Discuss

Notifications in Quickenerp

Types of Notifications

• Direct Messages – Someone sends you a private message in Discuss.
• @Mentions – Someone mentions @yourname in any channel or chatter.
• Activity Reminders – An activity assigned to you is due soon or overdue.
• Record Assignments – A record (lead, task, order) is assigned to you.
• Approval Requests – Someone requests your approval (expense report, leave request).
• System Alerts – Database backup notifications, update available, server status.

Configuring Notification Preferences

Each user controls their notification delivery:

1. Click your avatar (top-right) – My Profile.
2. Go to the Preferences tab.
3. In the Notifications section:

• Handle by Email – Receive every notification by email.
• Handle in Quickenerp – See notifications only in the app (bell icon).
• Handle by Email and in Quickenerp – Both.

The Notifications Bell

The bell icon (top-right corner) shows all your unread notifications:

• A red dot with a number indicates unread count.
• Click the bell to expand the list. Each entry shows the message, sender, and timestamp.
• Click any entry to navigate to the relevant record or conversation.
• Click Mark All as Read to clear all notifications.
• Older notifications are automatically moved to the history section.

Desktop Notifications

For real-time alerts:

1. Your browser will prompt you to allow notifications from Quickenerp. Click Allow.
2. When a new notification arrives while you're in another tab or application, a desktop toast notification appears.
3. Click the desktop notification to jump to Quickenerp and the relevant record.

Notification Best Practices

• Use @mentions sparingly – every mention interrupts the recipient.
• If you are going on leave, enable "On Vacation" mode in your preferences to auto-reply to messages.
• Disable email notifications for low-priority channels (mute the channel) to reduce inbox clutter.

Using Live Chat as an Operator

Receiving a Chat Request

• When a visitor starts a chat, a notification appears in Discuss (in the "Live Chat" inbox in the left panel).
• If you are not actively in Discuss, a desktop notification pops up (if enabled in your browser).
• Click the notification to open the chat.
• Quickenerp shows visitor context if available: pages they visited on your website, their IP address, and any previous chats.

Chatting with a Visitor

• Type your response and press Enter.
• Use canned responses by typing :shortcut and pressing Tab.
• Use rich formatting: bold, italic, lists, and links.
• Send attachments (files, images) by clicking the attachment icon.
• Click Transfer to transfer the chat to another operator (e.g. from sales to technical support).

Ending a Chat

• When the conversation is complete, click End Chat.
• The visitor sees a "Thanks for chatting" message.
• If enabled, a transcript is emailed to the visitor.
• The chat history is saved in Discuss for future reference.

Live Chat Reports

Go to Discuss > Reporting > Live Chat Analysis:

• Total chats, chats per operator, chats per day.
• Average response time (how fast operators reply).
• Average chat duration.
• Customer satisfaction ratings (if enabled – visitors can rate the chat after it ends).

Live Chat

Live Chat lets website visitors chat with your team in real time. It appears as a chat bubble on your website and routes to available operators.

Creating a Live Chat Channel

Go to Discuss > Configuration > Live Chat Channels.

1. Click Create.
2. Channel Name – e.g. "Website Live Chat", "Sales Chat".
3. Website – Select which website this chat appears on (if you have multiple sites).
4. Button Text – What the chat bubble says (e.g. "Chat with us!").
5. Welcome Message – The first message visitors see when they open the chat (e.g. "Hi there! How can we help you today?").
6. Operator Assignment – How to route incoming chats:

• Any operator – First available operator gets the chat.
• Specific operators – Choose which users can receive live chat requests.
• Sales Team – Route to a specific sales team.

• Request Visitor's Email – Ask for email before starting the chat. This helps follow up if the chat is disconnected.
• Send Transcript by Email – After the chat ends, email the transcript to the visitor.
• Auto-Popup – Show the chat bubble automatically after N seconds on the page.

Canned Responses (Quick Replies)

Save time with pre-written responses for common questions:

1. Go to Discuss > Configuration > Canned Responses.
2. Click Create.
3. Enter a Shortcut – a quick keyword (e.g. :hours).
4. Enter the Response – the full message (e.g. "Our business hours are Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM EST.").
5. Save. In a live chat, type :hours and press Tab – the full response replaces the shortcut.

Discuss Channels

Channels are group conversations. They can be public (anyone can join), private (invite-only), or linked to a specific record (channel document).

