What does a Microsoft 365 shared mailbox give you?
A shared mailbox gives several people access to one address, such as info@ or support@, and users with the right permissions can send as or on behalf of it. Microsoft's documentation says a shared mailbox can store up to 50 GB without a licence, supports a maximum of 25 users, and is not meant for direct sign-in: block sign-in for its account and keep it blocked. You cannot prevent users deleting messages in a shared mailbox; Microsoft suggests a Microsoft 365 group if you need that. Ownership is shown by convention, such as categories, flags or folders, so it depends on everyone following the same rules.
What does a Google collaborative inbox give you?
In Google Workspace, a Google Group can be set up as a Collaborative Inbox. Members with the right permissions can take a conversation, assign it to another member with an optional note, and search by assignment status. The assignee receives an automated email notification. Conversations can be marked complete, no action needed or duplicate, and labels can categorise them. Google warns that deleting resolved conversations removes them permanently. It gives more structure than a plain shared mailbox, and the permissions for each role need setting with care.
When does a helpdesk make sense?
Helpdesk products such as Zendesk, Freshdesk and Help Scout turn each email into a ticket with an assignee, a status and a history, and report on response and resolution times. They suit teams where several people answer the same address all day, where managers need to see the backlog by person, or where customers need a reference number. The costs are a move away from the email client staff know, per-agent licences, and the work of setting up views, macros and rules. A helpdesk does not decide what a message means. Someone still writes the rules that sort it.
What does an AI triage layer add?
AI triage reads each incoming message, applies a category, priority and owner based on rules you approve, and drafts a reply for a person to check. It can run on a shared mailbox, a collaborative inbox or a helpdesk. What it adds is consistent sorting of messages that simple keyword rules miss, such as a complaint written politely or a booking change buried in a long thread. It needs the same groundwork as the other options: categories, owners, and a written list of messages that must never get an automatic reply.
How do you choose for your team?
Start from the problem you can see. If messages go unanswered because nobody knows who owns them, fix ownership first, with conventions in a shared mailbox or assignment in a collaborative inbox or helpdesk. If owners are clear but sorting and first drafts take most of the day, AI triage addresses that. If managers cannot see the backlog or response times, a helpdesk's reporting is the main gain. Gather the facts below before you compare products.
Hypothetical example: a four-person property office receives about 120 emails a day at info@. Two people answer them, and replies are slow mainly because nobody can tell who has picked up a message. A shared mailbox with one agreed category per person, plus a rule that any uncategorised message older than two hours goes to the office manager, fixes ownership first. AI sorting is worth reconsidering once that works.
- Messages a day, and how many people answer them.
- From 50 recent messages, how many needed a reply, a forward or nothing.
- The systems replies depend on, such as bookings, invoices or orders.
- Who covers the inbox during leave and sick days.
What drives the cost of each option?
The cost drivers differ even before prices come in. A shared mailbox carries little licence cost but relies on staff discipline. Microsoft notes that licences are needed for a shared mailbox over 50 GB, for in-place archiving and for litigation hold. A helpdesk is usually priced per agent and needs someone to maintain views and rules. AI triage needs time from your team to approve categories and review drafts while the rules settle in. Our plans are on the pricing page, and setup scope is agreed after a short conversation about your inbox.