Question 1

Is a shared inbox the same as a CRM?

Accepted Answer

No. A shared inbox helps multiple people manage the same email threads without duplicate replies or confusion about ownership. A CRM tracks deals, pipelines, and structured follow-ups. Some tools combine both, but they solve different problems.

Question 2

When should I switch from a shared inbox to a CRM?

Accepted Answer

When you need to track stages, forecast revenue, or enforce a process across deals. If you're just handling incoming questions and support, a shared inbox is often enough. If you're selling and need visibility into where deals are stuck, you need a CRM.

Question 3

Do I need a helpdesk if I'm a small team?

Accepted Answer

Only if you're handling support requests that need tracking to resolution. If your team is small and you're just answering questions via email, a shared inbox is usually simpler. Helpdesks add structure (tickets, SLAs, escalation) that small teams often don't need yet.

Question 4

What if we do both sales and support?

Accepted Answer

You'll likely need different tools or workflows. Sales needs pipelines and follow-ups (CRM). Support needs ticket tracking and resolution (helpdesk or shared inbox). Some inbox-first CRMs handle both by letting you tag threads as 'deal' or 'support' and treat them differently.

Question 5

What's the simplest option that still prevents leads going cold?

Accepted Answer

An inbox-first CRM. It sits on top of email, shows you who needs a follow-up, and lets you track next steps without forcing you into a traditional CRM. It's lighter than a full CRM but more structured than just using email labels.

Category	Best for	Core feature	Common mistake	What to do next
Inbox	Solo work, low volume, no team collisions	Email labels and manual tracking	Assuming you'll remember to follow up	Add 3 labels, weekly review, revisit when volume grows
Shared Inbox	Team handling incoming emails, avoiding duplicates	Shared visibility, assignment, and queues	Using it for sales pipelines	Define ownership rules, set response targets
Inbox-first CRM	Light structure for sales or project tracking	Follow-up tracking tied to email threads	Over-complicating stages and fields	Define 5 stages, require next steps
Traditional CRM	Multi-stage sales, forecasting, team process	Pipeline reporting and deal stages	Too many required fields and admin overhead	Keep fields minimal, weekly pipeline reviews
Helpdesk	Support tickets needing tracking and SLAs	Ticket status, queues, and escalation	Using it for sales or general email	Set categories, build macros, define SLAs

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