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Google Collaborative Inbox: Why Your Teams Won't Like It
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by
Luis Manjarrez
November 29, 2024
· Updated on
At its core, email was designed to be addressed to a single individual, just like regular mail.
But with more and more businesses starting to increase their online presence, catch-all email addresses (info@, sales@, support@) began to increase. And with no way to efficiently distribute the workload of these catch-all addresses, email quickly became a burden. To resolve the problem, it wasn't uncommon to see people use the oldest hack in the book:
Sharing individual account passwords.
It might have worked very early on when online security was not a big thing for most organizations. But email providers, like Gmail, quickly started dissuading this practice by temporarily locking people's accounts when detecting multiple sign-ins to the same account. As an alternative, Google offers Google Groups and its Collaborative Inbox.
But what is it exactly? And is it the solution you’re looking for? Let's find out!
Google Collaborative Inbox is a free feature of Google Groups available to businesses using Google Workspace (also known as G Suite). It can be used by teams to manage shared email accounts that are meant to be shared mailboxes, such as support@ or info@.
While not a complete shared inbox software solution, it offers more robust features than Gmail when it comes to email collaboration.
To simplify things, Google Collaborative Inbox is a shared email folder that members of a group can access through their own accounts.
The idea is that group members can access a shared email address securely. All members can email everyone in the group and can also allow external emails. They can assign conversations to different group members, mark the progress, create labels, and filter them.
It’s the simple evolution of a distribution list, allowing teams to somewhat collaborate around a shared mailbox.
Google Collaborative Inbox allows teams using Google Workspace to access a basic shared mailbox without the need of other software.
It can be used to manage email addresses that need to be accessed by a group of people. The benefits of using Collaborative Inbox come mostly from the collaborative nature of the feature and not the tool itself.
Here are the benefits of a having a shared mailbox with collaboration functionalities:
Google Collaborative Inbox sounds great, but according to its users, the solution is complex to use yet limited in its features.
Your customer support and sales teams will certainly be the most impacted. Here are the most important ones:
The UI is unfamiliar and doesn’t integrate into the Gmail inbox. So your team will have to shuffle between the two apps. It also means that you can't manage all your email from one place.
You cannot easily discuss an issue with a coworker in the context of an email. Nor can emails truly be delegated. You need to either forward emails, which will generate more emails, or use the built-in chat, but you will need to describe the problem since your message won't be in context.
Replies to customers are sent from the individual's account, not the group email address, so you always need to remember also to send them to the group address. Otherwise, teammates will no longer see that email. And if the customer forgets to "reply-all", the email will never show up in the group's inbox. Emails can easily fall through the cracks.
If an email has been assigned to someone, other people won't see if others are already working on it, not until the reply is sent. This may lead to double responses, wasted time for your team, slower response time, and customers getting a negative impression of your organization.
There's no simple way for a manager to monitor emails from their team. Filtering is also a bit rudimentary, so important things might get easily overlooked.
You also need to switch between Gmail and the Google Groups UI to be on top of things. This also means that emails sent to the group address can't be read on mobile devices, because they cannot be accessed through a Gmail account or any other app.
Creating automation rules that help your team triage emails faster is impossible. Everything needs to be done manually, which can lead to mistakes.
You can't centralize your team's communications. As we all know, customers nowadays contact organizations through various channels, like, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, etc.
To wrap things up, we could say that using Google's Collaborative Inbox is far from the right tool for the job. Lost emails, unclear ownership, unintuitive UI... Here's where Missive might prove to be an excellent weapon to keep in your arsenal.
You want to give Google Group Collaborative Inbox a shot?
Here’s how to (relatively) easily turn on the collaborative inbox features in Google Groups:
Managing the workflow of a Collaborative Inbox inside Google Groups can be done in a few different ways. Depending on the permissions you gave to each team member they can use Google Groups features to manage the shared folder of email.
You can assign a conversation to any group member including yourself to manage messages and responsibilities. Conversations can be sorted based on their assignment status.
You can mark a conversation as complete, no action required, or as a duplicate. Right next to the subject will be the status of the conversation.