Channel Types

Creating a Channel

1. In Discuss, click the + icon next to "Channels" in the left panel.
2. Channel Name – Use a descriptive name (e.g. "Q4 Marketing Campaign"). Avoid special characters and spaces.
3. Description – Briefly explain the channel's purpose. This appears at the top of the channel view.
4. Privacy – Public (everyone can join) or Private (only invited members).
5. Email Alias – Optionally, set an email address (e.g. marketing@company.com). Emails to this address post to the channel. External participants can reply by email.
6. Click Save.

Channel Management

As a channel owner or administrator:

• Add Members – Click the "Members" tab in the right panel – "Add Members". Search for users and add them.
• Remove Members – Click the -- next to a member's name.
• Pin Messages – Hover over a message – ⋮ – "Pin". Pinned messages appear in the right panel for quick reference.
• Mute Notifications – Click the bell icon in the channel header to mute notifications for that channel.
• Leave Channel – Click the channel name – "Leave Channel". You stop receiving messages from it.
• Archive Channel – When a channel is no longer active, archive it (not delete). Archived channels are hidden from the list but can be unarchived later. Messages are preserved.

Channel Best Practices

• Use a consistent naming convention: #department-purpose (e.g. #sales-deals, #dev-bugs).
• Create channels for active projects and campaigns, then archive them when done.
• Use @channel or @all to mention everyone in the channel (use sparingly – it notifies everyone).
• For record-specific discussions, use the record's chatter rather than a channel – it keeps context directly with the record.

Direct Messaging

Direct messages are private one-to-one conversations between you and another user.

Starting a Direct Message

1. In Discuss, click the + icon next to "Direct Messages" in the left panel.
2. Search for the colleague's name.
3. Click their name. A new conversation opens.
4. Type your message and press Enter (or click Send).

Messaging Features

• Text Formatting – Use Markdown: **bold**, *italic*, ~~strikethrough~~, `code`.
• @Mentions – Type @ followed by a name to notify that user. They receive a notification even if they are not in the conversation.
• Emoji Reactions – Hover over any message and click the emoji icon (😊) to react.
• File Attachments – Drag & drop files onto the message input area. Images are displayed inline. PDFs and documents are shown as download links.
• Link Preview – Paste a URL, and Quickenerp fetches a preview with the page title, description, and image.
• Reply to Specific Message – Hover over a message and click the reply icon (↩) to reply in a thread.
• Edit/Delete Messages – Hover over your own message and click the ⋮ menu to edit or delete. Edited messages show "edited" timestamp.

Notifications

• Unread messages show a bold name with a blue badge count in the left panel.
• The bell icon (top-right) shows all notifications: messages, @mentions, activity reminders, and system alerts.
• Configure notification preferences in your Profile: email, in-app, or both.
• Enable desktop notifications in your browser for real-time alerts even when Quickenerp is in a background tab.

Recent Discuss Improvements

• Threaded Replies – Conversations are now organised into threads. Reply to a specific message to keep related responses together.
• Inline Image Preview – Images in messages are displayed at full width, with a lightbox for larger view.
• Message Search – Use Ctrl+F within any conversation to search its message history.
• Voice Messages – Record and send voice messages directly from the mobile app.

The Discuss Module

Discuss is Quickenerp's built-in communication tool. It integrates messaging, email, notifications, and live chat into one interface. Unlike external tools (Slack, Teams), Discuss is deeply integrated with all business records – every message, note, and email is automatically linked to the relevant customer, order, project, or invoice.

Key Features

• Direct Messages – One-to-one chat with any colleague.
• Channels – Group conversations organised by topic, project, or department.
• Record Chatter – Contextual messaging on every business record (order, invoice, contact).
• Live Chat – Real-time chat with website visitors, routed to operators.
• Email Integration – Send and receive emails without leaving Quickenerp. Email threads are stored in the chatter.
• Notifications – @mentions, assignment alerts, and activity reminders.
• Mobile Apps – iOS and Android apps for on-the-go messaging and notifications.

Accessing Discuss

Click the Discuss app from the app switcher (☰). The interface is divided into three panels:

• Left Panel – Conversations list: Direct Messages, Channels, and the Live Chat inbox. Unread conversations have a bold name with a badge count.
• Center Panel – The selected conversation's message history. Newest messages at the bottom.
• Right Panel – Channel/chat details: members, pinned messages, attachments, and settings.

Discuss vs Email

Note: You can send emails directly from the chatter on any record – that email IS recorded in Discuss, keeping the history together.