Trying to create a shared inbox in Outlook? We take a look at where traditional mailboxes fall short – and show you how Trello can help your team organize and act on email.

A shared inbox lets multiple people on one team read and send email from one, central mailbox. Shared inboxes are helpful, because they help teams to:

• Manage incoming requests. Teams have a centralized space to organize and respond to emails, whether they’re handling customer support, sales, recruitment or project management.

• Maintain visibility and collaboration. When the whole team has access to the same mailbox, it’s easier to keep everyone on the same page.

But if you’ve ever tried to create a shared inbox in Outlook, you’ll know that it’s not as simple or effective as it seems!

The limitations of traditional email platforms like Outlook

When setting up a team inbox, traditional email service providers often fall short, because they’re not built for collaboration.

Here are some of the challenges you’ve probably faced trying to figure out how to create a shared inbox in Outlook:

• Confusion. Emails get accidentally marked as read or lost in an avalanche of other stuff.

• No clear ownership. There are limited organizational tools to make it clear who’s responsible for what.

• Lack of context. Endless email threads don’t give the full picture of the task at hand and the steps required to get it done.

• Not built for teams. Outlook is great for personal use, but it struggles to handle team workflows.

Transform your Outlook inbox into a shared inbox with Trello

By bringing your emails into Trello, you’re not just sharing an inbox – you’re sharing a system that works for your team. With the Email for Trello Power-Up, each incoming email lands on your Trello board as a new card that you can assign, comment on, and move through your workflow.

Send emails straight from Trello

With your emails right inside Trello, there is no more disconnect between your email inbox and where the work actually happens. Your team can send, receive and reply to emails, right alongside their regular work to-dos.

No more missed messages

Trello’s card-based, visual approach to collaboration makes it easy to spot new emails and keep track of open conversations. With full transparency for everyone involved, your team can improve response times and offer better customer service.

Assign, tag, and track easily

Because every email is a Trello card, your team can use built-in Trello tools to organize their emails and get the work done. For example, assign team members responsible for each task, add context with descriptions and comments, and track progress visually from one central dashboard.

Reduce double handling

Anyone can see history of a request or pick up where a team member left off, without duplicating messages or keeping customers waiting.

Why teams love Trello as a shared inbox

When your team uses Trello as their shared inbox, clarity replaces chaos. Each email lives as its own card, where you can see exactly who’s working on it, what’s been discussed, and what needs to happen next. This means teams have:

• Clarity. Visualize your tasks, emails and entire workflow in one dashboard. No more lost emails or doubling-up on work!

• Improved collaboration. It’s easy to see who’s responsible for what, and teams can make the most of built-in Trello tools to organize their emails and to-dos.

• Better context. Email conversations live alongside internal discussions, so that everyone has a full picture of ongoing work – and the steps required to get it done.

• A team-based solution. Trello is built for teams! Its flexible structure means that you can build an email workflow to suit your unique business needs.

How to move from Outlook to a shared inbox in Trello

Let’s take a closer look at how to create a shared inbox for teams with Trello.

1. Set up your Trello board

To make the transition to email in Trello easier for your team, we recommend setting up a few Trello boards that match projects or processes that you already follow. For example, a help desk, sales pipeline, recruitment dashboard or project management workflow.

Find out more about using Trello for different teams in your business.

2. Add the Email for Trello Power-Up

Add the Email for Trello Power-Up to your Trello workspace. New accounts start on a 14-day free Pro trial – no credit card info required.

Plus, with our free-forever option, you can create a shared inbox for free, so that your team can collaborate on their tasks and emails in one central dashboard.

3. Connect your Outlook email to Trello

Set up a redirect rule to receive emails from your existing Outlook inbox on your Trello board. The Email for Trello Power-Up uses this redirect rule to create new cards from incoming emails and attach replies to existing email threads.

Learn more about how to send and receive emails in Trello with your Outlook email address in the SendBoard help center.

4. Start receiving and replying to emails in Trello

You’re all set! Once you’re sending and receiving emails in Trello, you can customize as much as you need by setting up templates, automations, and more.

Create a shared inbox for teams in Trello

Outlook may be fine for personal emails, but it wasn’t built for teamwork! Trello and the Email for Trello Power-Up offer smarter solution for your shared inbox, giving your team everything they need to collaborate seamlessly around email.