Answer clients faster

In sales, the first sufficient answer often wins. Ikigai will not reply for you, but it removes everything that slows a reply down: hunting for the right chat, retyping the same text, and switching between mail and messengers.

Work Messages as a queue, not a feed

Open the Messages section and turn the list into a queue:

• In the "Sort" menu pick "Unread first" — new client messages float to the top. "Waiting longest" is the alternative when you want to clear the oldest debt first.
• Use the "Filter" quick options: "Unread" shows what you have not seen, "Awaiting reply" shows conversations where the client spoke last — that is your real backlog.
• Enable "Audio notifications" in Settings → Account, ideally scoped to "Only conversations assigned to me" so you react to your queue, not the whole team's.

Stop retyping: use templates

Anything you have typed twice belongs in the Templates section (email and channel templates with variable placeholders). In the chat composer press "Use template"; in the email composer the template picker works the same way. Variables like the client's name are substituted automatically — if a placeholder cannot be resolved, Ikigai warns you before sending, so no client ever receives a raw {{...}} token.

Two more composer habits that save seconds on every reply:

• Pick your send hotkey under Settings → Account → "Hotkeys for sending messages": Enter to send, or Cmd/Ctrl + Enter if you write longer answers.
• Use the "Note" tab for internal remarks — the client never sees notes, so you do not need a separate team chat.
• Need a starting point? Ask the assistant for a draft reply right in the composer, then edit it to your voice.

Reply from the deal timeline

You do not have to leave the deal card to answer. Its "Communications" block shows every email and chat message in one thread, and the composer underneath lets you reply through the connected channel or hit "Compose email" — with the full history in front of you. That context is what makes a fast answer also a good one.

Tip: start every working session in Messages with "Unread first" on, empty the "Awaiting reply" filter, and only then move to the board.

Fast replies are worthless on a messy board — pair this habit with Pipeline hygiene. More guides live in Best practices.