What the option does
When you send a proactive message, you can optionally have Octopods open a conversation thread in your CRM at the same time as it sends the message. The effect:
The sent message appears as the first message in a new CRM conversation.
Any reply the customer sends back lands in that same conversation thread.
Agents working in the CRM inbox see the reply just like any other incoming message.
If you skip the option, Octopods sends the message but does not create or touch any CRM conversation. The customer can still reply — the reply will be ingested normally as a new inbound conversation or added to whatever existing thread the CRM routes it to.
Where the option appears
The wording and mechanism depend on where you send from:
Surface | How it appears |
Intercom Inbox App | Two send buttons: Send message (no conversation) and Send message & open Intercom conversation (create a new Intercom conversation). |
HubSpot extension | No user-facing toggle — the HubSpot CRM card always creates or reuses a conversation thread for replies after the send. |
Reach browser extension | A checkbox above the send button. When checked, the label reads Start new conversation in [Intercom or HubSpot]; when unchecked, Send without conversation in [Intercom or HubSpot]. |
API | An |
The option is consistent across channels — SMS, WhatsApp, and Viber Business Messages (VBM) all support it, though the destination inbox differs (Intercom for Intercom-facing surfaces, HubSpot for HubSpot).
When to turn it on
Turn it on when you expect a reply and want agents to handle that reply in the CRM:
Customer support check-ins
Quote follow-ups
Appointment reminders that might prompt a reschedule request
Re-engagement campaigns where replies are the whole point
When to leave it off
Leave it off for one-way messages where no reply is expected or needed:
Order confirmations
Shipping tracking numbers
Automated verification codes
Bulk operational notifications
Skipping the option keeps your CRM inbox focused on conversations that actually need attention, rather than filling it with one-way notifications that no one will reply to.
What to know before turning it on
Conversations count toward your CRM. Every conversation you open uses an Intercom or HubSpot seat/message quota the same way any other conversation does.
Replies route back automatically. Once a conversation is open, the provider’s inbound routing handles replies — they appear in the thread without any further setup.
Teammate attribution. When you use the API, you can pass
intercom_teammate_idto attribute the sent message to a specific Intercom teammate. See the API articles for the exact field.WhatsApp channel support. Some older WhatsApp integrations do not route replies back into Intercom even when a conversation is opened. The newer WhatsApp Cloud API integration always does.
What’s next