Conversation data attributes (CvDAs) in the Inbox

Learn how to create & use conversation data attributes for advanced inbox management.

Written By Markus from Featurebase

Last updated 3 months ago

Overview

Conversation data attributes (CvDAs) let you store structured information about each support conversation, such as product area, issue type, or urgency.

Once in place, CvDAs help you organize, route, and track conversations through custom inbox views, automation rules, and detailed reporting – so your team can work faster, stay consistent, and make better decisions.

Good to know: Currently, CvDAs can only be set manually, but soon you’ll be able to collect them from customers at the start of a conversation or update them automatically with rules and workflows.

Creating conversation data attributes (CvDAs)

To create a new conversation data attribute (CvDA):

  1. Go to Settings → Support → Attributes

  2. Click + New attribute

  3. Add the Name and Description

  4. Choose the field type

You can select different formats for your CvDAs including:

  • Text - single or multi-line text input

  • Number - whole number or decimal input

  • Select - dropdown with a single choice

  • Multi-select - dropdown with multiple choices

  • Checkbox - True/false toggle

  • Date - Date picker input

Note: Conversation attributes can only be populated when a conversation is created. When a teammate is drafting a new conversation, the conversation does not exist until they press the Send button. Once they press ‘Send’ and a conversation gets created, the attributes and their values will appear automatically.

Using CvDAs in the Inbox

You can assign or update CvDAs directly in the conversation details panel while viewing a conversation. This lets you capture important context as you chat with the customer, without leaving the conversation.

Example use cases

  • Product area routing – Assign conversations to the right team based on which part of your product the question is about.

  • Issue categorization – Tag conversations as bugs, feature requests, or general questions to track trends over time.

  • Urgency management – Mark urgent cases so they get handled first, like reports from VIP customers or service outages.

  • Launch monitoring – Create a view showing all bug reports or questions related to a new feature release.

  • Priority reporting – Filter reports by category, urgency, or product area to see performance in specific areas.

FAQ