Where a customer’s message goes in Captivated depends on how the conversation started, who owns or is joined to the conversation, and your organization’s Channel settings.
When a Customer Starts a New Conversation
When a customer texts your business, the conversation follows the routing rules configured for that Channel.
Depending on your organization’s setup, the message may:
- Route to a Queue — The conversation waits in a Queue until a designated Queue Operator takes ownership. The Operator can then respond or transfer the conversation to another user or Queue.
- Route to a User’s dedicated line — If a user has their own texting line, messages sent to that number can route directly to that user.
- Route directly to a designated User — A Channel can be configured so new incoming conversations are automatically routed to a specific person.
Think of Channel routing like a call center: The number a customer contacts determines where the conversation goes first. From there, your team can take ownership or transfer the conversation as needed.
When I Start a Conversation, Where Does the Customer’s Reply Go?
When you start a new conversation in Captivated, you become the owner of that conversation.
When the customer replies, the response returns to that conversation and you—and other users joined to the conversation—can be notified of the activity.
The conversation continues this way until it is transferred, completed, or your participation in the conversation changes.
What Happens When I Complete a Conversation?
Completing a conversation indicates that the current interaction with the customer is finished.
What happens when that customer texts your business again depends on the Channel’s configuration.
The conversation may:
- Follow the Channel’s routing rules again, such as returning to a Queue.
- Return to users who remained joined to the conversation.
For many organizations, users are automatically unjoined when a conversation is completed. If the customer reaches out again later, their message follows the Channel’s normal routing rules.
Other organizations may configure certain Channels so users remain joined after completing conversations.
This can be useful for relationship-based workflows, such as Sales or Account Management, where the same employee should continue receiving activity from their customers.
Owner vs. Joined vs. Completed
These terms are important when understanding conversation routing:
Staying Joined After Completing a Conversation
If your Channel is configured to unjoin users when conversations are completed, you can rejoin the conversation when appropriate.
If your organization frequently needs users to maintain ongoing relationships with the same customers, your Administrator may also be able to configure the Channel to keep users joined after completion.
Example: A Sales Representative may want to remain joined to their customer conversations so future messages continue to involve that representative. A general Customer Service Channel may instead send future messages back to a shared Queue so the next available team member can respond.
How Do I Know If I’m Still Joined?
You can view the participants on the conversation to determine whether you’re currently joined.
If you’re no longer participating in a conversation but need to be, use the available Join/Take option to rejoin.
To stop participating in a conversation, select Leave.
Learn more about joining, leaving, completing, and transferring conversations.
Why Did a Message Go Somewhere Unexpected?
If an incoming message didn’t route where you expected, check:
- Which Channel the customer contacted.
- Where that Channel is configured to route.
- Whether the conversation was already owned by a user.
- Whether users remained joined after the conversation was previously completed.
- Whether the Channel is configured to unjoin users when conversations are completed.
Administrators can review Channel routing under Administration > Channels.
Need Help?
If you’re unsure why a conversation routed to a particular User or Queue, contact Captivated Support using the in-app Support option. Our team can help review your routing configuration. 
