Use the inbox

The inbox is where every one-to-one conversation with a family or a lead lives, whether it started as a text, an email or a portal message. Replies from families land here too, so your whole team works from one place.

Find your way around#

Open Inbox in the menu. At the top you'll see two tabs:

• Messages: your one-to-one conversations.
• Announcements: messages you sent to many families at once, including tracked ones. See Send an announcement.

On a computer, the list of conversations sits on the left and the open conversation on the right. On a phone you see the list first, then tap a conversation to open it. Tap the back arrow to return to the list.

Filter and search#

Above the list you can narrow things down:

• All, Unread, Mine and Unassigned pick which conversations show. Unread shows a count when something is waiting.
• The filter button next to the search box switches between Open, Closed and Any status. The list shows open conversations unless you change it.
• Search conversations finds people by name, phone number or email.

Each row shows who it's with, the last message, how it was sent (text, email or portal), and who it's assigned to. A Lead tag means the person isn't a family yet.

Start a new conversation#

1. Select New message.
2. Under To, type at least two letters of a family, student or lead name, then pick them.
3. Choose how to send it: SMS, Email or Portal. Portal is only offered for families.
4. Check who it goes to. Parents show as chips you can tap on or off. The billing contact is picked first.
5. Write your message and press the send button (or press Enter).

If the family already has an open conversation, your message is added to it instead of starting a new one.

Why can't I pick someone?#

A parent shows crossed out when they can't receive that kind of message. Hover or tap the chip to see why, for example "No mobile number on file" or "Opted out of text messages". Try another channel, or update their details. See Consent and opt-outs.

Reply to a conversation#

Open the conversation, choose the channel, write your reply and send it. For email, add a subject. Select Templates above the message box to drop in a saved message (see Message templates).

Under each message you send you'll see its status: Sending, Sent, Delivered, Failed or Not sent: no consent. A text sent during quiet hours shows Scheduled for with the time it will go out. If a message couldn't be sent, choose Retry or Discard.

Assign and close conversations#

On a computer, the details panel on the right shows the family, their students and their classes. On smaller screens, tap the info button at the top of the conversation to open it.

• Use Assigned to to hand a conversation to a teammate. It then shows under their Mine tab.
• Select Close conversation when it's dealt with. It moves out of the open list. To bring it back, switch the filter to Closed, open it and select Reopen conversation.

You can choose who new conversations go to automatically in Communication settings.

Who can do what#