📖 Learning: You'll also learn how to reply to clients, change the channel status, search conversations, and manage replies. So, let's dive in and explore the exciting features of our messaging system! 💬
📍 This page includes:
A video on the messages functionality
A section on navigating the messages tab
Additional functionality on the messages tab
How to use the messages tab
Creating a client channel
Sending messages from the Messages page
Receiving replies from clients
Managing reply links
Changing channel statuses
Video Walkthrough
❓ Messenger FAQ's
What is the Messenger?
The Messages page will centralise all communications between staff members and clients. Each staff member will have their own inbox in which they will be able to see their conversations with clients.
How can I access the Messenger?
The messenger page will be accessible through the Messages button in the main menu.
How does the Messenger work?
All outbound and inbound messages between a staff member and a client are stored inside a thread (or “channel”) in reverse chronological order (scroll up to see older messages). There will be one channel per client for each staff member, similar to a one-on-one message in Facebook Messenger
Client channels will have 1 of the 3 statuses outlined below:
✉️ Unread → The client has sent replies that have not been opened yet.
📝 Open → All replies have been read BUT there are further actions to take, e.g. you might want to send a reply back to the client.
✅ Done → All replies have been read AND there are no further actions to take.
Marking messages from ‘open’ to ‘done’ is a manual step using a button in the sidebar and you can decide when a conversation with a client requires no further action.
💬 Navigating the page - 'Messages Tab'
⚙️ Basic functionality
Pink Section
Pink Section
→ In the leftmost section, you will find an Inbox containing all the client channels you have. The channels will be categorised by status. You can click on these channels to see the conversation and perform more actions.
Green Section
Green Section
→ Upon clicking on a channel, the conversation thread will open in the middle section outlined in green. Messages with the client will be ordered in reverse chronological order, so you can scroll up to find older messages.
Red Section
Red Section
→ Upon clicking on a channel, the rightmost section will contain buttons to perform the actions below:
Changing channel status (e.g. you can mark the channel as ‘done’ when it requires no further action or you can mark it as ‘open’ to remind yourself to perform an action, such as sending a reply to a client)
Sending an email - if this button is not visible, it means the client does not have an email address recorded.
Sending an SMS - if this button is not visible, it means the client does not have a phone number recorded or you do not have access to text messaging.
Viewing the client profile
Allow or disallow client replies - which either allow or prevent the client from sending messages back to you
Copy reply link - This copies the link which allows the client to reply to you
Blue Section
Blue Section
→ The button outlined in blue allows you to switch between viewing the Inboxes of your colleagues, and your own Inbox.
Purple Section
Purple Section
→ This button allows you to send a new message to a client or select multiple clients to receive a message by selecting them individually or using a list of clients that has been created.
💡 Additional functionality
Pink Section
Pink Section
→ The buttons in this section will allow you to toggle between viewing all messages, open messages, and done messages. The search bar will allow you to find specific channels based on client name or keywords in the conversations.
Green Section
Green Section
→ The button outlined in green will appear upon hovering over the client channel. This button will allow you to quickly change the status of the client channel without needing to open it.
Blue Section
Blue Section
→ The label outlined in blue will show the current status of the client channel.
Orange Section
Orange Section
→ The section outlined in orange will contain information about the client, including name, NHS number, date of birth, and GP surgery.
Red Section
Red Section
→ The section outlined in red will contain information about the message, including the date and time it was sent, whether it was an email or SMS, and if the message was successfully sent to the clinical record.
📧 Using the Messenger Feature
Creating a client channel 🧑
To create a client channel, users need to send an email/ message to the client for the first time from the client's profile. By sending an email/ message to a client for the first time, a client channel will be automatically created.
Go to CMS
Go to a client who does not have an existing channel
Send them an email/ message
Go back to the Messages page
The new client channel will appear in the first section of the Messages page
Sending messages from the Messages page 📩
Users will be able to send emails and SMS messages to clients from the Messages page.
Go to CMS
Go to the Messages page
Click on a client channel
Click on Send email or Send SMS The email and SMS forms will be the same as the email and SMS forms accessible through the client page
Receiving replies from clients 📥
New replies from clients will show in the Messages page, under the respective channel with the client. To view these replies, the user can either: go to the Messages page or click on the message notifications.
Managing reply links ↩️
The user will now be able to allow or disallow replies with clients with one toggle. If the toggle in the client channel is off, the client will no longer be able to send replies. If the toggle is on, the client will be able to send replies through a unique reply link.
Go to CMS
Go to the Messages page
Click on a client channel
Click on the Allow replies toggle
The user will also be able to copy the reply link for a specific channel by clicking on the hyperlink below the toggle. If you have discharged the patient from your service it is recommended to toggle the reply link off
Changing channel statuses 🚥
The user can change client channel statuses through the Inbox notification centre, the client channels listed on the leftmost section of the messenger, or the button in the rightmost section when a channel is open.
🔧 How to amend the status of messages from three places:
Inbox notification centre:
Go to CMS
Click on the Inbox notification centre
Hover over a read message notification
Click Mark as complete
The client channel will now be marked as Done, and the message will be removed from the Inbox notification centre.
Messages page Inbox:
Go to CMS
Go to the Messages page
Hover over a client channel
Click on the Mark as open, or Mark as done button
The client channel will now be marked as Done or Open.
Messages page Client channel:
Go to CMS
Go to the Messages page
Click on a client channel
Click on the Mark as open, or Mark as done button on the right sidebar.
The client channel will now be marked as Done or Open.