Sometimes the Send message dialog will not let you send, and sometimes a message goes out and fails. This guide lists what you will actually see and what to do about each.
It does not cover writing a message (see How to send a message to a client) or what each delivery badge means in full (see What the Outreach tab shows you).
Work out where it stopped
Open the client's Outreach tab and select Send message.
Look at the Channel list — is the channel you want greyed out, or missing altogether?
Look for an amber warning under the channel picker, and for red text under Subject *, the Message box or Client case *.
If you did send it, find the message at the top of the list and read its delivery badge and the red line underneath.
Then find what you saw in the sections below.
A channel is greyed out in the picker
Unavailable channels stay visible in the Channel list but cannot be chosen; the reason is written next to them, and an amber warning repeats it underneath.
"Text messaging is not enabled for this organisation." Your organisation has not switched on texting. Email still works. Ask an organisation Owner to enable text messaging in your organisation settings.
WhatsApp is not in the list at all WhatsApp only appears when your organisation has it switched on. If you expected it, ask an Owner to enable it. If you try anyway from an older screen, Joy answers WhatsApp is disabled — An Owner must enable WhatsApp for this organisation before staff can send via WhatsApp.
"This client has not given direct contact permission." Every channel is blocked for this person, and that is a consent decision, not a fault. Do not work around it. If they have since agreed to be contacted, update their permission on the client's details first.
"This client has no email address on file." Add an email address to the client's contact details, or send by text instead.
"This client has no phone number on file." Add a mobile number to the client's contact details, or send by email instead.
An amber warning about the phone number
If the selected number does not look like a UK mobile, Joy warns that it doesn't look like a valid UK mobile number (expected +447 followed by 9 digits). The message may never be delivered — and, when there is more than one number on file, suggests picking a different one.
Joy will still let you send. Check the number against the client's record first: landlines and mistyped numbers are the usual cause.
The Send button is greyed out
Send stays disabled until everything required is there. Look for:
an empty Message — nothing to send;
an empty Subject * on an email — the message Add a subject line to send an email. appears under the box;
no Client case * chosen — the message Choose a client case before sending. appears. If the box reads No cases yet, create a case for this client first;
an attachment still uploading — the button reads Uploading...;
a channel that is not usable, as above.
Attachments over the limit are refused outright with Attachments too large — Attachments can be up to 25 MB in total. Remove or shrink a file and try again.
The send is rejected
Provider not configured — the messaging service behind this channel is not set up for your organisation. Nothing you can fix on the client's page; report it to your Joy administrator, naming the channel.
Message could not be sent with the provider's reason underneath — the provider refused it. The reason is usually the useful part: a blocked number, an unknown address, an invalid recipient.
Sms failed — sent by email instead (or the reverse) — the first channel did not work but Joy got the message out another way. Open the other message to see what is known about that send.
A card in the list shows a failure
Failed messages carry a red line with the provider's own words. What you can do next depends on the badge:
Failed — the provider refused it and the client was not contacted. Open the message and select Resend, on the same channel or a different one, once you have fixed the cause.
Not sent — no address — there was no number or address on file. Add one to the client's details, then open the message and Resend.
Unknown — no provider answer — the provider never answered, so nobody knows whether it went. Treat the client as not contacted, and Resend when you need to.
Unknown — do not resend — a send attempt began and its outcome was never recorded. It may already have reached the client, so Joy does not offer a resend at all. Ring the client or contact them another way to find out, rather than risking sending it twice.
Not sent (test data) — the message was recorded as test data and deliberately never sent. Nothing to fix; nothing reached the client.
Historical — unverified — imported from the previous Joy system, where delivery was never verified. Treat the outcome as unknown.
Remember that Accepted by mail server, Sent to network and Sent to WhatsApp are not failures — but they are not proof of arrival either. If it matters that the person received something, look for Delivered or Read, or for a reply or link click in How this person engages.