Messages: the log and the two-way inbox

The Messages page does two jobs: it is the delivery log for everything your clinic sends, and it is a two-way inbox where you read and reply to patients' texts, patient by patient.

The conversation inbox

Messages are grouped into a conversation per patient, newest first, with an unread marker (and a count on the Messages item in the navigation) when a patient has texted in and no one has read it yet. Open a conversation to see the thread, inbound and outbound together, with the patient's record a click away. Opening it marks their messages read.

Replying by text

Type in the reply box and send: the text goes from your clinic number and is added to the thread. Two guards keep you safe. If a patient has opted out of SMS by texting STOP, the box is blocked so you cannot text them by mistake. And a reply uses SMS credits like any other text, so if your balance is empty you are told to top up first. Inbound replies still also forward to the clinic's email as a backstop, so nothing is missed while you are getting used to the inbox.

The delivery log

Every automated email and text is listed with its status, so "did the reminder go out?" is a ten-second check:

• Sent. Handed to the email or SMS provider.
• Delivered. Confirmed to the inbox or handset; statuses upgrade from sent to delivered as confirmations return.
• Failed, undelivered or bounced. It did not get through; check the address or number on the record.
• Skipped. Deliberately not sent, with the reason, most often no email address on file, or an SMS skipped because credits ran out.
• Received. An inbound text from a patient, including STOP and START keywords.

Filter by channel and status, or search by address or number. A bounced email address is also automatically excluded from future marketing, so a dead inbox is not messaged forever.