Team chat basics

What it is

Chat (in the sidebar) is internal messaging for your firm. It has direct messages, group channels and teams. It is for staff only; talking to clients is done in Chat → Clients. See "Client chat".

Start a conversation

• Click the + button at the top of the Conversations list ("New conversation").
• Choose Direct message to message one person. Pick them and click Message. You get one conversation per pair of people; it reopens if it already exists.
• Or choose Group channel, enter a Channel name (for example returns or notices), an optional Description, an optional Team, and Who can join.
• For Who can join choose "Private - invite only" or "Open to the firm - anyone can find and join". Select people under Add people and click Create channel.

Find and join channels

Click Browse channels in the sidebar. It lists channels that are open to the whole firm, with a search box. Open one you are already in, or join it. Private channels never appear there; someone has to add you.

Teams

• A team groups related channels in the sidebar (for example a GST Team).
• Create one from the sidebar: it opens "New team" with Team name, Description and Owner. You become the owner.
• Delete a team from its edit window. Its channels are kept; they just stop being grouped.
• Assign a channel to a team when creating it, or later in Channel settings.

Managing a channel

• Open the channel and use the Members button to see everyone with their roles and online status.
• Owners, channel admins and firm admins can add people ("+ Add people"), remove people, and open Channel settings.
• Only the owner (or a firm admin) can make someone an admin, take admin back, or transfer ownership.
• Channel settings lets you change Name, Topic, Description, Team and Who can join, and use "Archive channel". An archived channel is read-only and hidden from Browse; use Unarchive to restore it.
• Anyone can use "Leave channel". An owner must transfer ownership first.

Good to know

• Unread counts show in the sidebar next to each conversation and on the Chat menu item.
• If live updates drop, a note says the page is reconnecting and refreshing on its own.
• Deleting a message removes it for everyone in the conversation.