Practitioners can communicate with clients who have activated their accounts and have access to the Client Portal. Messaging can be done via the Messages page or the Messenger tab for convenience while navigating the platform.
In this article:
- Accessing the Messaging Tools
- Starting a New Direct Chat
- Starting a New Group Chat
- Managing Chats
- Sending and Managing Messages
- Messaging Preferences
- Messaging with Family Records
- Including Message Content in Emails and Alerts
Accessing the Messaging Tools
Click the Chat icon in the top-right corner of your screen to open the Messages page.
The Messages page displays all your chats on the left side, including pinned chats, messages, and documents shared through chats.
Or the Messenger tab located in the bottom-right corner allows you to chat while browsing other areas of the portal.
- Use the upward arrow to open the full Messages page.
- Use the downward arrow to minimize the chat.
Get instant feedback when clients read your messages using the Secure Messenger:
💡 Read receipts will appear whenever clients open your chat in their Messenger window. This is displayed as a capital R with a checkmark to the right of the message date. Read receipts are currently only displayed in the practitioner portal.
Starting a New Chat
- Go to the Messages page page and click the Contacts tab.
- Click on a client’s name to initiate a one-on-one chat, which will appear under the Active Chats tab.
- If you are on the Plus or Team plans, you can Share direct chats with team members. Learn More.
- Convert a one-on-one chat into a Group Chat to include additional clients or team members. Learn more.
Managing Chats
Pinning Chats
- Click the Star icon to pin a chat.
- Pin important chats to the top of your Active Chats list for easy access.
- Chats are otherwise sorted by the most recent message.
Marking Messages as Unread
- Click the three dots next to a message.
- Select Mark as unread to revisit it later.
- Access all unread messages by clicking Unread Messages under Active Chats.
Hiding or Deleting Chats
Click the three dots beside a chat to:
- Hide chat (temporarily removes it from view).
- Delete chat (permanently removes the conversation and messages).
Retrieving a Hidden Chat
- Go to the Messages page.
- Click on Contacts.
- Expand the toggles to look through Team Members, Groups, and Clients.
- Click on a Group Chat to open it.
- Click on a Team Member's name to open or start a chat with them.
- Clicking on a Client's name will open an existing 1-1 chat or start a new chat with them.
- If the client is already part of a 1-1 chat shared with you, you'll be prompted to choose the correct one.
Exporting Chat History
- Go to the Messages page and open a chat.
- With the chat open in the middle of your page, click the More Options menu (3 dots) near the top-right of the chat.
- Select Export and a spreadsheet file with the chat history will be downloaded to your local device.
Sending and Managing Messages
Sending Attachments and Voice Notes
Click the (+) button beside the message textbox to attach documents.
On the mobile app, you can also record voice notes and capture photos.
Pinning and Deleting Messages
Click the three dots on a message to:
- Pin message for quick access.
- Pinned messages show on the right side of the open chat in the Messages page.
- Pinned messages show on the right side of the open chat in the Messages page.
- Unpin or delete sent messages as needed.
Replying to Specific Messages
Click the Reply button on a message to respond with the original message context preserved.
Adding Emoji Reactions
Click the smiley face icon under a message to choose a reaction.
Click the same emoji again to remove your reaction.
Messaging Preferences
Access your messaging options by going to Settings > Telehealth & Messaging:
Always click Save Changes near the top right after updating your Settings.
In your settings, you can:
- Define what the Enter key does (send message or create a new line)
- Default to open the most recent chat when going to your Messages page.
- Disable direct chat access for new clients
- Control message alerts while using the portal.
- Choose to include message content in email notifications.
- Limit message length for clients (available on web and mobile app version 1.2.0+)
- Set up an autoresponder
- Control direct chat sharing with team members.
Messaging with Family Records
Family records allow multiple clients to be grouped under one primary email address, enabling access to multiple client profiles through one Client Portal login. Learn more.
Communication works as follows:
- All messages to sub-records (e.g., children) are received and accessed through the primary account.
- This ensures parents or guardians can monitor and manage all correspondence for child records.
Including Message Content in Emails and Alerts
You can choose to include chat message content in email and alert notifications for you or your clients.
⚠️ Note: Emails and alerts are not secure. Avoid using them for sharing sensitive or confidential information.