A shared inbox provides a place for messages. As more roles handle a request, the inbox may stop showing who is responsible for the next action.
Look for repeated coordination
A request is forwarded to another team, a reply arrives on an earlier thread and someone asks whether either message has been handled. The effort is coordination rather than communication.
Review a sample of requests. Record where staff need to search other threads, ask colleagues or create a private tracker to determine the next step.
Introduce a record before adding automation
Give each request a stable identity and a current state. Attach relevant messages to that record and distinguish the person handling it from people merely copied on updates.
A simple task system may be enough. The important test is whether the record remains useful when the original handler is absent.
Preserve communication without making it the workflow
Customers can continue using email while an internal system tracks responsibility and state. Decide how new messages attach to existing requests and how unmatched messages are reviewed.
Test replies after closure and duplicate submissions. These cases show whether the system supports the communication people actually use. The portal comparison helps decide whether a client-facing interface should follow.