Tags beat folders in a shared inbox

Folders assume one answer to "where does this belong?". A customer with a billing question and a bug has two answers, and a folder forces you to lose one.

What tags buy you

  • Multiple truths at once: billing + bug + vip on the same thread.
  • Views instead of moves: "unassigned billing this week" is a saved filter, not a place things get moved into and forgotten.
  • History stays put: nobody wonders why a thread moved four times.

Where folders still win

Closed, archival, nothing to search: "2025 invoices" is fine as a folder. The mistake is using them for live work.

A minimal tag set for three people

One for type (billing, bug, how-to), one for state (waiting-on-us, waiting-on-them), one for priority. Nine combinations cover almost everything, and everyone can remember nine.

The test

Ask each person to find "the customer who asked about invoices last Tuesday". If it takes more than two clicks, the system is a filing cabinet, not a queue.

Tags, states and views · the complete guide

Free for the first 3 seats. onsitesai.com

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