Email and SMS threads with inbound replies

This section explains how email and SMS threads work in SupporterBase. You can find threads for all email and SMS conversations with supporters across each group. The Mailbox for each group contains all email threads, and an equivalent SMS Inbox exists for all text message threads.

Mailbox - handling email threads with incoming replies

Emails threads are unique according to the person, the group and the specific outbound email that started the thread (which can either be an individual email or an email blast). This is made possible by using a slightly different reply-to address for each outbound email or email blast. So conversations are not just unique to a specific group but also to a specific thread, based on the initial outbound email that started the conversation.

SMS Inbox - handling SMS conversations with incoming replies

SMS threads are unique to a specific supporter, and those threads will only be visible within groups that have previously contacted the supporter via SMS.

Unfortunately it's not possible to make SMS threads unique for a specific supporter and a specific group. This is because all groups within a given SupporterBase send SMS from the same number. The only way to separate SMS threads by supporter AND group would be for your SupporterBase to rent a separate number for every group, which is prohibitively expensive.

When an inbound message is received, SupporterBase matches it to the correct supporter and adds it to the SMS thread belonging to that supporter.

• That thread is only visible in groups that have previously sent SMS to the supporter (so not all groups will see that SMS thread).
  • This includes groups where the supporter was previously a member, even if they are no longer a member.
  • This is helpful to ensure any follow up contact from the supporter can be surfaced to the relevant leaders and handled appropriately, based on their judgement with all available context.
• When a leader from one group sends an SMS to the supporter, that outbound message will be visible to the leaders of all groups. This ensures leaders can see the full background of a conversation, which helps avoid confusion and duplicate responses.
• The thread's status as either "Responded" or "Awaiting response" is also consistent across all groups where the thread appears.