How to Manage SMS and Email in One Inbox for Your Service Business

Why a unified inbox matters for service businesses

If you run a service business — gutter cleaning, pressure washing, landscaping, plumbing, or HVAC — customer messages come from everywhere. A homeowner texts you about a quote. Another sends an email asking about availability. Most small business owners juggle three or four different apps just to read and reply to customers. The result? You miss messages. Replies take hours. Leads go cold.

A unified inbox solves this by pulling every customer conversation — SMS and email — into a single screen. You see everything in one place, reply from the same interface, and never lose a message again.

What "unified inbox" means

A unified inbox is a single dashboard that shows all your customer conversations from multiple communication channels. Instead of opening your SMS app, then your email, you open one screen. Every message appears in chronological order. When you reply, the system sends your response through the correct channel automatically.

How to manage customer messages across channels (the method)

1. Use as few channels as necessary — every additional channel adds complexity. Start with SMS and email.
2. Reply within 15 minutes during business hours. Speed is the #1 factor in converting SMS leads.
3. Keep the whole history attached to the customer. Don't lose context when you switch from SMS to email.
4. Use automated notifications for routine updates — for example, an "On my way" SMS when a technician leaves for a job (uses 1 SMS credit).
5. Use the "Claim" button to indicate you're handling a conversation — formal assignment to other team members is on the roadmap.

DunaHub's unified inbox does all five automatically.

How DunaHub's unified inbox works

DunaHub includes a unified inbox on every plan, including Free. It brings together SMS, email, and WhatsApp (as an additional channel) into one screen:

• Unified conversation list — all channels shown together in a single thread per customer
• Full message history — every SMS, email, and WhatsApp message attached to the lead
• Reply from anywhere — respond directly from the inbox; DunaHub sends through the correct channel
• Real-time notifications — browser and mobile alerts for new messages
• Two-way SMS — powered by Twilio using prepaid credits
• Email sync (IMAP/SMTP) — automatic sync with threading, available on Starter and above
• "On my way" automated SMS — triggers when a technician marks a job as "in progress" (uses 1 SMS credit per send)

For comparison: Jobber and Housecall Pro don't include WhatsApp at all — communication is SMS and email only. DunaHub brings everything into one inbox.

What it costs

• WhatsApp: free (no per-message cost, no external API fees)
• Email sync (IMAP/SMTP): included on Starter plan ($9.90/month) and above
• SMS: prepaid credits — 100 messages for $9, 200 for $15, 500 for $29, 1,000 for $49
• "On my way" SMS: uses 1 SMS credit per send

Who it's for

• Contractors and home-service businesses in North America who rely on SMS for customer communication
• Small business owners tired of switching between their text app, email, and a separate CRM
• Teams that need a shared inbox so multiple people can reply without missing messages

How to set it up in DunaHub

SMS (Twilio): Go to Settings → SMS Credits → purchase prepaid credits. DunaHub uses a shared Twilio number by default; a dedicated number is available per organization.

Email (IMAP/SMTP — Starter+): Go to Settings → Email → enter your IMAP and SMTP credentials. DunaHub syncs automatically.

WhatsApp (additional channel): Go to Settings → WhatsApp → scan the QR code with your phone (~30 seconds).

Use cases

Plumbing company: A homeowner sends an SMS at 8 PM asking for an emergency leak fix. The owner sees the message instantly in the unified inbox, replies from his laptop, and books the job. The next day, when the plumber marks the job as "in progress," an automated "On my way" SMS goes to the customer (1 credit used).

Landscaping business: A customer sends an email asking to reschedule. The office manager opens the unified inbox, sees the email alongside the SMS history from last week, and replies. The entire conversation stays attached to the lead.

Compliance & limits

• WhatsApp: requires an active connected instance via QR code. No per-message fees.
• SMS: prepaid credits required for outgoing messages. Incoming is free.
• Email (IMAP/SMTP): available only on Starter plan and above.
• Free plan: includes WhatsApp and the unified inbox interface — but not email sync.
• No per-user fees for any communication channel.

Related guides

• Best free CRM pipeline for service businesses
• Job scheduling and field service management
• Automated Google review requests

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Last updated: June 9, 2026 · Applies to: DunaHub (US + BR) · Feature name: Unified Inbox