Put someone in charge of each request
A shared agent inbox and staff takeover help the team see which questions still need attention. Agree how requests are assigned so two colleagues do not answer the same one.
A practical guide / Omnichannel
Watermelon
Give your team one place to keep conversations moving.
Bring supported channels into a shared inbox, answer routine questions with AI, and put someone in charge of the requests that need more help. Consider Watermelon when messages arrive through several apps and your team needs a clearer way to manage them.
Explore WatermelonProduct information checked .
- Limited free plan
- €0
- Starter / month
- €99
- Included in listed standard plans
- 1 user
- 250 extra conversations / month
- €25
01 / What it can help with
Give the tool a clear job to do.
See which features can help with your task. Use current information, put someone in charge, and decide when staff should step in.
Use information that is up to date
Website scraping and file uploads are listed from Free. Choose someone to maintain fees, policies, service details, and opening hours before automating answers.
Connect the channels people already use
Starter lists email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram DM integrations alongside website chat. Check the account requirements and any channel charges before connecting them.
Give actions a clear task
Paid plans list AI actions such as handoff, search, apps, and API requests. Decide exactly which data an action may retrieve or change. Test what happens when it succeeds and when it fails.
Track requests and results
Starter lists basic analytics. Advanced adds advanced analytics and integrations such as Zapier, API access, and webhooks. Track unresolved requests and repeat contacts alongside automated replies.
Check the controls your team needs
Business lists teams, role-based access, data exports and deletion features, and automatic data sync. Extra users are an add-on; the listed plans each include one user.
02 / The work in practice
See how it could help with everyday work.
These examples show ways a business or institution could use the tool. Adapt the steps to your systems, team, and access rules.
01Business / Retail supportHandle a delivery enquiry without starting over in another app
A customer asks about a return in website chat and follows up on WhatsApp. The team needs the conversation history, someone responsible for the request, and a clear way to pass it to staff when needed.
What to prepare
Delivery and returns policies, product information, channel access, responsible support staff, and an approved process for verifying access to order details.
When a person takes over
Ask staff to handle refund approvals, disputed deliveries, missing or mismatched customer identity, and failed order lookups. Matching a person’s identity across channels needs a tested setup. Do not assume it happens automatically.
Steps to follow
- Answer general policy and product questions using approved information.
- Use a configured order lookup only when it can safely retrieve the right customer’s order.
- Pass requests that need more help to the right support person, with the available conversation history.
- Record the outcome so an unresolved request does not get lost when the customer changes channels.
What to measure
Time to resolve a request; repeat contacts; conversations left unattended; staff time spent piecing together a request.
02Institute / Admissions and receptionKeep open-day and admissions questions moving
Course enquiries, open-day questions, and application queries arrive through social media messages and the website during a busy intake period.
What to prepare
Programme and intake information, open-day details, published application steps, support hours, and a list showing which adviser handles each type of request.
When a person takes over
Staff should handle admission decisions, individual student records, support needs, and complaints. The inbox should help advisers do their work, while leaving decisions about students to them.
Steps to follow
- Identify whether the question is about a programme, event details, application help, or a request for an adviser.
- Answer routine public questions using current material and state the programme or event date.
- Collect only the details needed for the requested follow-up.
- Send requests for personal guidance and unresolved applications to an adviser, with a realistic reply time.
What to measure
Correct routine answers; open-day follow-ups completed; how long requests wait for an adviser; repeated questions caused by unclear public information.
03Institution / Public-facing service deskExplain the steps before a resident has to call
Residents or members ask where to find a form, which documents a published process requires, and when a service desk is open.
What to prepare
Approved public service pages, document checklists, opening hours, accessibility contact details, and the team responsible for each process.
When a person takes over
Staff should handle eligibility decisions, identity documents, complaints, and information about individual cases. Keep an accessible way to reach a person throughout the process.
Steps to follow
- Identify the service the person needs and explain its published steps.
- State the documents listed for that process without assessing personal eligibility.
- Explain the next step and send unclear questions to the right team.
