Inbox/Messaging for Desktop & Mobile
Article Sections
- Common Use Cases
- Inbox for the Web - Dispatchers to Customers
- Inbox for Mobile- Dispatchers to Customers
- Inbox for Internal Messaging
- COMING SOON: Technician to Customer Inbox Messaging
- Enable Inbox for your Business
Common Use Cases
Inbox for the Web
On all of your jobs, you will now find a Message section on your customer & contact records.
When you click on the message button, it will bring up a small window at the bottom of your screen.
Inbox for Mobile
Inbox for Internal Messaging
Dispatcher to Technician Messaging
If your technician has push notifications enabled for the Dispatch Field app, they will receive your message similar to how a text message is delivered, even if the Field app is closed. If they would prefer to not have push notifications turned on, your technicians can find your messages in the "Messages" section at the bottom right of the app next to "Settings". If no messages are showing, you can pull up on the screen to refresh. Technician's responses will be visible to any Dispatcher via our Work web application ( https://work.dispatch.me/).
Few points to keep in mind regarding Dispatcher to Technician messaging:
- A technician does not need to have a phone number on their user profile to receive a message. The message comes into the Field App directly.
- Technicians need to have Push Notifications enabled for the Field app to be alerted of a message outside of the app.
- Technicians need to be running Dispatch Field v4.5.0 or newer. This applies to both iOS and Android devices. You can check which version on the app you are currently running by going to "Settings > Help".
- Technician messaging is not available via the Dispatch Manager app at this time. The messaging is between Dispatchers working out of our Work web application and technicians using our Dispatch Field mobile app.
COMING SOON: Technician to Customer Inbox Messaging
Updated: July 17, 2023
This will be enabled for your business if you:
Functionality details
- Technician to customer messaging will be available to techs in the Dispatch Field app if their organization uses inbox messaging.
- Technician and Customer conversation must be initiated by the technician.
- Technician is able to message the customer at any point between when the appointment is assigned to the technician until the appointment is completed.
Visibility
- When technicians message customers through Dispatch’s inbox feature, there will be a conversation record on the job, which is visible to the team members in the Dispatcher or 'Both' role (those who can login to Work.Dispatch.Me).
- Team members in the Dispatch or 'Both' role (those who can login to work.dispatch.me) will be able to view the messaging history between the technician and the customer.
When an inbox messaging conversation has occurred, there will be a button labeled as 'Appointment Conversation History' shown on the job/lead.
Dispatcher or 'Both' users can click on that button to view conversations which are associated to any appointments on the job or lead.
Note: The 'Appointment Conversation History' button will not be shown if an inbox conversation between the technician and the customer has not occurred.
When a Dispatcher/Both user clicks on the appointment conversation history button, they will be shown a drop-down menu with each appointment and assigned technician if there are multiple appointments on the job or lead.
When the Dispatcher/Both user selects an appointment, they will be shown the conversation between the technician and customer for that appointment.
Team members in the Dispatcher or 'Both' role are not able to join the conversation, while they can view any conversations between the technician and the customer and they are able to start their own inbox conversation with the technician or the customer.
Common Questions
- I'd like to use inbox messaging for my business. How do I get access?
If you do not currently have access to inbox messaging, you're able to subscribe to this functionality here. - What if the customer sends a new message to the technician after the appointment has been completed?
The conversation is closed once the technician completes the appointment. This means that if the customer tries to send a new message to the technician after the appointment has been completed, they will receive an automated response which notifies them that their message could not be delivered to the technician and directs them to contact the office. - What if the technician sends a message to the customer after the appointment has been completed?
The conversation will reopen when the technician sends a new message post-completion. The conversation will be active again and the customer will be able to reply for 24 hours from the time the technician sent their message. - I use call masking, will call masking still work?
Yes, call masking will still be in place. Any masked numbers will remain masked as the conversation takes place through the Dispatch application for the technician and the customer will see a Dispatch-owned phone number as the sender and not the technician's personal phone number. - What is the expected benefit of this functionality?
Today, technicians are able to text the customer directly from their personal phone, as long as call masking is not enabled. When technicians message customers through Dispatch inbox, there will be a record of the conversation on the appointment, which is visible to users in the Dispatcher or 'Both' role.
Enable Inbox for your Business
If you'd like to enable inbox messaging for your business, check out single feature subscription options here. If you have questions or would like to learn more about your subscription options, contact: support@dispatch.me.
Please note: Technician to Customer inbox messaging is not available yet (as of 7/17/23). Once technician to customer inbox is available, it will be enabled for businesses that have inbox messaging enabled and request this functionality. If you would like to be notified when this functionality is available, click here to add yourself to the list.