--- title: "Assigning Inbox Messages" slug: "userrole-assignment" description: "Role assignments for messages are important, as the Role dictates which users are able to view and respond to the message within Inbox." tags: ["Inbox", "Role Assignment", "User Assignment"] updated: 2026-02-27T22:08:52Z published: 2026-02-27T22:08:52Z --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Assigning Inbox Messages [Inbox conversations](/v1/docs/replying-to-and-resolving-messages) can be assigned to both records and users. You can also assign message attachments to records. ## Assigning messages to a record When a message is received, Slate attempts to automatically assign it to a person record. The automatic assignment will occur if there is exactly one record that has a matching email address that is not *Inactive*. If there are no records that have this email address, or if there are multiple records with the same email address, an automatic assignment does not occur. To assign a message to a record: 1. Select **Assign** 2. Use the **Assigned Record autosuggest box** to find the appropriate record [![inbox.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/inbox.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/inbox.png) Person record assignment can be manually reassigned. If a message has not been assigned to a person record, the Sender will display just the sender's email address. If it has been assigned to a person record, then it will display the person's name as a link to the person record. #### Why you should always assign messages to a record There are several reasons why assigning messages to a person record is recommended: - The Conversation History only displays messages that were sent specifically to the assigned person record. If a person record is not assigned, then no other messages will appear in the Conversation History. - The message will be included in the Conversation History for subsequent messages for the same record in Inbox. - The message sent to Inbox will appear on the person record's timeline, allowing users to see the message history directly from the person record. - The assigned person record can be accessed via a link from Inbox, providing users additional context while responding to messages. *Note: User permissions are enforced, so the user must have the necessary permissions to lookup the record in order to navigate to the record from Inbox*. > [!NOTE] > ✨ Tip > > Clear the record assignment without assigning the message to a different record by deleting the name from the **Assign Record**field and selecting **Save**. ## Assigning message attachments to a record When you [select an attachment on a response](/v1/docs/replying-to-and-resolving-messages#edit-attachments), you can use Batch Acquire to assign it. 1. In a response with an attachment, select the attachment filename. 2. Select **Assign**. You’re brought to the Batch Acquire interface. [![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/10481200423963.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/10481200423963.png) 1. Select the record that should receive the material. If the message was assigned to a person record, that record is automatically be selected. To change the record, select the **Clear**link and then select a different record. 2. If the record has an application, select if the material should be assigned to a specific application, or if it should be associated with the Folio. [![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/10481201290395.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/10481201290395.png) - **Material**- Select the specific material type. - **Memo**- This setting is optional If an attachment has been saved as a material on a record, the material type and record are listed on the Display Attachment popup. ## Assigning users to a conversation Role assignments for messages are important, as the Role dictates which users are able to view and respond to the message within Inbox. If a message was assigned to a general Admissions Role, and the message instead must be answered by a user who is able to see Financial Aid information, the message can be re-assigned to a Financial Aid Role. The Role and User can be assigned to a message either manually or via rules. This section provides instructions to manually assign the message to a Role or User. For information about automating assignments, please see the Inbox Automation section below. The steps to manually assign a message to a Role or User are: 1. Open the specific message in Inbox 2. Select **Assign** 3. Update the Role and/or the User using the associated select lists ## Assigning MMS Messages as a Material MMS messages received in Inbox can be assigned as a material to a record. #### **Create a Material** Much like assigning a new material via Batch Acquire, configure any necessary material types in **Database → Materials***.* [![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/uvzbzyvipksz4kdqwqwerwmceclip0.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/uvzbzyvipksz4kdqwqwerwmceclip0.png) **📖 Further reading:**[Batch Acquire](/v1/docs/batch-acquire) #### **Assign the MMS as a Material** After receiving an MMS attachment as a text message in Inbox, follow these steps to assign it as a material on the person record: 1. Assign the message to a record if unassigned. 2. Select the MMS message. Then within the pop-up, select **Assign**. 3. A window similar to the batch acquire tool will appear. Enter the following configurations in the right pane: - **Scope:** Select Folio/Application (if the message pertains to a dataset record, select the corresponding scope instead). - **Assign To**: Search and select the appropriate record. - **Material:** Select Record Folio to assign the material to a person record, or the application round to assign the material to an application record. Custom material types with a scope of 'Person/Application' will appear as options. School-scoped materials will also be available if a school is present on the record and selected for this setting. 4. Select **Save**. [![MMS_in_Inbox.gif](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/mms_in_inbox.gif)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/mms_in_inbox.gif)