---
title: "Handle your first conversation"
description: "Answer a conversation from the queue, leave an internal note the customer never sees, take ownership of the thread, then resolve it once the work is done."
updated: "2026-08-28"
audience: [agent, administrator]
source: "https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/en/bat-dau/xu-ly-hoi-thoai-dau-tien"
---

A conversation moves through four motions: read it, answer it, record what your
team needs, close it. This page performs all four on a real row in your queue.

## Goal [#goal]

The customer has your answer, your team has the note it needs to carry on, and
the conversation leaves the open queue once the work is finished.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

* At least one conversation waiting. If there is none, send a test line through the channel built in [Create your first channel](/en/bat-dau/tao-kenh-dau-tien).
* Write access to conversations. A read-only account sees the queue but sends nothing, as described in [Roles and per-feature permissions](/en/khai-niem/vai-tro-va-quyen).
* Some idea of where a conversation ends and a ticket starts: [Conversations versus tickets](/en/khai-niem/hoi-thoai-vs-ticket).

## Steps [#steps]

1. Press **Conversations** in the left column, then pick the **Unassigned** tab to
   see the rows nobody has taken.
2. Click a row. The timeline opens in the middle, with the **CONTACT INFO** panel
   and the **CONVERSATION** block along the right edge.
3. Read the **CONVERSATION** block before typing: it carries **Status**, the
   **Channel** the customer is writing from, the **Assignee** and the **Teams**
   pulled in so far.
4. The composer opens on the **Reply** tab, white, prompting
   **Reply to the customer…**. Write the answer and press **Send**.

   ![A conversation timeline with the customer question on the left, the agent answer on the right, and the composer below sitting on the Reply tab](https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/images/docs/bat-dau/xu-ly-hoi-thoai-dau-tien/01-tra-loi-va-ghi-chu.en.webp)

   *The Reply tab: everything typed here reaches the customer.*
5. Press the **Internal discussion** tab beside **Reply**. The composer turns
   amber and prompts **Internal discussion — the customer cannot see this**.

   ![The same conversation with the composer switched to the Internal discussion tab on an amber background, above it a note bubble badged INTERNAL](https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/images/docs/bat-dau/xu-ly-hoi-thoai-dau-tien/02-ghi-chu-noi-bo.en.webp)

   *The same frame one step later: the composer is in internal mode.*
6. Write what a colleague needs to know and press **Send**. The note lands as an
   amber bubble badged **INTERNAL**, carrying the author's name and the time.
7. Take the work: in the **CONVERSATION** block, change **Assignee** to yourself.
   A system line records the assignment straight onto the timeline.
8. When the customer has no further questions, press **Resolve** at the top of the
   thread. The status chip beside their name turns to **Resolved**.

> **Warning:** An internal discussion never reaches the customer: it is filtered out of every
> customer-facing surface, the chat panel and the customer portal alike. The
> server also refuses a public message that quotes an internal one. That is why
> quoting an amber bubble locks the composer into internal mode and says so.

> **Note:** Resolving a conversation stops no SLA clock, because a conversation carries
> none — that clock lives on tickets. Two of its rules get misread. First: a
> policy with **no** priority filter applies to low-priority tickets alone, not
> to every ticket. Second: once a deadline has passed, the ticket stays failed
> for good, and finishing late does not restore it to satisfied.

## Verify [#verify]

Your answer sits on the right of the timeline, under your name, with a delivery
marker in the corner of the bubble. The note sits under it in an amber bubble
with a padlock and the **INTERNAL** badge — two colors is the fastest way to
see whether you typed into the wrong box.

After resolving, return to the queue and press the **Mine** tab: the thread you
handled is no longer among the open rows.

## Troubleshooting [#troubleshooting]

| Symptom                                 | Cause                                                 | What to do                                                        |
| --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The composer is locked to internal mode | You are quoting an internal message                   | Drop the quote before switching to the **Reply** tab              |
| No composer at all, only a timeline     | The account is read-only on conversations             | Ask an administrator for write access to conversations            |
| A message fails and stalls in place     | The outside channel refused it or lost its connection | Read the server's reason under the message, then retry or discard |
| A conversation was resolved too early   | **Resolve** was pressed before the customer replied   | Reopen it from the status filter at the top of the queue          |

## Next steps [#next-steps]

* [Invite a colleague into the workspace](/en/bat-dau/moi-dong-nghiep)
* [Roles and per-feature permissions](/en/khai-niem/vai-tro-va-quyen)
* [Conversations versus tickets](/en/khai-niem/hoi-thoai-vs-ticket)