---
title: "Customer messages appear in the Dispatch Board SMS sidebar"
slug: "customer-messages-appear-in-the-dispatch-board-sms-sidebar"
updated: 2026-03-27T18:37:24Z
published: 2026-03-27T18:37:24Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.servicetitan.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Customer messages appear in the Dispatch Board SMS sidebar

## Problem

The Dispatch Board SMS sidebar usually only shows technician correspondence and notifications. Sometimes customer messages will appear there, which is confusing. This article explains why customer messages appear in the Dispatch Board SMS sidebar and how to remedy it.

## Solution

1. [Check if Two Way Chat is enabled](/v1/docs/customer-messages-appear-in-the-dispatch-board-sms-sidebar#check-if-twoway-chat-is-turned-off)
2. [Check if the customer's phone number is set as a technician's phone number](/v1/docs/customer-messages-appear-in-the-dispatch-board-sms-sidebar#check-if-the-customers-phone-number-is-set-as-a-technicians-phone-number)

### Check if two-way chat is turned off

If customer text messages appear in the Dispatch Board SMS sidebar, the first step is to go to **Settings**![A simple icon representing a settings gear. ](https://cdn.document360.io/961862ab-d0f2-4d91-bb62-a62ee8184eff/Images/Documentation/icon-gnav-settings-inactive.png)**> Chat** and check if *Enable Chat* is turned off:

- If *Enable Chat* is turned off, that explains why customer messages appear in the Dispatch Board SMS sidebar. When *Enable Chat* is turned off, ServiceTitan can't determine which messages are from technicians and which messages are from customers. To avoid this confusion, turn on *Enable Chat*. For more information about this feature, see [Technician two-way chat](/v1/docs/manage-technician-two-way-chat-in-servicetitan-and-servicetitan-mobile).

> [!TIP]
> **Tip:** If you're using the [new Dispatch Messaging experience](/v1/docs/text-technicians-from-the-dispatch-board), customer chats won't appear in the SMS sidebar when *Enable Chat* is turned off.
- If *Enable Chat* is turned on but customer messages still appear in the Dispatch Board SMS sidebar, proceed to the next troubleshooting section.

### Check if the customer's phone number is set as a technician's phone number

1. Copy the customer's phone number and go to **Settings > Technicians**.
2. Enter the customer's phone number in the *Phone* filter to check if it has been set as a technician's phone number. If so, clarify what the technician's phone number should be and update it accordingly.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** Only an administrator roles can perform this step if a technician's profile number should be updated.