The Problem with Traditional Inboxes
Traditional guest messaging tools are message-first — your team sees a chronological list of conversations and has to figure out which ones need action. This creates cognitive overload:- Hundreds of messages, most already handled by AI
- No clear way to see what’s urgent vs. routine
- Important tasks buried in conversation threads
- No tracking of whether issues were resolved
Cendra’s Task-First Approach
Cendra flips the model. Instead of “here are your messages, figure it out,” Cendra says “here are your tasks, take action”:| Traditional inbox | Cendra’s approach |
|---|---|
| Message list sorted by time | Issues sorted by priority and status |
| You scan messages to find problems | Cendra extracts issues automatically |
| No tracking of resolution | Issues have statuses and workflows |
| AI handles messages silently | AI surfaces what it can’t handle as tasks |
How Issues Are Created
Issues are created automatically when:| Trigger | Example |
|---|---|
| AI escalation | AI can’t answer a guest’s question and needs human help |
| Missing knowledge | Guest asked something not in the knowledge base |
| Guest complaint | AI detects negative sentiment or frustration |
| Maintenance request | Guest reports a property issue |
| Tag-based escalation | Message matches an urgent or high-priority tag |
| Manual creation | Team member creates an issue from a conversation |
Issue Workflow States
Each issue follows a clear workflow:| State | Description |
|---|---|
| Open | Issue needs attention — action required |
| In Progress | Someone is working on it |
| Waiting | Waiting for guest response or external action |
| Resolved | Issue has been handled and closed |
Next Action Mechanism
Every open issue has a clear Next Action — what specifically needs to happen next. This eliminates ambiguity:- “Reply to guest about refund request” (not just “unread message”)
- “Add WiFi password to knowledge base” (not just “missing info”)
- “Contact maintenance about broken AC” (not just “complaint”)
Issues on the Dashboard
The Dashboard provides a real-time overview of all active issues:- Active issue count — how many items need attention right now
- Issue breakdown — by type, property, and urgency
- Escalation trends — track whether issues are increasing or decreasing over time
- Resolution metrics — how quickly your team closes issues
How Issues Reduce Noise
Cendra’s AI handles 80%+ of guest messages automatically. The remaining messages that need human attention become issues. This means your team’s task list is short, focused, and actionable — instead of a firehose of conversations. The result:- Less time scanning messages — issues tell you exactly what needs attention
- Faster resolution — clear next actions mean less deliberation
- Nothing falls through the cracks — every escalation becomes a tracked issue
- Measurable performance — track resolution time and issue volume over time
Creating Issues Manually
While most issues are created automatically by AI escalations, your team can also create issues manually:- Open a conversation in the Inbox
- Click Create Issue
- Add a description and assign priority
- The issue appears on the Dashboard for tracking