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Google Workspace Shared Inbox Setup (Delegation vs Groups) ​

If your team handles customer emails in Gmail, you usually end up choosing between two “shared inbox” approaches in Google Workspace:

  1. Delegated Gmail inbox (a real mailbox that multiple people can access)
  2. Google Groups Collaborative Inbox (a group email address with assignment features)

This guide helps you pick the right one and set it up with a workflow that doesn’t collapse under real support load.

Option A: Delegated Gmail inbox (support@) ​

Best when you want a true mailbox experience and your team already lives in Gmail.

Setup checklist ​

  • Create a user mailbox: support@yourcompany.com
  • Enable delegation to team members
  • Add shared labels (see workflow below)
  • Create filters to apply labels for common request types

Pros ​

  • Feels like “normal Gmail”
  • Works with most Gmail habits (search, labels, templates, snooze)

Cons ​

  • Harder to prevent duplicate replies without strict habits
  • Ownership/assignment is “process”, not a built-in feature

Option B: Google Groups Collaborative Inbox ​

Best when you want basic assignment & status without extra tooling.

Setup checklist ​

  • Create a Google Group: support@yourcompany.com
  • Enable Collaborative Inbox features (assignments, statuses)
  • Decide if you want “Everyone can post” or tighter permissions
  • Train the team on “assigned to me” + statuses

Pros ​

  • Built-in assignment/status
  • Clearer “who owns what”

Cons ​

  • Many teams still prefer Gmail UI for day-to-day work
  • The experience can feel different from a normal mailbox

The workflow that makes either option work ​

No matter which option you choose, most small teams succeed with:

  • Ownership label (who’s handling it): owner/alex, owner/petra
  • Status label (where it is): status/new, status/waiting, status/done
  • Urgency label (optional): prio/p1, prio/p2
  • Inbox = work that needs action
  • Archive = done (with a status/done label if needed)
  • Snooze = your follow-up engine (especially for status/waiting)

When Gmail alone starts to feel painful ​

If you see these symptoms, you don’t necessarily need a full helpdesk—just more structure:

  • “Did someone reply already?”
  • “Where’s the context for this thread?”
  • “We need ticket IDs for referencing issues.”
  • “We want internal notes without forwarding or Slack threads.”

That’s where a Gmail-first support layer helps—without moving your support data outside Google Workspace.

TIP

If your differentiator is “data stays in Google Workspace,” make that a buying checklist, not just a statement. Start here: Shared Inbox Software That Keeps Data in Google Workspace

Next steps ​