5 min readUpdated Oct 5, 2026inbox, chats, conversations
How to Assign a Chat
Assign WhatsApp conversations to the right team member so every customer gets a clear owner in the LeadPattern shared inbox.
In a shared inbox, every teammate can see every WhatsApp conversation. That's great for visibility, but without a clear owner two agents can reply to the same customer — or everyone assumes someone else has it. Assigning a chat gives each conversation a single owner, so the right person follows up and nothing slips through.
Before you start
1
You're in the Chats inbox
Open Chats from the left sidebar. This is your shared WhatsApp inbox.
2
Your team has members to assign to
Assignment targets are the members of your workspace. If you haven't added anyone yet, invite teammates first — see Invite team members
3
You have permission to change the assignee
Owners and managers can always assign. Agents need the Change agent permission on their role. If you don't see the assignee control, ask a workspace owner to enable it.
Assign a conversation
Open the conversation you want to assign, then use the assignee control in the conversation header to pick a team member.
1
Open the conversation
In the Chats list, click the conversation you want to assign. It opens in the main panel.
2
Open the assignee control
In the conversation header, click the Assign to control.
3
Choose a team member
Pick the person who should own this conversation. You can type to filter the list when your team is large.
4
Done
The conversation now shows its owner in the header, and the inbox row is marked as assigned.
Reassign a conversation
Handing a conversation to a specialist or a colleague on shift works the same way — open the assignee control and pick a different person.
The new owner takes over; the previous owner no longer sees it under Assigned to me.
Unassign a conversation
To put a conversation back into the shared pool — for example when its owner goes off shift — clear the current assignee.
Unassigned conversations show up under the Unassigned filter so no customer is left without an owner for long.
Focus on the chats you own
Once conversations are assigned, use the inbox filters to cut the noise:
Assigned to me
Shows only the conversations you own — your personal to-do list for the day.
UnassignedShows conversations that still need an owner, so the team can pick them up quickly.
Tips
- Pair assignment with tags. Assigning says who owns a chat; tags say what it's about. Together they make a busy inbox searchable. See How to use tags
- Use "Unassigned" as a shared queue. Agents pull from the unassigned filter and assign to themselves, instead of everyone watching every chat.
- Reassign, don't reply-and-forget. If a conversation isn't yours to handle, reassign it to the right owner so the hand-off is explicit.
Common issues
I don't see the Assign to control
Your role may not have the Change agent permission. Ask a workspace owner or manager to enable it on your role under Roles & Permissions.
The team member I want isn't in the list
Only members of the current workspace appear. If they haven't been added yet, invite them first under Team, then they'll be available to assign.
Frequently asked questions
Can I assign a chat to myself?
Yes. Open the assignee control on the conversation and pick your own name. Many teams use an "assign to me" habit so it's always clear who is handling a customer.
What happens to the other agents when a chat is assigned?
The conversation stays visible to everyone with inbox access, but it now shows a clear owner. You can filter the inbox by Assigned to me to focus on just your conversations.
Does the customer know their chat was assigned?
No. Assignment is internal to your team. The customer sees no change on WhatsApp — it only affects how your team organizes work inside LeadPattern.
Can I unassign or reassign a conversation later?
Yes. Open the same assignee control and either pick a different team member to reassign, or clear the current assignee to unassign.
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