Reply to a conversation

Replying is the single most common thing you’ll do in Atender. The flow is built for speed — keyboard-first, snippet-aware, and resolution-friendly so most replies double as the conversation’s resolution.

Open the reply editor

Three ways:

• Click the reply area at the bottom of the conversation — You’re already moused over the conversation
• Press Enter with the conversation focused — You’re navigating with the keyboard
• Click Reply on a specific message — You want the editor pre-populated as a quoted reply

The editor expands inline at the bottom of the conversation thread.

Compose your reply

Type directly. The editor supports rich text basics:

• Cmd + B — Bold
• Cmd + I — Italic
• Cmd + K — Insert link

For longer or repeated content, use a snippet: type / followed by the snippet shortcode, and the snippet expands inline with merge tags resolved.

/refund

→ expands to your “refund explanation” snippet with the customer’s name and order details auto-filled.

Choose how to send

Two send modes:

• Send — Cmd + Enter — Sends the reply, leaves the conversation Active
• Send and close — Cmd + Shift + Enter — Sends the reply AND marks Done in one action

Use Send and close when you believe the reply resolves the conversation. Most replies fall here — you’ve answered the question, given them what they need, the issue is handled. If the customer comes back, the conversation reopens automatically.

Use Send when you expect a follow-up — you’ve asked a clarifying question, sent step 1 of a multi-message exchange, or you’re not confident the issue is resolved yet.

When in doubt, use Send and close. Done is not terminal — the customer can always reopen by replying. Treating Done as the default keeps your Active inbox lean.

Channel-aware sending

Atender automatically uses the right channel for the reply:

• The customer wrote in via email → reply goes via email
• The customer wrote in via SMS → reply goes via SMS
• Web chat → web chat
• WhatsApp → WhatsApp
• And so on

For voice conversations, replying typically means a callback or post-call message rather than a real-time response. See Voice channel concepts.

Internal notes vs replies

The reply editor has a tab toggle: Reply (default — sent to the customer) and Note (internal only — visible to your team but not the customer).

Use notes for:

• Coaching the next agent who picks up the conversation
• Documenting context that doesn’t belong in the customer-facing reply
• Asking a teammate a question via @mention

Notes do not affect engagement state or trigger automation rules that key off outbound messages.

Adding attachments

Drag-and-drop or click the paperclip in the editor toolbar. Attachments are scanned and uploaded before send. File size limits and type restrictions follow channel rules — email allows large files; SMS does not support attachments at all.

Send and watch what happens

After send:

• The conversation flips to Engaged (we replied; ball in customer’s court). See engagement state
• If you used Send and close, status flips to Done
• If you used plain Send, status remains Active
• Atender opens the next conversation in your queue automatically (configurable in your profile)

Common patterns

• Quick answer — Enter → type → Cmd-Shift-Enter
• Snippet-driven — Enter → /code → review → Cmd-Shift-Enter
• Multi-step — Send first message with Cmd-Enter, leave Active, customer replies, continue
• Need to wait — Reply, then Z to snooze with appropriate window