One inbox for every channel - with permissions, rules and no price per user
Customers write via WhatsApp, email, Telegram and forms. Internally everything lands in separate inboxes that only individual people can see. Tools like Superchat bundle the channels, but fall short on fine-grained user permissions, deep automation and the cost per user in large teams. Attek Solutions builds multichannel inboxes that recognise what a message is, reply by rules and process every enquiry as a case. Rented, from €500 a month.
Why off-the-shelf tools often fall short
Multichannel tools such as Superchat or Trengo solve the first problem well: every channel runs into one interface. For a small team with simple processes that is the right choice.
The limits show up in four places, and they show up exactly when the topic has become important enough to roll out widely:
Recognising what a message is
The difference between a bundled inbox and a useful system lies in what happens after a message arrives.
Four channels, one inbox — then recognition, routing and outbound in three stages
Matching
The sender is recognised — even when the same customer writes via WhatsApp today and by email tomorrow. The conversation belongs to the customer, not to the channel.
Classification
Is this an enquiry, an order, a complaint, a rescheduled appointment, a sick note? Rules and AI-assisted analysis recognise the message type and prepare the matching case — with the details that can be pulled from the message.
Routing
The case lands with the responsible person or group — by topic, customer group, language, utilisation or your own rules. With deadlines: anything left unanswered after the defined time escalates visibly instead of sitting there quietly.
Replying automatically — with control instead of full automation
Automatic replies are good where they help immediately and dangerous where they get it wrong. That is why they come in stages that you define per message type:
Instant, automatic
Acknowledgements, opening hours, the status of an order, recurring questions with one clear answer.
As a draft
The system drafts it, an employee checks and sends. The standard for anything substantive.
Human only
Complaints, price negotiations, anything sensitive — here the system only prepares the file.
Replies sent automatically are marked as such, and any conversation can be taken over by a human at any time — including the full history.
Permissions down to the level of the individual chat
The most common concrete reason why teams move from off-the-shelf tools to us:
| Permission | per channel | per customer group | per individual chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read along | support inbox yes, sales channel no | key accounts only for the key account team | HR topic excluded from the team view |
| Reply | granted separately from reading | apprentice reads along, does not reply | escalation only by the team lead |
| Assign | separate distribution lists per channel | governed by customer group | individual case can be handed over |
| Export | a separate permission, not included in reading | a separate permission | logged |
| Cover arrangements | granted for a defined period, instead of passing on passwords | ||
| Audit log | who read, replied to or exported what, and when | ||
The message is the beginning, not the end
An inbox that is only an inbox shifts the problem: instead of sitting in five mailboxes, everything sits in one tool — but it still sits.
In a system of your own, the message becomes a case in your world: the recognised order becomes an order, the enquiry becomes a quote, the sick note becomes a submission to the payroll office, the complaint becomes a case with a deadline. The history stays attached to the customer and the case — even when the conversation switches channel.
How it works
- 01Intro call, 30 minutes. You describe your problem. We tell you honestly whether custom software pays off for you or whether off-the-shelf software is the better choice.
- 02Personal demo. Instead of slides you get software: we take a problem you described in the intro call and show it to you as a working application. That way you judge from your own case whether the effort is worth it, before you sign anything.
- 03Requirements workshop. We go through your workflows until we have understood them completely. Free of charge.
- 04Signing the contract. After the requirements workshop you receive a fixed monthly price for your requirements, and we sign the contracts.
- 05First productive version after one to two months. This is when you start paying — not before.
- 06Operations and continued development. Your workflows now run automatically and your team gains time for the business. We take care of operations, maintenance and support.
The process in detail — including what you contribute yourself →
The alternatives compared
| Criterion | Separate inboxes | Multichannel toolSuperchat, Trengo | Attek CSaaS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every channel in one interface | no | yes | yes |
| Recognition of the message type | no | rudimentary | by design |
| Automatic replies with approval stages | out-of-office note | text snippets | part of the solution |
| Permissions per channel, group and chat | per inbox | coarse | part of the solution |
| Message becomes a case in your own system | no | interfaces, limited | by design |
| Conversations in your own data holdings | partly | with the provider | yes |
| Cost with 50–200 employees | — | price per user, adds up | monthly price by scope, not by headcount |
| Upfront investment | none | low | €0 |
| Running costs | working time | per user/month | €500–1,000/month, everything included |
When an off-the-shelf tool is the better choice
An off-the-shelf tool is the better choice when the budget is small and the case stays a standard case: a small team, a manageable set of channels, no special permission requirements, and the message does not have to be processed anywhere else. Superchat or a comparable tool is then quicker to set up and cheaper.
Talk to us as soon as you roll out to many employees. Off-the-shelf tools cost per user and month; our price follows the functional scope, not the number of users — from €500 a month, typically €500–1,000. The gap grows with every hire. On top of that comes the point no subscription solves: when the inbox is not the destination but the entrance to your processes, every message becomes a prepared case instead of manual work. Enquiries that are left lying today are revenue you are giving away.
Frequently asked questions
We cannot find a multichannel tool that fits us. What are the options?
If permission management, depth of automation or the cost per user is the problem, another subscription is rarely the answer — the tools share the same limits. The alternative is a custom-built inbox that reflects your permission model, your reply rules and your downstream processing, and whose price does not grow with your headcount.
Which channels can be connected?
WhatsApp via the Business interface, email inboxes, Telegram, web forms and further channels as needed. Which ones are included in the first version is set out in the service description.
Can the system recognise whether a message is an enquiry or an order?
Yes. Messages are classified by rules and AI-assisted analysis, matched to the customer and passed to the responsible team as a prepared case. Anything unusual lands with a human, anything unambiguous runs through.
Can replies be sent automatically?
Yes, in stages that you define per message type: instantly and automatically, as a checked draft, or exclusively by an employee. Automatic replies are marked, and any conversation can be taken over by a human at any time.
Can permissions be granted for individual chats?
Yes — per channel, per customer group and per individual conversation, with separate roles for reading along, replying, assigning and exporting, including cover arrangements and an audit log. This is one of the most common reasons why teams switch away from off-the-shelf tools.
What does this cost with 100 employees?
Largely the same as with 20: the monthly price follows the scope of the solution in the first instance — channels, rules, connections — not the number of seats. Typical figures are €500 to €1,000 a month, with a lower limit of €500 and no setup fee. Above a certain number of users a surcharge is added, because support and account management grow with the number of employees. That is not a licence per seat: the amount is agreed in conversation and is negotiable with us.
Where does the conversation data sit?
In your system, with defined deletion periods and a contractually agreed data processing agreement — not in the data holdings of a tool provider. For channels such as WhatsApp, the platform’s requirements apply as well and are taken into account in the implementation.
Can existing conversations be migrated from our current tool?
As far as the tool allows an export, yes — histories are matched to customers and stay searchable. The scope is clarified in the workshop.
Show us a typical day in your inboxes.
In the intro call we go through what comes in, who sees it and what should become of it. 30 minutes, free of charge.
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