- Each week, review unanswered questions with the person responsible for public information.
What to measure
Next steps completed successfully; requests sent to the right team; unanswered topics; requests that returned because the first answer was incomplete.
03 / Start small
Try one task your team can check.
Compare the same kind of work before and during the trial. Include preparation, checking, and any requests staff need to handle.
- 01
Understand the requests first
Count the question types and channels already in use. Agree who handles each request, when staff reply, and what counts as a resolved conversation before adding automation.
- 02
Connect one channel and test
Use current answers and a small set of routine questions. Check that staff can take over, and test what happens when staff are unavailable or an action fails. Give these checks as much attention as successful replies.
- 03
Expand when the results support it
Review conversations daily during the trial. Add a second channel only after the team can reliably identify requests that need more help, assign them to someone, and resolve them on the first channel.
04 / Budget
Know the full cost before you subscribe.
The prices below use monthly billing. Check current plans, taxes, how usage is counted, and any extra channel charges before subscribing.
Plan
Free
Test answers and how chat works on your website.
€0/month
- 50 conversations / month
- 1 AI agent · 1 user
- 10 MB knowledge
- Website widget and agent inbox
Plan
Starter
Connect routine support to more channels.
€99/month
- 250 conversations / month
- 1 AI action · 1 user
- 50 MB knowledge
- Listed messaging and email integrations
Plan
Advanced
More actions, integrations, and analytics.
€199/month
- 500 conversations / month
- 5 AI actions · 1 user
- 250 MB knowledge
- API, webhooks, and Zapier
Plan
Business
Team controls and automatic data sync.
€399/month
- 1,000 conversations / month
- 10 AI actions · 1 user
- 1 GB knowledge
- Teams and role-based access
Published EUR prices with monthly billing. Annual billing advertises 15% savings. Paid-plan add-ons are listed at €25 per extra user, €25 per extra agent, and €25 per 250 extra conversations per month. Include any channel or integration charges. Check which conversations count towards your bill before estimating usage. Enterprise pricing is custom.
05 / Check the results
Measure what your team can finish.
Record how the task works today, then compare the trial results. Include time spent checking answers and making corrections.
- Time waiting for a reply
- Measure the time since the last useful reply on each unresolved conversation. Group results by channel and the person responsible.
- Resolved and repeated requests
- Check whether the question was resolved and whether the same person returned with the same problem.
- Cost for the whole team
- Include the subscription, extra users, extra conversations, integrations, and cost of time spent reviewing or taking over.
06 / Our recommendation
Choose a tool that fits the way you work.
Consider Watermelon when your team struggles to coordinate replies as well as answer repeated questions. Start with one group of requests and put someone in charge. Connect more channels once the team has a reliable process.
What to check before you choose
- Is someone responsible for every open conversation?
- How many staff users need access?
- Which channel connections and AI actions are required?
- Can the team take over with the conversation history they need?
When to pause
A single, quiet contact channel may not justify a shared support platform. Do not build a process that changes live records until identity checks, integrations, and failure handling are ready.
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07 / Questions before you start
Get the details clear before you start.
Does the advertised price include my whole team?
The current comparison lists one user in Free, Starter, Advanced, and Business. Extra users are listed at €25 per user per month on paid plans. Include the actual number of staff users in your estimate.
Which channels are listed?
Website chat is listed from Free; Starter adds email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram DM integrations. Check the account requirements, plan availability, and costs of the channel you need.
Will conversations automatically match across channels?
Do not assume a person’s social account, email, and phone number are automatically matched. Decide how identities and records will be connected. Then test a change of channel with the person’s consent and the required permissions.
Can an institute use it for student enquiries?
Watermelon publishes an education workflow covering programme, admission, and open-day questions. Start a trial with public information and pass requests for individual advice to staff.
Does a security badge make our workflow compliant?
The vendor publishes security and privacy information. Your organisation must still approve the data used, who can access it, how long it is kept, and how the process works. Confirm the evidence and agreement your task requires.