Team chat: channels, groups and direct messages
In-org instant messaging: company channels, private groups, direct messages, file sending and chat settings.
Opening chat#
Team chat lives in the utility bar at the bottom of the screen, under Chat. Clicking it opens a small panel with your latest conversations; the All chats link brings up the full chat window. You can also reach the panel with G then S. The chat window can stay open on every screen; Escape closes it.
Chat belongs to your org: only active team members of the same org appear. Portal users are not part of chat.
The list on the left: three sections#
- Company channels: the General channel everyone belongs to, plus any public groups.
- My groups: the private groups you are a member of, ordered by the most recent message. The + New group link in this section creates a group.
- Contacts: direct conversations with teammates. People you already talked to come first, then those online, then alphabetically.
Every row shows the name, a preview of the last message ("You: ..." or "Anna: ..."), its time, and a blue count badge when there is something unread. The search box at the top filters person and group names.
The conversation pane#
- Messages are split by day separators (Today, Yesterday, then the date).
- When you open a channel, your unread messages start below the Unread messages divider, so you never lose your place.
- Messages written by the same person within five minutes are grouped into one block. Yours appear on the right, the other side's on the left.
- Links are clickable, @name mentions are bold, and the mentioned person gets a notification.
- If a new message arrives while you have scrolled up, an N new messages button appears at the bottom and jumps you back down.
- Deleting: you can remove your own message (admins can remove anyone's). On desktop hover the message for the trash icon; on mobile press and hold.
Creating groups and public groups#
- Press the add-group button in the list header, or + New group.
- Type a group name (for example "Sales Team").
- Tick the members. If you tick Public, you do not pick members at all: everyone in the company can read and post, and the group is listed under Company channels.
Info and settings panel#
Clicking the conversation header or the info button next to it slides open a panel on the right (a full page on mobile):
- On the General channel: the whole team, people online first, with last seen for those offline.
- On a group: rename the group, the public switch, add and remove members, Leave group or Delete group. Naming and membership are open to the group's creator and to admins.
- On a person: title, online status or last seen, e-mail and role. Clicking a member inside the panel opens a direct conversation with them.
The gear in the list header opens Chat settings: Enter sends (when off, Enter adds a line and the button sends) and New message sound. Both are personal preferences and affect only you.
Sending files#
There are three ways to attach a file to a conversation: the paperclip button next to the input, pasting from the clipboard, and dragging and dropping a file onto the conversation. Images preview inside the bubble; other files appear as a card with a download link.
Chat versus record posts#
| Team chat | Posts (on a record page) |
|---|---|
| Live conversation, per channel and per person | A durable note on one specific record |
| Lives in the chat window | Visible to anyone who opens the record, part of its story |
| For day-to-day coordination | For leaving decisions and reasoning behind |
For posts on records, see the record page article.
Sound tone and emoji#
The new-message sound is on by default; in the chat settings panel pick one of five tones from the Sound tone list, preview it or turn sound off entirely (the same switch also mutes the ToDo360 completion sound). The emoji picker in the message box inserts at the cursor. A message you send appears in its bubble immediately; if it fails to reach the server it is rolled back with a warning.