Chat

This video shows Chat: the team's conversations, group chats, direct messages, a chat for every deal, and your clients' chats, with files, reactions and video calls.

The layout

Open Chat from the menu, or from the chat button at the top of any page. Conversations are on the left, in three tabs: Team, Projects and Clients. Team chat, with everyone on the team, is first, and your private ECHO chat sits right under it. The box above searches all chats.

Writing

Type in the message box and press Enter to send. Type the at sign to mention someone, and they get a notice. Add an emoji, or attach Photos or files. You can also drop a file on the conversation, or paste a screenshot.

Reactions and replies

Point at a message to React with an emoji, or Reply, which quotes it. Edit or delete your own messages. Owners and admins can delete anyone's, and the audit log keeps who did it. In a direct message, you see Sent, then Seen once it's read.

Direct messages and groups

Click New direct message to write to one person; only the two of you read it. Click New group chat, give it a name and what it's for, pick the people, and click Create group.

Who's in it

The info button shows who's in a conversation, and its recent files. In a group, its admins can add people, make someone an admin, remove people and set a photo. Anyone can leave a group.

Deal chats

Every deal has its own chat, under Projects. Open it with Team chat on the deal page, and it's listed once someone writes. Use it for questions, photos and measurements. ECHOPS posts there when the project starts, the crew is booked, or materials arrive. A crew on the crew portal reads and writes there too.

Clients

The Clients tab holds your clients' chats. A client writes from their portal, once you invite them from the project's Client portal box. They read everything there, and get an email when you answer.

Video calls

Click Video call to start a call right away and invite the people in the conversation, or the calendar button to schedule one. The Join link goes in the chat. When you schedule from a deal's chat, you can invite the client too.

ECHO in chat

ECHO sits in the Team chat. Start a message with at ECHO to ask it something everyone can see. Add ECHO to a group, a direct message or a deal's chat from the info panel.

Chat settings

Owners and admins click the gear for Who's in deals' chats. Pick The deal's team, meaning its designer, its project manager, owners, admins and a core group you choose, or Everyone on the team. Then click Save.

Viewers can read the chat but not write in it, and no one, not even an owner, reads a direct message they're not in. Next: Calls and texts.