You can organize your Collaborative Inbox by using labels on related conversations. Labels can be used in conversations no matter their assignment and resolution status.
Your best option when looking for an alternative to Google Groups’ Collaborative Inbox is dedicated email collaboration software for business.
While you have multiple options (refer to our top shared inbox software), we believe that this short list of alternatives are the ones that will check all the boxes to make your team love shared email.
Missive is a real collaborative inbox. It features team inboxes and chats that empower teams to collaborate not only around email but other channels of communication like SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and live chat.
Missive was built with collaboration in mind.
The Team Inbox lets you collaborate with team members and assign them to conversation. It is useful for teams who want a "triage" step that will clean up messages for all coworkers at once.
It lets you communicate with coworkers right inside an email thread. You can also @mention a colleague and start a conversation, all without leaving the email in question.
With Missive, you can create sets of rules that automate actions; these can save time and spare support employees from doing repetitive tasks. For example, all refund-related emails can be automatically assigned to the Finance team or a specific employee.
Price: Price: Free for up to 2 shared accounts. Starting at $15/month for more.
Gmelius is a good alternative for users that want to keep on using Gmail. Gmelius is a Gmail add-on that brings shared inboxes directly to the web app. It comes with features like chats with your coworkers in an email thread, adding labels, and assigning team members to an email.
Gmelius also offer Kanban-style board for project management directly in Gmail.
Price: Start at $15/month
Hiver is another solutions that is used on top of Gmail. This Chrome extension enables you to collaborate and manage your shared inbox in your existing Gmail account. It offers the standard shared mailbox functionalities such as assigning people to a conversation and tagging emails and comments privately in a discussion.
Hiver also comes with features like task automation and analytics.
Price: Starting at $19/month.
Helpwise is a good alternative to Google Group Collaborative Inbox. It offers a shared inbox similar to Missive, with a way collaborate on a shared alias with a focus on shared accounts like SMS, social media, and live chat.
It also lets you add an assignee to a conversation, tag emails, and chat with your coworkers.
Price: Free for 1 shared account. Starting at $15/month for more.
Help Scout is primarily a helpdesk software, but it can double a good shared inbox solution with features like live chat, and a knowledge base.
With it, you can manage shared emails, group emails together using labels, assign people to a conversation, chat with teammates, and tag conversations.
Price: Starting at $25/month.
Don't get me wrong. Gmail is a great email client for individuals. But when it comes to shared inboxes and team collaboration, Missive helps your team keep their eyes on the ball and move toward inbox zero.
Google Collaborative Inbox is a free feature of Google Groups that lets businesses using Google Workspace manage shared email addresses like support@ or info@ as a team.
A Collaborative Inbox is a feature of Google Groups that enables teams to collaborate on shared emails like info@. It acts as a shared folder where all emails from a shared alias go. It offers bare bones and basic shared inbox features.
Shared inboxes allow multiple coworkers to access email simultaneously. While each user maintains a personal account, their shared mailboxes can be accessed and managed by all.
May 21, 2025
Collaborate beyond your team: Guest Access is here
We designed Guest Access for anyone you occasionally collaborate with (think your accountant, a third-party vendor, seasonal workers, etc).
Remember the first time you @mentioned a teammate below an email, instead of forwarding it to them?
That’s a magical moment for many Missive users.
It’s when they realized email can be collaborative without creating more email.
Starting today, with Guest Access, you can give that same experience to anyone you work with — even if they’re not on your team.
Guest Access makes it easy to bring people outside your organization — like an accountant, contractor, or client — directly into specific Missive conversations.
No more forwarding long threads. No more stitching together feedback from different tools. Just real-time chat alongside the emails that matter.
Here’s how it works:
Your guest will get an email with a link to join. Once they create a free Missive account, they’ll land directly in the conversation you invited them to.
They’ll be able to read the full message history and reply via chat — but not email, tasks, or assignments. Just focused, limited access.
Guest Access is included in all Missive plans. No add-ons. No hidden costs.
Each team member can invite up to 5 guests, and each guest can access up to 5 conversations.
