Every customer interaction tells a story. By tracking conversations across all channels, you gain insights into customer needs, preferences, and buying patterns—helping you serve them better and close more deals.
Understanding the Customer Timeline
The customer timeline shows every interaction in chronological order:
- Messages (WhatsApp, SMS, Instagram, Email)
- Phone calls (if integrated)
- Bookings and appointments
- Purchases or payments
- Notes added by your team
- Status changes (lead stage movements)
Access a Customer's Timeline
Go to CRM → All Contacts
Click any contact name to open their profile
The timeline appears on the right side, showing all activity.
Viewing Conversation History
See All Messages
In the customer profile, click the Messages tab
You'll see:
- All messages across all channels (unified view)
- Timestamps for each message
- Which channel was used (WhatsApp icon, SMS icon, etc.)
- Whether AI or human responded
- Read/delivered status
Filter by Channel
Click the channel filter to view messages from specific platforms:
- WhatsApp only
- SMS only
- Instagram DM only
- Email only
- Website Chat only
Use channel filtering to understand where customers prefer to communicate. If someone always uses WhatsApp, reach out there instead of email.
Multi-Channel Conversation View
Customers often switch between channels. The unified view connects the dots:
Example Customer Journey:
- Day 1, 2pm: Instagram DM - "Do you do balayage?"
- Day 1, 2:05pm: AI responds via Instagram
- Day 2, 10am: WhatsApp - "Can I book for Saturday?"
- Day 2, 10:10am: Booking confirmed via WhatsApp
- Day 5: SMS reminder sent
- Day 6: Appointment completed
- Day 7: Email - "Thanks! Can I rebook?"
All of this appears in one timeline, giving you the complete picture.
Conversation Analytics
View Conversation Metrics
At the top of each customer profile, you'll see:
- Total Messages: How many times you've communicated
- Response Time: How quickly you typically reply
- Last Contact: When you last interacted
- Preferred Channel: Where they message most
- Engagement Score: How active/responsive they are
Understanding Customer Journeys
View the Journey Map
Click Journey tab to see a visual representation:
This shows:
- Awareness: How they discovered you
- Consideration: Questions asked, services explored
- Decision: What made them book
- Experience: Service delivery and feedback
- Loyalty: Repeat bookings and referrals
Identify Patterns
Look for trends across multiple customers:
- Do Instagram leads convert faster than Google leads?
- How many touchpoints before booking?
- What questions do people ask before buying?
- Which services lead to repeat customers?
Exporting Conversation Data
Export Individual Conversations
To save or share a conversation:
- Open the customer profile
- Click ⋮ menu → Export Conversation
- Choose format (PDF, CSV, or TXT)
- Download the file
Bulk Export for Analysis
To analyze conversation data across all customers:
- Go to CRM → Analytics → Conversations
- Set date range and filters
- Click Export Data
- Open in Excel or Google Sheets for analysis
Privacy and Data Retention
Conversation data contains personal information. Handle it responsibly and comply with privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.).
Data Retention Settings
Configure how long to keep conversation history:
- Forever: Keep all conversations (default)
- 1 year: Auto-delete after 12 months
- 2 years: Auto-delete after 24 months
- Custom: Set your own retention period
Go to Settings → Privacy → Data Retention to configure.
Customer Data Requests
If a customer requests their data or deletion:
- Go to their profile
- Click ⋮ → Privacy Actions
- Choose Export Customer Data or Delete Customer
- Confirm the action
Best Practices
- Review before calling: Check conversation history before phone calls to avoid repeating questions
- Note key insights: Add notes about preferences discovered in conversations
- Track sentiment: Pay attention to tone—frustrated customers need special care
- Identify upsell opportunities: Look for hints about additional needs
- Learn from patterns: Common questions indicate FAQ gaps
- Respect privacy: Don't share conversation data without permission
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I search within conversations?
Yes! Use the search bar at the top of the Messages tab to find specific words or phrases across all conversations with that customer.
How far back does conversation history go?
From the day you connected each channel. If you connected WhatsApp 6 months ago, you'll see 6 months of WhatsApp history.
Can I delete individual messages?
No, for compliance reasons. You can delete entire conversations or customer records, but not individual messages.
Do customers see my internal notes?
No. Notes, tags, and internal comments are never visible to customers.
Can I see deleted messages?
If a customer deletes a message on their end (e.g., WhatsApp), it shows as "[Message deleted]" but you can't see the original content.
Troubleshooting
Missing messages in timeline
Solution: Check if the channel was connected at that time. Messages before integration won't appear. Verify date filters aren't hiding messages.
Conversations from different people merged
Solution: This happens if they used the same phone number. Go to the profile and click "Split Contact" to separate them.
Can't export conversations
Solution: Check your user permissions. Only admins can export data. Contact your account owner for access.
Timeline showing wrong order
Solution: Timezone mismatch. Go to Settings → Business Details and verify your timezone is correct.