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# How to create and use Operator Teams in Crisp

*This article explains how to create and use Operator Teams to organize customer support teams, manage shared inbox access, and route conversations more efficiently in Crisp.*

Operator Teams let you group operators by department, role, or responsibility and reuse that group across your Crisp workspace.

Instead of selecting the same operators every time you configure a sub-inbox, create a routing rule, or notify a department, you can manage the team from one place. Crisp automatically reflects membership changes wherever that team is used.

This helps growing teams maintain clearer responsibilities and reduce repetitive workspace management when working from a [shared inbox](https://crisp.chat/en/shared-inbox/).

|| Operator Teams are available on Crisp Plus and Enterprise plans.

**This guide is split into practical sections:**

* [Understand Operator Teams](#1-understand-operator-teams) → see how teams simplify collaboration and workspace management
* [Create an Operator Team](#1-create-an-operator-team) → group operators around a shared responsibility
* [Add or remove team members](#1-add-or-remove-team-members) → keep team membership synchronized
* [Mention a team in a conversation](#1-mention-a-team-in-a-conversation) → notify the right department in one action
* [Give a team access to a sub-inbox](#1-give-a-team-access-to-a-sub-inbox) → manage access without selecting operators individually
* [Route conversations to a team](#1-route-conversations-to-a-team) → assign matching conversations to one eligible team member
* [Manage teams over time](#1-manage-teams-over-time) → keep your organization accurate as responsibilities change
* [Best practices](#1-best-practices) → build a clear and maintainable team structure

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Understand Operator Teams)

An Operator Team is a reusable group of operators inside your Crisp workspace.

A team can represent a department such as **Support**, **Sales**, or **Billing**. It can also represent a language, region, product line, or area of expertise.

Once created, the same team can be used across several Crisp features:

* **Team mentions** → notify all current members from a conversation
* **Sub-inbox access** → give the team access to a private conversation queue
* **Operator Routing** → assign matching conversations to one eligible member

The main benefit is centralized membership management. When someone joins or leaves a team, you do not need to manually update every mention, sub-inbox, or routing rule that uses it.

For example, adding a new operator to the Support team can make them eligible for Support routing rules and give them access to the private sub-inboxes connected to that team.

| An Operator Team is not an inbox and does not own conversations as a group. When a routing rule targets a team, Crisp assigns the conversation to one eligible member.

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Create an Operator Team)

Operator Teams are managed alongside the operators in your workspace.

Go to **Settings → Workspace Settings → Operators & Teams**.

**To create an Operator Team:**

1. Click **Add Team**
2. Choose an icon
3. Enter a team name
4. Select the operators who should belong to it
5. Save the team

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/7/a/e/87ae2703583ac800/manage-operators-and-teams-in-_p2ni2x.png =800x661)

Choose a name that makes the team's responsibility immediately clear wherever it appears.

Good examples include:

* Customer Support
* Sales
* Billing
* Customer Success
* Technical Support

Avoid generic names such as **Team 1** or **Main Team**. Clear names make mentions, access settings, and routing rules easier to understand later.

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Add or remove team members)

You can update an existing team from **Settings → Workspace Settings → Operators & Teams**.

Open the team, then add or remove operators from its member list. Crisp automatically applies the change everywhere that team is already used.

For example:

* A new member becomes available in routing rules targeting the team
* A removed member no longer receives team mentions
* Team-based access to private sub-inboxes is updated automatically

Removing an operator from a team does not remove their account from the workspace. It only removes the access and behavior inherited through that team.

A workspace can contain up to **20 Operator Teams**, with up to **100 members per team**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/7/a/e/87ae2703583ac800/create-operator-team-and-add-m_6b6yqz.png =800x628)

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Mention a team in a conversation)

Team mentions help operators involve the right department without mentioning every teammate individually.

**To mention an Operator Team:**

1. Open a conversation in the Crisp Inbox
2. Start writing a message or private note
3. Type `@`
4. Select the team
5. Send the message

Every current member of the team receives the notification.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/7/a/e/87ae2703583ac800/mention-operator-team-in-crisp_1lnkxoz.png =800x462)

This is useful when a conversation needs input from another department, several specialists should review a case, or an important request needs immediate visibility.

For example, a support operator can mention the **Billing** team in a private note when a refund request needs validation.

| Mentioning a team only sends a notification. It does not move or assign the conversation.

