What Is ‘Leave Open’?

When you’re handling an email but can’t fully resolve it right now — maybe you’re waiting for the customer to reply — you can use Leave Open. This removes the email from your active queue without closing it, and brings it back later so the team can finish it.

Think of it as putting the email on hold, to come back to later.

1) How to Leave an Email Open

1. Open the email you’re working on.
2. Compose and send your response (if needed).
3. Select the Leave Open option.
4. Choose the time period from the list provided or select a custom date.
5. Click ‘Close’.

Once you do this:

• The email disappears from your active list.
• It is still open in Halo.
• Your name remains associated with it in the contact history section.

2) What Happens to the Email After You Leave It Open

When you choose Leave Open:

✔ The email is removed from view in your active queue.
✔ It remains open in the system — not closed or discarded. As shown below, click the Email menu option (1) and the email will show a timer icon (2). If you hover the cursor over the icon, the time that the email will reappear in the queue is shown (3).

✔ It will come back into the queue assignment panel later.
✔ It reappears in the queue without your name on it, if you happen to be away, a colleague will be able to service the interaction.

3) What Happens if the Customer Replies

If the customer replies while the email is left open:

✔ Halo will bring it back into the queue.
✔ It shows as an active email with a reply indicator.

This means replies don’t get forgotten — they return straight to the place where you work email.

4) How to Get to It Before It’s Returned Automatically

Maybe you want to follow up before the customer replies.

To find an email you previously left open:

1. Click the Email panel on the right of your screen.
2. Look for the email in the list.
3. Click the 3 dots and select ‘Preview’.

4. Click ‘Reopen and assign to me’.
5. It will come back into your active queue right away.

This is useful if you realise the customer might be slow to reply — but you want to get ahead of it.

5) What Supervisors See

Supervisors can still see emails left open:

✔ Open emails remain visible in the ‘Email’ menu option. A clock icon (1) is shown, and the time (2) when the cursor is hovered over the clock. The email is placed into the 'Waiting' status (3).
✔ They do not sit in the agent’s active queue — but they are still tracked.
✔ Supervisors can see which emails are open and who selected the ‘Leave Open’ option.
✔ Supervisors can reassign or intervene if needed.

This means supervisors always have full visibility of the workload and can manage follow-up effectively.