Handle inquiries
Respond to website enquiries and review the questions the AI answered.
You are a school admin and a fresh batch of enquiries has come in overnight — some are messages families typed into your website, others are questions the school's assistant couldn't answer on WhatsApp or email and handed to your team. This guide shows you how to work through both, reply, and keep each one organised.
Before you start
You need staff access to the Inbounds area. If you don't see Inbounds in the sidebar, ask a school admin to grant it. Enquiries only appear here once people have actually submitted them through your website or messaged the assistant — there's nothing to add by hand.
Step 1: Open Inquiries
In the left sidebar, open the Inbounds section and click Inquiries. The page opens on an Overview tab. Across the top you'll see three tabs: Overview, Inquiries, and AI enquiries.
- Inquiries — messages families sent through your website.
- AI enquiries — questions the assistant passed to your team because it couldn't answer them.
Step 2: Find the website enquiry you need
Click the Inquiries tab. You get a list with a few ways to narrow it down:
- Search inquiry — type a name or keyword.
- All Status — filter to New, In Progress, Resolved, or Closed.
- All Priorities — filter to Low, Medium, or High.
- All Staffs — show only enquiries assigned to one person.
- A date range picker on the right.
Click any row to open the enquiry details on the right.
Step 3: Read the message
In the panel that slides in (titled Inquiry Details), use the Message tab to read exactly what the family wrote. The Overview tab shows the surrounding details — subject, type, class, a reference code you can copy, and the dates it was created, assigned, resolved, or closed.
Step 4: Update status and priority
Still in the Overview tab of the details panel:
- Next to Status, click the current value and choose a new one — for example move it from New to In Progress, then Resolved once you've dealt with it.
- Next to Priority, pick Low, Medium, or High so urgent enquiries stand out.
Each change saves on its own, and you'll see a short confirmation pop up.
Step 5: Assign it to a staff member
Next to Assigned To, click the name (or Unassigned). A small Search staff box appears — start typing and click the person who should own this enquiry. Their name now shows on the row so the rest of the team knows it's handled.
Step 6: Add an internal note
Open the Notes tab in the details panel. Type into the Enter notes about this inquiry box and click Add. Notes are for your team only — the family never sees them. To change a note later, click it to reopen the box, edit, and choose Update.
Notes stay internal
Use notes to record what you did or who you spoke to. They live with the enquiry but are never sent to the family.
Step 7: Review what the AI answered
Click the AI enquiries tab to see questions the assistant handed over. The pills at the top let you switch between All, Pending, and Answered; it opens on Pending so the ones still needing a reply are front and centre. You can also narrow by channel (All Channels, Email, WhatsApp) and by Date range, or search by reference.
Click a row to open the AI enquiry panel. Under Question you'll see exactly what the customer asked, and if the assistant added background it appears under Context from the assistant.
Step 8: Send a manual response
If the question is still Pending, type your reply into the Respond box and click Respond. The assistant rewrites your answer in its own voice before sending it back to the customer, so you can write plainly.
Give the assistant the facts
Once you send a reply it's delivered to the customer and the enquiry moves to Answered — you can't unsend it. Write the answer, then check it before clicking Respond.
What happens next
- Website enquiries keep the status, priority, assignee, and notes you set, so anyone on the team can pick up where you left off.
- An AI enquiry you reply to moves from Pending to Answered; your wording and the message that actually went to the customer are both saved on the enquiry for reference.
- Anything you don't reply to stays in Pending until someone does.