Communications Module
Managing Communications
How to run a conversation thread, know exactly when a message sends a real email versus just getting recorded, and attach files to it.
Run a thread
1Start a thread
Click + New Thread.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Subject | The only required field. |
| Owner | Free text. |
| Channel | Internal, Vendor, or Customer — a descriptive label only. It doesn’t change how (or whether) anything is actually delivered — see Reference. |
| Status | Open, Waiting, or Closed. |
| Priority | Low, Normal, or High. |
| Linked Module | Same curated picker as Files — Company, Contact, Account, Sales Invoice, Purchase Order, Project, or Task, with a real record dropdown. Or “Other (type manually)” for a free-text label. |
| Participants | A free-text list of names — not tied to real Contacts or HR records. |
| Notes | Reference only. |
Linking this thread’s Linked Module to a real Contact (not just typing a customer’s name into the free-text Other field) is what lets an Outbound message actually send — see Actually emailing a customer or vendor.
Click Create Thread.
2Send a message
Open a thread, choose a Direction, type the Message, and click Send Message.
| Direction | What actually happens |
|---|---|
| Internal | Recorded in the thread only. |
| Inbound | Recorded, and increments the thread’s Unread count — for logging something that came in. Nothing here receives real incoming messages automatically; you type it in yourself after the fact. |
| Outbound | Recorded, and only if this thread is linked to a real Contact with a valid email on file, a real email is sent — see below. |
3Track & close it out
Opening a thread automatically clears its Unread count — no separate “mark read” action needed. Change Status to Waiting while you’re expecting a reply, or Closed once it’s resolved.
Common tasks
Actually emailing a customer or vendor
A message only leaves this app as a real email under one specific condition — regardless of what Channel you picked.
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Link the thread to a real Contact
When creating or editing the thread, set Linked Module to Contact and pick the real customer or vendor from the dropdown — not the free-text “Other” option.
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Send an Outbound message
Choose Outbound as the Direction and click Send Message.
If the linked Contact doesn’t have a valid email address, or the thread isn’t linked to a Contact at all, the Outbound message still saves normally — there’s no error or warning shown. It simply never leaves as a real email.
Attaching a file to a thread
In the message form, click 📎 Attach File and pick a file. This uploads it as a brand-new record in Files, already linked to this thread — it doesn’t let you pick a file you’ve already added to Files elsewhere. Attaching the “same” file twice creates two separate file records.
Reference
Direction & channel reference
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | Awaiting resolution. |
| Waiting | Waiting on a reply. |
| Closed | Resolved. |
Channel (Internal / Vendor / Customer) is a label you choose for filtering — it never determines delivery. Only Direction and whether the thread is linked to a real Contact determine that.
What this module doesn’t do
Nothing here actually receives real incoming email, SMS, or any other channel automatically. Every Inbound message is typed in by a person after the fact.
Only Outbound messages on a thread linked to a real Contact with a valid email actually send — see above. Nothing else in this module (SMS, other channels) is wired up to any real delivery.
The Participants field is a free-text list of names, not linked to Contacts or HR.