Setting up your AI-first helpdesk
Setting up your AI-first helpdesk covers the operational foundation: channels, inboxes, routing, permissions, Help Center, and Fin's role as first responder.
Core rules
- Map channels to inboxes. Messenger, email, and other channels feed conversations into team inboxes. Create inboxes by function (Billing, Technical, Onboarding) rather than one shared queue.
- Define human ownership. Assign teams, permissions, office hours, and SLA policies per inbox. Use assignment rules or Workflows to route by topic, plan, or customer data.
- Make the Help Center dual-purpose. It is both customer self-service and a primary Fin content source. Keep articles current, scoped, and written as answers.
- Place Fin before humans intentionally. Enable Fin AI Agent on chosen channels and audiences; set handoff rules so unresolved or sensitive conversations reach the right team with context.
- Use views and workflows for triage. Build views for unassigned, breaching, and escalated conversations; automate tagging/assignment where stable.
Worked example
A company creates Billing and Technical inboxes. Billing gets refund and invoice conversations; Technical gets bugs and setup. Office hours are 9-5 in two time zones, with an after-hours SLA. Fin handles FAQ and password resets in Messenger, then hands billing disputes to Billing with a summary. A Workflow tags conversations containing 'invoice' and assigns them round-robin.
Traps
Confusing an inbox with the Help Center; leaving every conversation in one queue; enabling Fin without matching audience and handoff; and setting SLAs that no team can meet.