Team Messaging

Communicate with your workspace team directly in PermitZap. Send direct messages or create group conversations without leaving the platform.

What Is Team Messaging?

Built-in messaging system for workspace collaboration. Communicate with team members about permits, documents, and projects without switching to email or external chat tools.

Benefits

• Context-Aware: Discuss permits and documents in the same place you work with them
• Team-Specific: Only workspace members can participate
• Real-Time: Messages appear instantly (5-second refresh)
• Direct & Group: One-on-one or group conversations
• Persistent: Message history saved indefinitely
• No External Tools: No need for Slack, Teams, or email for quick questions

Getting Started

Prerequisites

1. Premium subscription (organization-level)
2. Workspace with at least 2 members
3. Navigate to Workspace → Team Messages tab

Interface Overview

Left Sidebar:

• Search conversations
• List of all conversations
• Unread message indicators
• New Message button

Main Area:

• Selected conversation messages
• Message composition area
• Send button

Starting a Conversation

Creating a New Message

1. Click New Message button (top right or center of empty state)
2. Search and select recipient(s):
   • Type name or email to search
   • Click team member to add
   • Selected members appear as chips with avatars
   • Click X on chip to remove recipient
3. Type your message in the text area
4. Click Send Message or press Enter

Direct Messages (1-on-1)

How to Create:

1. Click New Message
2. Select ONE team member
3. Type message and send

Features:

• Private conversation between two people
• Shows recipient's name as conversation title
• Appears in conversations list for both participants

Group Messages (3+ people)

How to Create:

1. Click New Message
2. Select MULTIPLE team members (2 or more)
3. Type message and send

Features:

• Conversation includes all selected participants
• Shows "Group" icon in conversations list
• Conversation title shows all participant names
• Everyone sees all messages

Sending Messages

Composing Messages

In Active Conversation:

1. Select conversation from left sidebar
2. Type in message box at bottom
3. Click Send button or press Enter
4. Shift+Enter for new line (without sending)

Character Limit:

• No hard limit, but keep messages focused
• Long messages should be split into multiple sends
• Use documents for sharing large datasets

Message Features

What You Can Send:

• Plain text messages
• Multiple paragraphs (use Shift+Enter)
• Links (automatically clickable)
• Emojis (if browser supports)

What You Cannot Send (Currently):

• File attachments
• Images
• Formatted text (bold, italic)
• Mentions (@username)
• Reactions/emoji responses

These features are on the roadmap!

Managing Conversations

Viewing Conversations

Conversations List Shows:

• Participant names (or "Group" for group chats)
• Last message preview
• Timestamp of last message
• Unread count badge (orange circle with number)

Sorting:

• Automatically sorted by most recent activity
• Conversations with new messages appear at top

Selecting a Conversation

Click any conversation in the left sidebar to:

• View message history
• Send new messages
• Mark messages as read (automatic)

Message History

Features:

• Scrollable message history
• Oldest messages at top
• Newest at bottom
• Auto-scroll to latest message

Message Display:

• Your messages: Right side, orange background
• Others' messages: Left side, gray background
• Sender name (for group chats)
• Timestamp (hover to see full date/time)
• Avatar icons for other senders

Unread Messages

Automatic Read Receipts:

• Messages marked read when you view conversation
• Unread count badge updates across all devices
• Refresh rate: ~5 seconds

Unread Indicators:

• Orange badge with number on conversation
• Badge shows count of unread messages
• Disappears when conversation is opened

Hiding Conversations

How to Hide:

1. Hover over conversation in list
2. Click trash icon that appears on right
3. Confirm hiding

What Happens:

• Conversation removed from YOUR view only
• Other participants still see it
• Messages not deleted
• Cannot be recovered without support

Real-Time Features

Message Polling

How It Works:

• System checks for new messages every 5 seconds
• New messages appear automatically
• No manual refresh needed

Limitations:

• 5-second delay (not instant)
• Not true real-time WebSocket
• May miss messages if page not open

Notification System

In-App Notifications:

• Unread badge on conversations
• Badge updates automatically
• Visual indication of new activity

Email Notifications:

• Not currently available
• Coming in future update

Use Cases

Quick Questions

Example:

"Hey Sarah, can you review the Manhattan sprinkler permits doc?"