That means if your team has 10 users, you can collaborate with up to 50 guests across 250 guest-enabled conversations — all for free.
We designed Guest Access for the people you don’t work with every day, but still need to collaborate with effectively — without paying for a full seat or dragging another tool into the mix.
If you’ve ever said:
I wish this person could just see this conversation—now they can.
Guest Access isn’t just for external vendors or partners. If you have teammates who don’t need full Missive functionality every day, Guest Access is a perfect lightweight option. No need to buy a full seat just to loop someone in occasionally.
By default, any team member can invite guests. But admins can manage this in:
Settings → Guests → Allow guest invitations
You can:
Want tighter control? You can restrict guest invitations so only admins or the org owner can send them. That way, access stays centralized and intentional.
Guests can:
Guests cannot:
This keeps their access simple, focused, and secure.
Admins can see which guests are active and what they have access to. If you need to invite new guests but hit your limit, you can quickly revoke access from inactive ones to free up slots.
We can’t wait to see how you use Guest Access.
Whether you’re looping in a freelance designer, a tax advisor, or just a teammate who doesn't need a full Missive seat — Guest Access gives you the power to collaborate where the conversation is happening.
Try it today and let us know what you think!
Can guests see the full history of the conversation?
Yes. Guests can view the entire message and chat history of any conversation they’re invited to.
Can guests reply to emails or send new ones?
No. Guests can only send chat messages. They cannot interact with the email side of the conversation.
Can guests be assigned to tasks or create tasks?
No. Guests don’t have access to task-related features in Missive.
Can guests @mention team members?
Yes. Guests can use @mentions in the chat area of the conversation to address specific people already present in the conversations. They can’t @mention people not present in the conversation.
What happens if I remove a guest from a conversation?
They will instantly lose access to that conversation and all its content.
Can I re-invite someone after removing them?
Absolutely. You can revoke access at any time and re-invite them later if needed.
Can I upgrade a guest to a full team member later?
Yes. If someone needs broader access, you can always add them as a regular user by assigning them a seat.
What if my guest has their own Missive organization?
They will be able to access the conversation(s) that you granted them, from their existing Missive interface. It will be treated like any other conversation.
December 22, 2022
Gmail Delegation: Why It Might Not Be for You
Thinking about Gmail delegation? Check the possible cons and risks first. This article looks at Gmail...
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of emails you receive each day? Are you struggling to keep up with the demands of your inbox?
You are not alone!
It can be easy to fall behind on your emails.
Some of you might be looking for a way to have their assistant manage their emails and calendar for them to finally achieve inbox zero.
Fortunately for you, there is a way to make it easier using email delegation. Google introduced Gmail delegation a little over a decade ago to help its users manage multiple email accounts and stay on top of their inboxes.
In this blog post, we will explore how to use Gmail delegation and why it might not be the best solution for you.
Email delegation is the process of delegating access to your email account to another person. This allows the delegate to access your inbox, reply to emails, and manage your emails on your behalf. It is a great way to save time and resources, as it allows someone else to handle your emails while you focus on other tasks.
This can be useful in a number of different situations. For example, if you are going on vacation and want someone else to be able to handle your email while you are away, you can delegate access to your account to that person.
To delegate access to your email account, you will need to set up a delegate relationship in your email client. This typically involves providing the email address of the person you want to delegate access to and granting them specific permissions.
Once the delegate relationship is set up, the delegate will be able to access your email account and perform certain actions. This may include reading and responding to emails, managing your calendar and schedule, and sending emails on your behalf.
Email delegation can be a useful tool for managing your email and ensuring that important tasks are taken care of even when you are unable to do so yourself.
It is important to remember, however, that delegation should be used with caution and only granted to people you trust.
Gmail Delegation is a feature offered in both the public and the Google Workspace version that allows you to give someone else (a Gmail delegate) access to your Gmail account.
This person can:
However, they can’t:
A delegated Gmail account allows you to give another person access to your Gmail account, while a Collaborative Inbox is a shared email account that multiple people can access and use to manage email communications.
A delegated account can be useful if you need someone else to manage your email while you are unavailable or if you want to share your Gmail account with someone else like an assistant.
