Sharper organizes related messages into Inquiry threads — conversation histories that group all emails belonging to the same topic together and link them to the relevant record in the system.
What Is an Inquiry Thread?
An Inquiry is a container for one or more related messages. Think of it like an email thread in a regular email client — all back-and-forth messages on the same topic are collected in one place.
What makes Sharper's Inquiry system useful is that each thread is automatically linked to the record that triggered the conversation. For example:
When Sharper sends an invoice email, it creates an Inquiry linked to that specific invoice.
When Sharper sends a reservation confirmation, it creates an Inquiry linked to that reservation.
When you compose a new message to a customer, Sharper creates an Inquiry linked to that customer's record.
This means you can see the full email history for any invoice or reservation directly from that record — not just from the Message Center inbox.
How Customer Replies Are Matched to Threads
When Sharper sends an email, it uses a version of your email address that includes a unique identifier. When a customer selects Reply in their email client, their reply goes back to that address. Sharper recognizes the identifier and automatically files the reply into the correct Inquiry thread.
This process is automatic and invisible to customers — they see only your standard email address in the From field. The identifier is used internally by Sharper for routing only.
For this to work, the email account must have Incoming Mail enabled in System Settings > Email Addresses. Sharper regularly checks the configured inbox for new replies and imports them.
What Records Can Be Linked to an Inquiry
Inquiry threads can be linked to:
Reservations
Invoices
Payments
When viewing a message, Sharper displays the linked record so you can quickly navigate to the related invoice or reservation.
Practical Examples
Example 1: Invoice email and customer reply
Sharper generates and emails an invoice to a customer.
An Inquiry is created, linked to that invoice.
The customer replies asking a question about a charge.
The reply appears in the Message Center inbox as an Unread message, attached to the same Inquiry thread.
A staff member opens the message, reads the thread history, and replies — all within the same Inquiry.
Example 2: New message to a customer
A staff member composes a new message to a customer from the Message Center.
Sharper creates a new Inquiry linked to that customer's record.
If the customer replies, it is automatically added to the same thread.