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Give a team access to a sub-inbox)

Operator Teams make private sub-inboxes easier to manage.

Instead of selecting the same operators one by one, you can give access to a team. All current team members can then see the sub-inbox and open its conversations.

**To give a team access:**

1. Go to **Settings → Inbox Settings → Sub-Inboxes**
2. Create or open a sub-inbox
3. Set its access to **Private**
4. Select the Operator Team
5. Save the sub-inbox

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/7/a/e/87ae2703583ac800/give-operator-team-access-to-p_12ek0vr.png =800x636)

Because access is connected to the team, it stays synchronized with its membership:

* New members gain access automatically
* Removed members lose the access provided through the team
* Individual operators can still be added separately when needed

This is particularly useful for sensitive or specialized queues such as **Billing**, **VIP Support**, or **Technical Escalations**.

| Sub-inbox access controls who can view conversations. It does not automatically assign those conversations to the team.

To learn how to organize conversation queues and routing conditions, read [**How to create and manage sub-inboxes in Crisp**](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-create-and-use-sub-inboxes-ke3xk7/).

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Route conversations to a team)

Operator Teams can be used as assignment targets in automatic routing rules.

This is useful when several operators share the same responsibility and Crisp should select the right person automatically.

For example, a billing rule can target the **Billing** team instead of listing each billing operator individually.

**To route conversations to a team:**

1. Go to **Settings → Inbox Settings → Operator Routing**
2. Create or edit a routing rule
3. Define the conditions conversations should match
4. Select the Operator Team as the assignment target
5. Save and enable the rule

When a conversation matches the rule, Crisp assigns it to **one eligible member** of the selected team.

The conversation is not assigned to the entire team. Crisp applies your routing configuration to choose an operator based on factors such as eligibility, availability, rule order, and distribution.

Using a team keeps the rule easier to maintain. You can update its members without rebuilding every routing condition that targets that department.

For a complete explanation of rule priority, balanced distribution, offline operators, and fallback behavior, read [**How to route and assign conversations to operators in Crisp**](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-route-and-assign-conversations-to-operators-in-crisp-qjl2d2/).

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Manage teams over time)

Review your Operator Teams whenever your internal organization changes.

You may need to update a team when:

* Someone joins or leaves a department
* An operator changes responsibilities
* A team becomes too broad
* A new area of expertise requires its own group

You can rename a team, change its icon, and update its members from **Settings → Workspace Settings → Operators & Teams**.

Before deleting a team, review the sub-inboxes and routing rules where it is used. Replace it with another team or select operators individually when necessary.

A regular review helps prevent outdated access, missed mentions, or routing rules that target the wrong people.

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Best practices)

A good Operator Team structure should remain easy for workspace owners to maintain and easy for operators to understand.

**Recommended practices:**

* Create teams around stable departments or responsibilities
* Use clear and recognizable names
* Avoid placing every operator in every team
* Keep similar teams distinct only when their responsibilities are genuinely different
* Review membership when roles change
* Test routing rules after important team updates

Operator Teams reduce repetitive management, but each team should still have a clear operational purpose.

For example, **Customer Support** and **Technical Support** may justify separate teams when they use different sub-inboxes and routing logic. Two teams with almost identical members and responsibilities usually create unnecessary complexity.

---

# ${color}[#0080dd](Frequently Asked Questions)

*Still have questions which were not covered in this article? Here is a collection of the most frequently asked questions on this topic.*

###### ${color}[#F08820](Can one operator belong to several teams?)

Yes. An operator can belong to several teams when they contribute to different departments or areas of expertise.

For example, an operator can belong to both **Customer Support** and **French Support**.

###### ${color}[#F08820](Does mentioning a team assign the conversation?)

No. A team mention only notifies its current members.

Use an Operator Routing rule when the conversation should be assigned automatically to one member of the team.

###### ${color}[#F08820](Can a conversation be assigned to an entire team?)

No. Conversations are assigned to individual operators.

When a routing rule targets a team, Crisp selects one eligible operator from that team.

###### ${color}[#F08820](Can I use Operator Teams without creating sub-inboxes?)

Yes. Teams can be used independently for mentions and Operator Routing.

You only need a sub-inbox when conversations should also be separated into a dedicated queue.

###### ${color}[#F08820](Does removing someone from a team remove them from Crisp?)

No. Removing someone from a team only removes their membership from that team.

The operator remains part of the workspace unless their account is removed separately.