Google Groups’ Collaborative Inbox, on the other hand, is a shared email account that is set up specifically to allow multiple people to access and manage email communications. A collaborative inbox is often used by teams or organizations to manage customer service inquiries or other shared communications. Multiple people can access a shared mailbox to see and respond to emails sent to the alias.
Email delegation has several benefits. These advantages include:
To summarize delegating emails can save you time, as you no longer have to manage your emails on your own. Additionally, email delegation can help to ensure that important emails are not missed or forgotten.
However, email delegation should be handled carefully and that access is only given to people you can trust. Make sure that expectations and rules for delegates are clear.
It is important to remember that email delegation is not the best solution for shared inboxes. A shared inbox tool is more suitable for your team to collaborate on shared aliases.
Setting up Gmail delegates can be done in only a few simple steps.
If your account is part of an organization, you'll first need to make sure that the Google Workspace admin has turned on email delegation for users.
Here’s how to set up Gmail delegation:
Gmail users with organizational emails can delegate access to a group with the same domain. Members outside of the group are not allowed to the delegated Gmail.
To access a Gmail delegated account, you need to be given delegated access by the owner of the account. Here's how to do it:
Once the delegated account is loaded, you’ll be able to manage the Gmail account exactly like you would with your account.
To remove delegate access in Gmail, follow these steps:
The removed delegate will no longer have access to your account and won’t be able to view or send emails from it.
There are several reasons why Gmail delegation may not be the best tool for delegating emails. A tool like Missive might be the best solution for your needs.
Here are the main limitations when using Gmail delegates.
When a delegate sends an email from the owner's account, the recipient will see that it was sent by the delegate and not the owner. This can be confusing and may not be suitable in all cases.
In Missive, emails sent by delegates aren’t different from an email sent by yourself. The recipient won’t be able to know if the email was sent by you or someone else on your behalf.
To delegate access to your Google calendar and Google contacts in addition to your emails, you need to grant delegate access to each of these separately. This can be inconvenient and time-consuming.
With Missive, you can share your calendar automatically so the person assisting you can create, respond and manage your events. Contacts contained in a contact book can also be shared with others. You can have multiple contact books if you want to keep some contacts private.
With Gmail delegation, you can only grant delegates the same level of access to all people. You cannot have multiple levels of delegates to manage their permissions like sending and deleting emails on your behalf.
When you grant the delegate access to your Gmail account, you are giving the delegate access to all of your emails. It is not possible to share only specific emails or folders with a delegate.
Missive makes it easy to manage the permissions you give to a delegate. You can give delegate access to certain emails or folders while keeping other emails and folders private. Additionally, you can easily revoke access to emails and folders whenever you need to. This makes it easy to manage and control your emails and folders, even when delegating access to others.
Gmail delegation is only available to users of Google Workspace (previously known as G Suite) or Gmail. If you are not using Google Workspace, you will not be able to use this feature. Additionally, you can also only add a delegate within your organization or with a Gmail address if you're not part of one. If you need to delegate tasks to someone outside of your organization or to someone who is not using Gmail, Gmail delegation is not an option.
With Missive you can share your inbox with anyone, there are no restrictions on the email provider you’re using or if the delegates have the same email domain as you.
Gmail delegation does not offer any built-in collaboration features. You and your delegate will not be able to work on emails together in real time. If you need to collaborate with your delegate on emails or other tasks, you will need to use another tool.
With Missive, you can chat with your delegates directly in an email conversation and even collaborate on drafts.
Overall, while Gmail delegation can be a useful feature in certain cases, it may not be the best tool for delegating emails depending on your needs and requirements.
Missive makes it easy and safe to delegate emails. You can decide who to delegate to, what access to give, and what actions are allowed - without having to share passwords.
Explore our ultimate guide to email delegation with Missive to learn how to get started.
Email delegation is a great way to manage multiple email accounts and stay on top of your inbox. You can save time and resources by delegating access to another person while ensuring that important emails are not missed or forgotten. So, if you are looking for a way to manage your emails more efficiently, email delegation may be just what you need.