Better than email:

• Instant delivery
• No subject lines
• Casual tone
• Context-aware (same platform as docs)

Project Coordination

Example:

Group: Maria, John, Alex
"We need to track all ABC Construction projects in Q1.
I'll create the document, can you all review by Friday?"

Benefits:

• All stakeholders in one thread
• No CC/BCC management
• Easy reference to shared documents

Document Feedback

Example:

"I updated the Brooklyn addresses document with cost filters.
Take a look and let me know if you need other columns."

Why useful:

• Direct link to workspace context
• Team members can check immediately
• Faster iteration

Status Updates

Example:

"FYI - Added 15 new permits to the Q4 tracking sheet today.
All high-value projects over $2M."

Advantage:

• Keep team informed
• No separate status meetings needed
• Async communication

Notes to Self

Example:

Message to yourself:
"Check permit M00123456-NB tomorrow for status update.
Owner said it should be approved this week."

Use Case:

• Personal reminders
• Save links and notes
• Private workspace-related info

Best Practices

Message Etiquette

Do:

• ✅ Be concise and clear
• ✅ Use proper grammar (but casual is fine)
• ✅ Reference specific documents/permits by name
• ✅ Respond promptly to direct questions
• ✅ Use group messages for team-wide updates

Don't:

• ❌ Send very long messages (use docs instead)
• ❌ Spam with multiple messages when one would work
• ❌ Use for urgent/emergency communication (use phone/email)
• ❌ Share sensitive client data
• ❌ Expect instant responses (not real-time chat)

Organizing Conversations

Create Separate Conversations For:

• Different projects ("Q4 Manhattan Project")
• Different teams ("Sales Team", "Research Team")
• Different topics ("NYC Data Issues", "Client Requests")

Keep One Conversation For:

• General workspace chatter
• Quick questions
• Day-to-day coordination

Security & Privacy

What's Secure:

• Messages stored in encrypted database
• Only workspace members can access
• Workspace-specific (isolated)
• No external access

What's Not Private:

• Workspace admins can access messages
• Hiding conversation doesn't delete for others
• No end-to-end encryption
• No message expiration

Troubleshooting

Messages Not Appearing

Solution:

• Wait 5-10 seconds (auto-refresh)
• Manually refresh page
• Check internet connection
• Verify you're in correct workspace

Can't Find Conversation

Solution:

• Use search box at top of conversations list
• Check if conversation was hidden
• Contact other participant to verify
• May need to start new conversation

Can't Send Messages

Possible Causes:

• Not on Premium plan (check subscription)
• Not a workspace member
• Internet connectivity issue
• Browser compatibility issue

Solution:

• Verify Premium subscription
• Check workspace membership
• Try different browser
• Refresh page

Person Not in Recipient List

Possible Causes:

• They're not a workspace member
• They haven't accepted workspace invite
• Search term doesn't match their name/email

Solution:

• Verify they're in workspace
• Check spelling in search
• Use email address instead of name
• Have them accept workspace invite

Limitations

Current Limitations:

• No file attachments
• No image sharing
• No rich text formatting
• No @mentions
• No reactions/emoji responses
• No message editing
• No message deletion
• 5-second refresh (not real-time)
• No email notifications
• No mobile push notifications

Coming Soon:

• File attachments
• Faster updates (WebSocket)
• Email notifications
• Read receipts
• Typing indicators
• Message search
• Message threading

Free vs Premium

Free Tier

• ❌ No messaging access
• Must upgrade to use

Premium Tier

• ✅ Unlimited messages
• ✅ Unlimited conversations
• ✅ All workspace members included
• ✅ Message history preserved
• ✅ Direct and group messaging

Next Steps

• Organization Documents - Create shared datasets
• Upgrade to Premium - Enable messaging
• Managing Team Members - Invite colleagues

Ready to collaborate? Upgrade to Premium → and start messaging your team!