In Lesson 1 you sent your first reply. That's enough to support one customer. To support *fifty* without losing your mind, you need to know your way around the dashboard. This lesson is the map. ## What you'll learn * The four regions of the Chatwoot dashboard and what each one is for * How to find any conversation fast — by status, assignee, inbox, label, or text * The four conversation statuses and when to use each * The difference between Mine, Unassigned, All, Mentions, and Unattended views * How to set your availability and manage notifications * The keyboard shortcuts that pay for themselves on day one **You'll need:** Your inbox from Lesson 1 and at least one test conversation in it. (Send yourself two or three messages from the widget so the dashboard isn't empty.) --- ## The four regions of the dashboard Almost every screen in Chatwoot is laid out the same way. Once this clicks, the rest of the product becomes obvious.![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCTVFJSVFVPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b6df0eb6da5419d16b18ea6ac9d97af16495896b/dashboard.webp) ### 1. Navigation rail (far left) Vertical strip of icons. Top to bottom: **Inbox**, **Conversations**, **Captain** (if AI is enabled), **Contacts**, **Reports**, **Campaigns**, **Help Center**, and **Settings**. This is how you switch *pages* — everything else changes based on where you are here. ### 2. Conversation list (middle-left) A scrollable list of conversations with filters and tabs at the top. This is where you live during a shift. ### 3. Conversation view (center) The actual messages plus the reply box. Tabs at the top let you switch between **Reply**, **Private Note**, and (where supported) **Email** mode for outbound messages. ### 4. Context panel (right) Everything you might need to know about the customer — contact details, previous conversations, custom attributes, conversation actions (assign, label, team, status), and any dashboard apps you've added. **Tip:** You can collapse the right panel. Useful on small screens or when you're focused purely on the message thread. --- ## The conversation list, in detail This is the panel you'll spend the most time scanning. Three things to learn: ### Tabs at the top: who owns what | Tab | Shows | | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | **Mine** | Conversations assigned to you | | **Unassigned** | Conversations no agent has picked up yet | | **All** | Every conversation in the inbox(es) you can see | Most teams build their day around **Mine** (work the queue you own) and **Unassigned** (grab the next one when Mine is empty). ### Status filter: where in the lifecycle Right under the tabs, switch between: * **Open** — the customer is waiting on a reply * **Pending** — bot or AI is handling it, not yet ready for a human * **Snoozed** — set aside until a date/time or until the customer replies * **Resolved** — done ### Two more views you should know about * **Mentions** — conversations where a teammate `@`-mentioned you in a private note. Treat this like email — check it daily. * **Unattended** — assigned conversations that *still* haven't gotten a first reply. This is where managers find dropped balls. Both live in the navigation as separate views, not under the **Mine/Unassigned/All** tabs. --- ## Filters, folders, and search ### Quick filters (left sidebar) Below the **Conversations** entry in the nav, you'll find a tree: * **Inboxes** — filter by a specific channel (just Email, just Website, etc.) * **Labels** — filter by a label you've applied (`bug-report`, `vip`, etc.) * **Teams** — filter by the team handling the conversation * **Folders** — filters *you've saved* ### Folders Anytime you build a useful filter, click **Save filter as folder** and give it a name. It appears under **Folders** for one-click access. Examples worth saving on day one: * *VIP customers waiting* — label `vip` + status `Open` * *Stuck in pending* — status `Pending` + last activity > 1 day * *My snoozed* — assignee `Me` + status `Snoozed` ### Search The search bar at the top of the dashboard searches across conversations, messages, contacts, and articles. --- ## Conversation statuses, and when to use which You'll set conversation status many times a day. Pick the right one and your queue stays honest. | Status | Use it when… | What it does | | ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Open** | The customer is actively waiting | Default state — visible in everyone's queue | | **Pending** | Captain or a bot is handling, and the conversation isn't ready for an agent | Hides from agent default views | | **Snoozed** | You're waiting on the customer or internal team | Auto-reopens on customer reply or timer | | **Resolved** | The issue is handled | Drops out of Open; can reopen automatically if the customer replies | **Rule of thumb:** if you wouldn't want to see this conversation again *today*, snooze it. The Open queue is for things that need attention now. --- ## Your status: Online, Busy, Offline Bottom left of the dashboard, click your avatar to set: * **Online** — you're available; auto-assignment sends you new work * **Busy** — you're around but heads-down; the system avoids assigning new conversations to you * **Offline** — you're done for the day; new work goes to others Your status is also visible to teammates, so they know when to ping you. ***Auto-offline:** Chatwoot will mark you offline automatically if you close the tab or go idle, so you won't accidentally hold conversations after logging off*. --- ## My Inbox My inbox in the navigation shows in-app notifications: new assignments, mentions, conversation creations, and SLA alerts. Click any item to jump straight to the conversation. ## Notifications You also have four notification *channels* you can configure from **Profile Settings → Notifications**: * **Audio** — alert sound on the dashboard * **Email** — for things you'd want to see from your inbox * **Push** — browser push, even when the dashboard isn't open ![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCSDhKSVFVPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ab81059792732e067a948b519736f32a22a9d2d8/Screenshot%202026-04-27%20at%201.06.29%E2%80%AFPM.png) A common starting point: enable **Push** for *Conversation assigned to me* and *Mention*, leave audio on, skip the rest until they prove useful. --- ## Mini-exercise (3 minutes) Try these in order. They cement everything above: 1. Send yourself two new test messages from the widget so the queue isn't empty. 2. From the dashboard, open the second one and **assign it to yourself**. 3. Apply a label called `practice`. 4. **Snooze** it until tomorrow morning. 5. Click into **Mine**, then **Snoozed** — your conversation should be there. 6. Build a filter: status = Open, label = `practice`. **Save it as a folder** called *Practice queue*. If everything in that list felt natural, you're ready to actually run a shift. --- ## Common questions **Why don't I see all my team's conversations?** You only see inboxes you've been added to. If a conversation is missing, you may not be a member of that inbox — ask an admin. **My queue feels overwhelming. What do I work first?** Default order: **Mentions** → **Unattended** → **Mine (Open)** → **Unassigned**. Mentions and unattended are signals that something is off; Mine is your committed work; Unassigned is "new fuel" once the first three are clear. **A conversation I resolved came back. Did I do something wrong?** No — that's by design. If a customer replies after you resolve, Chatwoot reopens the conversation automatically so it doesn't get lost. --- Feeling confident about the dashboard? That probably took 5 minutes! Let us understand all the core features next. [Go to Lesson 3A now](https://www.chatwoot.com/hc/chatwoot-user-guide-cloud-version/articles/1677235281-lesson-3-a-mastering-core-features).