The Inbox (two-way email): common questions

Short answers about reading and replying to customer emails inside Renta. Each answer links to the full article.

Finding the Inbox

Where is the Inbox?

Inbox in the left sidebar, under Communications. It is a shared mailbox where customer emails and your replies are kept together as threads. See Reading and replying to customer emails in Renta.

Why don't I see Inbox in my sidebar, or why does it say page not found?

The Inbox only shows up when Renta has switched it on for your account. If the Inbox link is missing, it is not turned on yet, and going to its address directly shows a "not found" page. Once it is on, you also need the Inbox permission to open it.

How do I get an email address that feeds the Inbox?

See Getting your @getrenta.io inbox address.

Reading and organizing

What are the Open, Archived, Spam and Trash tabs?

They are the four places a thread can live. Open (the default) holds current conversations. Each row shows who it is from, the subject and a preview, when the last message arrived, and "Assigned" if someone has been assigned.

How can I tell which threads are new?

Unread threads show a dot beside the sender, in bold on a tinted row. Opening a thread marks it read automatically. Press Mark unread inside a thread to flag it again.

How do I search the Inbox?

Type in the search box at the top ("Search subject and message preview…"). The tabs hide while you search, and "No threads match your search." means nothing matched.

Why does it say "No email yet"?

Nothing has arrived at your Inbox address yet: "No email yet. Messages sent to your Inbox address will show up here." On the other tabs it reads "No archived threads", "No spam threads" or "No trash threads".

How do I archive, spam or trash a thread, and how do I get it back?

Open the thread and press archived, spam or trash in the top bar. Whichever status the thread is already in is left out, and Reopen puts it back to Open. Trash does not delete it permanently.

Why do I see "More threads exist — pagination controls land in a later Inbox PR."?

The list shows only the newest threads and has no next-page button yet. Use search to find an older one.

Replying

How do I reply to a customer's email?

Open the thread and press Reply under the message you are answering, type in "Write your message…" and press Send. Your reply is sent to the customer and stays in the thread for your team.

What are Reply All and Forward?

Reply All answers everyone on the message. Its optional box "Cc (optional — replaces the automatic reply-all list)" lets you type your own comma-separated list instead. Forward sends the message to other people, so its To box needs at least one address, in the form "name@example.com, another@example.com".

Why does Send say "Write something before sending." or "Enter at least one recipient to forward to."?

The message box is empty, or you chose Forward without typing a recipient.

What does the amber note "Replies to this message will go to your Gmail, not here" mean?

Your Inbox email address has not been verified yet, so a customer's answer to your reply goes to your normal email instead of coming back into the Inbox. See Getting your @getrenta.io inbox address.

What does the "Auto-reply" label on a message mean?

The message was an automatic out-of-office style response, not a person writing. Renta keeps it so you can see it, and never answers it automatically.

Assigning and linking

How do I assign a thread to a team member?

In the thread's top bar, type their staff ID into Assign and press Set. Clear the box and press Set to unassign. The list then shows "Assigned" on that thread.

How do I attach a thread to a customer or a booking?

Type the customer's or booking's ID into Customer or Booking and press Link. Clear the box and press Link to remove the link. These boxes take IDs, not names.

Does a customer's inbox email show on their profile?

Yes. The customer's Communications tab lists inbox emails and replies for them, and a subject from the Inbox opens that conversation. See A customer's full profile.