Using Internal Notes

Add private notes to conversations that only your team can see.

What are Internal Notes?

Internal notes are messages within a conversation that are visible only to agents. Customers never see these notes. Use them to:

• Document important context about the customer
• Leave instructions for other agents
• Record decisions or actions taken
• Add information from phone calls or other channels

Adding an Internal Note

• Open a conversation in your inbox
• In the composer at the bottom, write your note
• Click the Log note button (next to the Send button) instead of Send

The note is added to the conversation timeline but marked as internal.

How Internal Notes Appear

Internal notes are visually distinct from customer messages:

• Yellow/amber background instead of white
• "Internal note" badge displayed on the message
• No read receipts (since customers can't see them)

This makes it easy to scan a conversation and distinguish between customer-visible messages and internal notes.

When to Use Internal Notes

Handoff Context When transferring a conversation to another agent, add a note explaining the situation and any actions already taken.

Customer Background Record relevant information learned during the conversation, like account details or previous issues.

Action Documentation Note what you did outside of Helplane, such as "Processed refund in billing system" or "Called customer at provided number."

Escalation Details When escalating to a supervisor, explain why and what you've tried.

Follow-up Reminders Leave notes about promised follow-ups or pending actions.

Internal Notes in Integrations

When integrations are configured, internal notes can sync to external systems:

• HubSpot: Notes can be added to the contact record
• Jira: Notes appear in issue descriptions

This keeps your external tools updated with the full conversation context.

Internal Notes vs. Customer Messages

Best Practices

Be Specific Write notes that would be helpful to someone unfamiliar with the conversation.

Include Actions Document what you did, not just what was discussed.

Use for Context Record information that isn't obvious from the conversation itself.

Keep it Professional Internal notes may be reviewed by supervisors or exported for compliance.