A WhatsApp shared inbox for your whole team
Recoverly's WhatsApp shared inbox gathers every conversation on your business number in one place: customer messages, AI replies, automated updates and anything you send from your phone. Let the AI label the queue and answer first, take over from any browser, and keep the WhatsApp Business app working on the same number.
What is a WhatsApp shared inbox?
A WhatsApp shared inbox is one workspace where several people answer the same WhatsApp Business number, each from their own computer. Every customer gets a single thread with its full history, so whoever picks it up can see what was asked, what the bot said and what a colleague promised yesterday.
The WhatsApp Business app wasn't built for this. You can link a handful of devices to one number, but everyone shares one login, nothing is labeled, and two people can answer the same customer at once. A team inbox on the WhatsApp Business Platform adds what's missing: AI labels, an AI that answers first and steps back, working hours and a record of who said what.
Recoverly connects through Meta's official API in coexistence mode, so you keep your number and the phone app, and your chat history comes with you.
- Customer messages text, photos, voice notes and documents.
- Team replies sent from any browser, on any computer.
- AI chatbot replies marked as AI, so everyone knows who answered.
- Automated messages order updates, reminders, cart nudges and campaigns.
- Replies from your phone chats you answer in the WhatsApp Business app sync in.
- Imported history past chats from the app, without a flood of unread badges.
WhatsApp Business for teams, without the chaos
Who owns which chat, what the customer was promised, and when a person is actually needed, visible at a glance.
A WhatsApp shared inbox the whole team works from
Everyone who answers customers opens the same inbox: every thread shows who replied and when, AI labels say what each conversation is about, and the AI steps back the moment a person joins. Multi-person WhatsApp without the double replies.
- Everyone on one number. Anyone on the team can open the inbox and reply; the thread history shows which reply came from the AI, an automation or a colleague.
- AI labels. Every conversation is labeled by intent (order, question, complaint, lead) so the right person picks it up first.
- No seat math. Plans are flat, so adding the weekend shift or a new hire doesn't change your bill.
- One number, one voice. Customers keep messaging the number they saved and see the same business name, whoever replies.
The AI sorts the queue before anyone opens it
Write the labels you care about in plain words, like “refund request”, “wholesale enquiry” or “booking change”, and the AI tags matching conversations as they arrive. With the chatbot switched on, routine questions get answered and the rest are marked for a person.
- Plain-language labels. No keyword rules to maintain. Switch a label off when you stop needing it.
- Human needed, at a glance. Threads the AI handed off stand apart from the ones it handled.
- Search and unread filters. Find a customer by name or number, or show only what's waiting.
- Alerts with a threshold. A browser notification for every message, or only when a person is needed.
Phone, bot and browser in the same conversation
Coexistence links Recoverly to the number already on your WhatsApp Business app. Reply from your phone at the counter and it shows up in the inbox; reply from the inbox and the customer sees one continuous chat. Automated messages and AI answers share that timeline, so nothing happens out of sight.
- Keep the app. Link it the way you'd link WhatsApp Web, under Linked devices in the app. It keeps running on the same number.
- History comes along. Earlier chats import when you connect and are marked as history, so they don't show as unread.
- Every message sourced. See whether a reply came from a teammate, the AI, an automation or your phone.
- AI steps back. A human reply from the inbox or the phone pauses the AI on that thread for as long as you choose.
Answer from a laptop, a tablet or the shop floor
The inbox runs in the browser, so nobody needs a company phone or a WhatsApp Web tab that keeps logging out. The owner can still answer from the app on the go. To the customer it's one business in one chat, whoever happens to be typing.
- Browser-based. Nothing to install. Sign in from any computer and the full history is there.
- Working hours. Choose when the AI answers and let the team own the rest of the day.
- Context in every thread. Labels, plus every order update, reminder or campaign that customer received.
- Opt-outs respected. A STOP reply ends automations, campaigns and AI replies for that person.
One WhatsApp team inbox, many kinds of teams
From a two-person shop to a clinic front desk, the shape is the same: one number, several people, nothing missed.
Support desks
Refunds, delivery problems and product questions routed to the right person, after the AI clears the routine ones.
Learn more →Sales teams
New enquiries land in one queue with an intent label, a rep picks them up, and follow-ups keep running until the lead replies.
Learn more →Clinics and salons
The front desk handles booking changes while confirmations and reminders go out automatically in the same threads.
Learn more →Online stores
Order questions arrive next to the confirmations and shipping updates the customer already got, so answers take seconds.
Learn more →Owners on the move
Answer from the WhatsApp Business app while the team works in the browser. Same number, same threads.
Learn more →Night and weekend cover
The AI answers after hours and flags what needs a person, so Monday starts with a sorted queue.
Learn more →Shared inbox vs the WhatsApp Business app vs per-seat helpdesks
Most teams start by passing a phone around or sharing a WhatsApp Web session. Here's where each option runs out.
| Recoverly shared inbox | WhatsApp Business app | Per-seat helpdesks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Several people on one number | Yes, the whole team, from Lite | A few linked devices on one shared login | Yes |
| AI labels and human handover | Yes, included | No | Sometimes, as add-ons |
| AI replies and auto-labels | Included from Lite | No, greeting and away messages only | Usually a paid add-on |
| Automated messages in the same thread | Yes: order updates, reminders, campaigns | No | Rarely, usually a separate tool |
| Phone app stays on the same number | Yes, through coexistence | Yes, it is the phone app | Often no: the number moves to the API |
| Pricing | Lite at $19 or Pro at $49 monthly, never per seat | Free | Per agent per month, plus add-ons |
Helpdesk column reflects common per-agent pricing in September 2026. Named, dated comparisons live on the Alternatives pages.
Live in minutes
Link your number
Sign in with Meta, choose the number, then scan a QR code with your WhatsApp Business app. Past chats come across.
Bring in the team
Invite the people who answer customers; everyone works from the same inbox and AI labels show what needs a human first.
Switch on AI and labels
Describe a few labels, set working hours, and let the chatbot take first replies while people handle the rest.
Good questions
Give every WhatsApp conversation an owner.
Connect your number, keep your phone app and bring the team into one inbox. Lite from $19 a month, never per seat.