This page explains what Thorpe does with each message, so you know what to expect before your team relies on it.
Messages become requests
Thorpe reads only the channels you mark as customer channels, and it tells people apart by their Slack workspace.
- A new top-level message from someone in the customer's workspace opens a request.
- A reply from the customer in that thread joins the same request.
- A reply from your team in the thread counts as your answer.
- A top-level message from your team is ignored. It is neither a request nor a reply.
The request's title is the first line of the customer's message, cut to 90 characters. If a customer message was not tracked, for example one posted before Thorpe joined the channel, a teammate can open a request from it with the Track as request message shortcut in Slack.
The triage card
For each new request, Thorpe posts a card in your triage channel. The card shows the request title, its status, the customer channel, the owner, the priority and the SLA. The buttons on the card are how most teams work: Assign to me, Assign…, a priority menu, Snooze, Close and Discuss. The card updates itself as the request changes. Requests and the triage card covers each button.
The same requests appear in the web app at app.usethorpe.com, in views such as Needs attention, Mine, Unassigned and All open.
Statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Open | New. Nobody on your team has replied yet. |
| Waiting on us | The customer wrote again after your reply, a snooze ended, or the request was reopened. |
| Waiting on customer | Your team replied and the customer has not written back. |
| Snoozed | Put aside until a time you chose. |
| Closed | Done. A new reply from the customer in the thread opens it again. |
The SLA clock
Each request runs two clocks under its SLA policy: one for the first reply and one for resolution. Both count only business hours, so nights, weekends and holidays don't use up your time. The first-reply clock stops at your team's first reply. The resolution clock pauses while the request is waiting on the customer or snoozed, and picks up where it left off.
At 75% of a target the card shows At risk, and at 100% it shows Breached. Each time, Thorpe posts an alert in the triage channel and DMs the owner, if the request has one. See SLAs and business hours.
Who sees what
| Who | Sees |
|---|---|
| Customers | Their own messages and your team's replies in the shared channel, as before, plus the 👀 reaction Thorpe adds to your team's first reply. |
| Your team in the triage channel | Request cards, SLA alerts and internal discussions. |
| Owners | DMs about their own requests, such as SLA warnings. |
| Teammates signed in to the web app | Requests, accounts and reports for your workspace. |
Thorpe never posts its cards or alerts in a customer channel. It posts there only for features an admin turns on, such as the rating prompt, or for messages your team chooses to send, such as a broadcast.
What's next
- Getting started walks through install and setup.
- Ownership and assignment explains how requests get an owner.