Customer messages appear in the dispatch board SMS sidebarLast updated on 05/12/2023

This article explains why customer messages appear in the dispatch board SMS sidebar and how to remedy it.

Check if two-way chat is enabled
Check if the customer’s phone number is set as a technician’s phone number

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

Check if Two Way Chat is enabled
Check if the customer’s phone number is set as a technician’s phone number

Check if two-way chat is enabled

If customer text messages appear in the dispatch board sidebar, the first step is to confirm whether two-way chat is enabled. Navigate to Settings > Chat and review whether Enable Chat is switched on.

If Enable Chat is switched off, that explains why customer messages appear in the dispatch board sidebar as the system can't determine which messages are from technicians and which ones are from customers. It is recommended to enable two-way chat to avoid this confusion. See this article for more information on setting up two-way chat.
If Enable Chat is switched on but customer messages still appear in the dispatch board sidebar, proceed to the next troubleshooting section.

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

Copy the customer’s phone number and navigate to Settings > Technicians.
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: Only an Admin user can perform this step if a technician’s profile number should be updated.