CRM overview

What is the CRM

The CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is the operational hub of your Interlinked workspace. It is where every customer conversation lands — whether the customer reached out through Instagram, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp. From the CRM, you can monitor your AI agent’s responses in real time, take manual control when needed, organize conversations with labels and folders, add internal notes, and collaborate with your team.

Think of the CRM as your unified inbox across all messaging channels, combined with customer context and AI management tools — everything you need to run your customer communication in one place.

CRM layout

The CRM is organized into a responsive three-panel layout:

Channel tabs (top bar)

At the top of the CRM, a tab bar lets you filter conversations by channel:

Tab	Shows
All	Every conversation across all connected channels
Instagram	Only Instagram Direct message conversations
Facebook	Only Facebook Messenger conversations
WhatsApp	Only WhatsApp conversations

Conversation list (left panel)

The left panel shows your list of conversations, sorted by most recent activity. Each entry shows:

• Customer avatar and name
• Platform icon (Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp)
• Last message preview
• Timestamp of last interaction
• Unread message count badge

Above the list, you have access to:

• Search bar — Find conversations by customer name or message content
• Inbox folders — Switch between Open, Solved, Spam, and Archived
• Filter badges — Quick-filter by Unread status or custom tags
• Campaign button — Launch WhatsApp marketing campaigns

Chat view (center panel)

When you select a conversation, the center panel shows the full message history with:

• Date separators between message groups
• Message bubbles with timestamps
• Media content (images, videos, audio, documents, stickers)
• Delivery status indicators (sending, sent, delivered, read, failed)
• AI/Manual mode toggle
• Conversation action buttons (mark as solved, star, view contact)

Contact info panel (right panel)

Clicking “View contact” opens a detailed panel showing:

• Customer profile (name, avatar, platform, phone, email)
• Labels/tags for categorization
• Internal notes for team context

See Customer profiles, labels, and notes for full details.

How conversations arrive in the CRM

The conversation flow from channel to CRM works like this:

1. Customer sends a message on a connected channel (Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp).
2. The message is received by Interlinked through the channel connection.
3. A new conversation (lead) is created in the CRM, or the message is added to an existing conversation.
4. The AI agent responds automatically using your published workflow and business context.
5. The conversation appears in the CRM inbox in real time.

New conversations appear instantly — no page refresh needed. The CRM updates in real time as messages arrive and as the AI agent responds.

AI and manual modes

Every conversation in the CRM has two operating modes:

• AI mode (default) — The AI agent handles the conversation automatically. The input area shows an animated “AI is managing this conversation” indicator.
• Manual mode — You or a team member handles the conversation directly. The input area activates with a text field, media buttons, and a send button.

A toggle pill at the top of the chat view lets you switch between modes instantly. See Switch between AI and manual control for the full guide, including the 15-minute AI reactivation rule.

Inbox folders

The CRM organizes conversations into folders:

Folder	Purpose
Open	Active conversations that need attention or are being handled by the AI
Solved	Conversations marked as resolved — they move out of the Open inbox
Spam	Conversations identified as spam — separated from legitimate conversations
Archived	Conversations archived for record-keeping — removed from active inbox

You can move conversations between folders using the action buttons in the chat view. See Manage CRM inboxes and filters for the complete guide.

CRM access and workspace people

The current plan and workspace state determine which CRM and collaboration controls are available. Check the panel’s entitlement message rather than relying on a fixed plan table in this overview.

Use Manage workspace people and invitations to invite teammates, assign roles, review pending seat reservations, and remove access. Use Plans and pricing for subscription context and the current People or Billing screen for workspace-specific seat values.

Working with a busy inbox

The conversation list loads more records as you move through it, and the chat view can offer a Load older messages action for long histories. New customer messages and AI responses appear in the CRM as they arrive. If a change does not appear, use the panel’s refresh or retry action before sending the same customer-facing action again.

What to do next

• Learn about inbox management — See Manage CRM inboxes and filters
• Understand conversation tools — See Open and manage a conversation
• Master the AI/Manual toggle — See Switch between AI and manual control
• Organize customers — See Customer profiles, labels, and notes
• Send marketing campaigns — See WhatsApp marketing campaigns
• Collaborate with your team — See Team collaboration and CRM users