Searching, sorting, and smart sorting

    Search finds one conversation. Sorting decides the order of all of them. Smart sorting puts the ones that need you at the top.

    4 min read · Updated 6 September 2026

    Two small icons sit above your thread list: a magnifying glass and a pair of arrows. One finds things. The other decides what you see first.

    Search or filter?

    They sound similar but they do different jobs.

    Search
    Looks for words. Use it when you know something about the conversation, such as the customer's name, an order number, or a phrase they used.
    Filters
    Show a category. Use them when you want a type of conversation, such as everything unassigned.

    If you are hunting for one specific conversation, search. If you are working through a pile, filter.

    How to search for a thread

    1. 1Open the Inbox from the left-hand sidebar.
    2. 2Click the magnifying glass icon at the top of the left-hand column.
    3. 3A box appears saying Search threads....
    4. 4Type what you remember: a name, an email address, a thread number like 1000, or a few words from a message.
    5. 5Results appear in the list below as you type.
    6. 6Click a result to open the conversation.
    7. 7To leave search, clear the box or press Esc. Your normal list comes back.
    Search looks inside the messages themselves, not only the subject line. If you cannot remember the subject, try a distinctive phrase the customer used.

    What sorting is

    Sorting decides the order of the cards in your list. It does not add or remove anything. It changes what sits at the top, which in practice changes what you deal with first.

    Gruvi gives you two ways to sort.

    Smart sorting

    Smart sorting is the default, and it does what the name suggests: it puts the threads that need you first.

    Instead of ordering by time alone, Gruvi weighs up how urgent each conversation looks, then lifts the ones most at risk to the top. It weighs how long the conversation has waited, how the customer seems to be feeling, and how important it is.

    Use smart sorting when you are working through a backlog and want to do the most good in the least time.

    Latest activity

    Latest activity is the plain, predictable order: newest message first. The conversation that moved most recently sits at the top.

    Use it when you are watching a live chat, or when you want to see what has just come in rather than what matters most.

    How to change the order

    1. 1Open the Inbox from the left-hand sidebar.
    2. 2Find the two-arrow icon above the thread list, to the right of the funnel.
    3. 3Click it. A short menu opens with Smart sorting and Latest activity.
    4. 4Click the one you want. A tick shows which is active.
    5. 5The list reorders immediately, and the menu closes.
    Sorting and filtering work together. You can look at Unassigned threads in Smart sorting order, and Gruvi will show you the unclaimed conversation that most needs an answer. ---

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