Project Leads @ 46elks
| Carolina J. Säll | Eja Höglund | Sebastian Björkelid |
|---|---|---|
| Product Designer | Fullstackutvecklare | Product Manager |
| Project Manager | UI/UX Designer | |
| UI/UX Designer | Copywriting | |
| Copywriting | ||
| Marketing |
Shared SMS inbox reason for being
How do you ensure clear and efficient SMS communication with customers—when multiple team members need access to read, reply, and manage incoming messages?
That’s a question we’d discussed internally at 46elks—and one we had heard repeatedly from our customers. In fact, that’s what led to the creation of an early beta version of Shared SMS Inbox many years ago.
Background
Several users of our SMS API had built their own makeshift solutions to handle incoming messages—using third-party tools or manual routines. This often led to duplicated work, missed replies, or even multiple people responding to the same conversation.
It became clear that there was a real need for a more streamlined solution: a shared SMS inbox that could serve as a hub for customer communications—especially for support teams, booking functions, or smaller organizations without a full-scale CRM system.
The original Shared SMS Inbox was launched years ago as a quick fix to those problems, but had since seen limited use and little ongoing development. I wanted to see what could happen if we took it to the next level. I got the green light to work on a refreshed design in Figma—based on user interviews—while Eja handled the development.
Previous beta version challenges
The previous beta version of Shared SMS inbox did what it should, you could receive and send SMS in the inbox. You could also archive them. Although when this version was created is was to solve a problem for a single user of 46elks, so the time was not on the developers side back in 2020 when Shared SMS inbox saw the light for the first time. In order to get some kind of UI experience they had used Bulma CSS to solve the user experience and then kind of left it there.
And yes, CSS frameworks do wonders for quick UI problems – Although as you can see below the experience might become a bit clonky in some usecases. So that was the reasoning behind giving Shared SMS inbox a bit more love, UI and UX to see if it could fly a bit better in the future. Spoiler alert, we did use a CSS framework for the new version as well, but this time it was Tailwind.
Requirements
I collected feedback from both customers and internal colleagues. The key needs were:
- Multiple team members must be able to read and respond to SMS messages in real time
- Time and date stamps on each conversation
- Full message history: who replied to what
- A clear overview of active conversations
- Ability to reply directly via the interface—no API needed
- Responsive design for both desktop and mobile—fast, simple, and accessible anywhere
- Ability to set up different inboxes for separate teams or projects
Our Solution
We built a system where one or more virtual numbers are connected to a shared inbox in a web-based interface. The team logs in and handles all SMS conversations on behalf of the company using a single virtual number.
When an SMS is received, it appears in the shared inbox—visible to everyone on the team. Anyone can read and respond. Message history is saved, and users can filter, organize, or archive conversations as needed.
We focused on a minimalist, responsive design that requires no onboarding—it should be instantly usable, regardless of technical skill or background. The interface works equally well on desktop and mobile, so users can respond on the go when necessary.
My Role
- Project manager from research through launch
- Product designer for UX flows and wireframes
- Worked closely with the developer to iterate and deliver within a limited timeframe
- Led testing and quality assurance before launch
- Handled email marketing to existing customers
- Ran social media campaigns to expand the user base
The Result
The Shared SMS Inbox was launched as an add-on within the 46elks suite and is now used by multiple customers. It allows teams to quickly set up a customer-facing SMS channel—without the time, resources, or cost of building a solution from scratch.
The goal was to make SMS as smooth as chatting in any other platform—while keeping it accessible across the entire organization.
You can read more about Shared SMS inbox if you’re curious!