teammate's away and someone needs to pick up a thread they started.
A worked example
George Whitfield at Whitfield & Partners Solicitors texts your Cradle SMS number. Nobody on your team has joined the thread yet, so anyone with access to that number can see it.
Rachel replies first. Rachel is now joined to the thread. Only Rachel can see it.
A week later, Rachel is on leave. George texts again. Tom needs to respond on Rachel's behalf. Tom opens his own messaging area, where the thread is no longer visible to him because Rachel joined it.
To pick it up, Tom asks Rachel (or your admin) to add him, or Tom sends a fresh message to George from the same Cradle number. Sending on the thread joins Tom, and he immediately sees the full history.
A few things to know
- Joining is permanent for that thread. Once you're in, you stay in. Cradle doesn't drop you off the thread later.
- It's per-thread. Joining one customer's thread doesn't join you to a different customer's thread on the same number.
- Replying joins you immediately. You'll see the full message history from before you joined, not just messages from your reply onwards.