Conversations
Manage your WhatsApp conversations: states, metadata, indicators, and workflow.
Conversations
Every time a contact sends you a WhatsApp message (or you initiate a conversation via a template), Trochai creates a conversation. This page explains how conversations work, their states, and how to manage them efficiently.
Conversation list
The conversation list appears in the left panel of the inbox. Each item shows:
- Avatar with the contact's initials (first letters of name or last two phone digits)
- Bot active indicator (green badge with robot icon at the bottom-left of the avatar, visible when the bot is enabled for that conversation)
- Contact name (or phone number if no name is available)
- Last message time (format: time if today, "Yesterday", or date)
- Last message preview with direction indicator ("You:" for outbound messages)
- Unread badge with the new message count
- Tags applied (up to 3 visible in the list)
- Escalation indicator (red left border and icon if the bot requested human assistance)
Sorting
Conversations are automatically sorted by last message date, with the most recent at the top. This order updates in real time: when a contact sends a new message, that conversation moves to the top of the list.
Closed conversations
Conversations with "Closed" status are shown with reduced opacity (60%) to visually distinguish them from active conversations.
Conversation states
Each conversation has one of three states. You can change the state using the selector in the toolbar:
| State | Indicator | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Green circle | New or active conversation that needs attention. This is the initial state for every conversation. |
| In Progress | Blue circle | An agent is actively working on this conversation. |
| Closed | Gray circle | Finished conversation. Can be reopened at any time if the contact writes again. |
Changing the state
Select the conversation you want to update.
In the toolbar, click the status selector (next to the dot-circle icon).
Choose the new state: Open, In Progress, or Closed.
If you select "Closed," a confirmation dialog will appear. Closed conversations can be reopened later.
When a contact sends a new message to a closed conversation, it reopens automatically and moves to the top of the list.
Conversation metadata
Each conversation stores the following information:
- Associated contact: name, phone number, and WhatsApp ID
- Status: open, in progress, or closed
- Assigned agent: the team member responsible (or unassigned)
- Tags: categories applied for organization
- Bot enabled: whether the AI assistant is active for this conversation
- Expiration window: date/time until free messages can be sent
- Channel: the WhatsApp number through which the conversation arrived
- Unread count: number of unseen inbound messages
- Last message date: for automatic sorting
Visual indicators
Unread
When a conversation has unread messages:
- The contact name appears in bold
- The message preview is shown in dark text (instead of gray)
- A circular badge shows the number of new messages
- The browser title shows the total unread count:
(5) Inbox
When you select a conversation, unreads are automatically marked as read.
Escalation (Human Needed)
If the AI bot detects that a query requires human intervention:
- The conversation shows a red left border
- A hand icon appears over the avatar
- The "Human needed" button in the list shows a count
- In the message panel, a red banner appears with the escalation reason and a resolve button
Bot paused by coexistence
If someone replied from the WhatsApp Business app directly (not from Trochai), a gray banner appears indicating the bot was paused. You can reactivate the bot with the "Reactivate Bot" button.
Bot processing
The bot shows two distinct indicators depending on the processing stage:
- Collecting messages: While the bot waits during the debounce period (grouping consecutive messages), an indicator appears with a robot icon and "Collecting messages..." text with three pulsing dots.
- Typing: When the bot is actively generating the response, the indicator changes to three dots with a bounce animation, similar to WhatsApp's native typing indicator.
System messages
System messages (such as transfers to a human agent or internal notes) are displayed as centered banners with a gray background and small text. They include a "Visible to team only" label to indicate the contact cannot see them.
Interactive button messages
When the bot sends interactive options (such as visit time slots), the buttons are displayed as styled pills below the message text, separated by a divider line.
Date dividers
In the message panel, messages are grouped by day. Between each group, a badge appears with the date:
- Today for messages from the current day
- Yesterday for messages from the previous day
- The full date (e.g., "March 15, 2026") for older dates
Toolbar
When opening a conversation, the toolbar at the top offers the following actions:
Main actions (always visible):
- Bot control --- enable/disable the AI assistant for this conversation
- Status selector --- switch between Open, In Progress, and Closed
- Assignment --- assign or reassign the conversation to an agent
- Window indicator --- shows the 24-hour window status
"More actions" menu (three dots icon):
- Tags --- manage conversation tags
- Notes --- open the internal notes panel
- Follow-up --- schedule a follow-up with a template
Recommended workflow
Review new conversations: conversations with unread messages appear with a count badge and bold name.
Check escalations: if there's a "Human needed" badge, attend those conversations first.
Change status to "In Progress" when you start working on a conversation.
Assign the right agent if the conversation isn't assigned to you (see Assignments).
Apply tags to classify the lead type or process stage (see Tags).
Close the conversation when you've resolved the client's query.
Related pages
- Sending Messages — how to write and send messages
- Search & Filters — find conversations quickly
- Assignments — distribute conversations among agents
- Tags — organize with categories and colors
- Scheduled Follow-ups — schedule future template sends