Introduction to Customer Support
Your first steps to better customer support.
Learn how to get started with Bird's unified inbox for Customer Support. In this guide you'll learn:
How to manage all your customer conversations in one interface
Setting up channels from the channel library
Adding and configuring Customer Support agents with roles
Managing agent availability and preferences
Organizing your team by location or function
Setup instructions
Before you get started, there are two key things you need to set up: installing your channels and adding agents to your team. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process.
Step 1: Install channels
Go to the bottom left-hand corner of your screen and click on the admin console (toggle icon)
Click channels, then "Manage Channels" to open the channels library.
In the library, you'll see a list of channels that are already installed on your account.
To install a new channel, choose the channel you want to add, click Install in the top right corner, and follow the instructions provided.
Once the channel is installed, any messages your customers send through that channel will appear in your Inbox, ready for your team to manage.
Step 2: Add a new agent
To get your team set up, start by clicking Support in the main navigation bar.
In the bottom left corner of your screen, go to Preferences, then select Agents and Teams and navigate to the Agents tab.
Click Create New Agent in the top right corner.
Enter the agent's name and email address. You can also assign the agent to a team right here to better organize your team.
Once you’ve filled in the details, click Create to add the agent.
Step 3: Set Agent availability and permissions
In Support, go to the Agents tab, find the agent you want to update, and click the three dots menu on the right side of their profile.
Select Edit User to update the agent's settings. You’ll be able to adjust:
Personal Information (such as adding or updating profile pictures)
Numbers & Teams (assign the agent to specific teams)
Availability (set their working hours)
Call Preferences (adjust how they handle calls)
Agents can also manage their own settings by clicking their name at the bottom of the Inbox panel, which opens their profile for updates.
Step 4: Organize agents into teams
Once you've added your agents, you can group them into teams based on factors like location, specialization, or other criteria (e.g., Billing Support, Technical Support, or Sales Support).
To add an agent to a team, either go to their profile or use the Teams section.
Teams are helpful for routing and assigning specific tickets to the right group of agents, ensuring that the right person handles each customer request.
With these steps completed, you'll be ready to start managing your customer support effectively through Bird Support.
