The New messages window is an easy way to review incoming messages from the vehicle queue. Click on a message indicator at the top of the page to open the window. The selected message category is shown. You can select a different sender category or can view all messages from all senders ('All') in one view. This allows you to quickly access the new messages that are of importance to you.

1. Click in the message to acknowledge that you have read it.
   • The message indicator count is decreased by one (or the icon removed completely if no more messages). The message no longer appears in the New messages window once it has been closed.
   • If there are multiple unread text messages (), clicking on a text message will acknowledge and mark the selected message read as well as all previous messages from the same source. Therefore clicking on the last message in the list acknowledges that all previous messages from the same source have been read.
2. Click > to go to the associated page in Messenger.
3. If there is a blue vehicle link, the message is associated with a service lane. Click on it to go directly to the associated service lane fully expanded.

Note: If "Show mine" is selected but the message is associated with a service lane that the user is not associated with, the option is automatically reset to "Show all".

All customer, and vehicle chat messages associated with a service lane, all parts team messages, and all employee messages to and from the current user, appear in the service lane's expanded view. This allows the user to quickly follow a conversation without having to navigate off the vehicle queue. Relevant customer, employee-to-employee, parts and vehicle chat messages can be read, regardless of sender.

Messaging is done under the General tab:

 

Lane sub-tab

Click "Lane" (shown previously) to see messages associated with the service lane. Then:

1. Click "Customer" to see all text message conversations with the customer where the message is linked to the service lane. You can also send a new message for the customer directly from this window as described in Customer messaging from the service lane.
   
2. Click "Vehicle Team" to see any vehicle chat messages associated with the vehicle. Post a new vehicle message for this service lane directly from this window as described in Vehicle chat messages in the service lane.
3. Click "Parts Team" to see chat messages associated with the vehicle for the Parts Department. Post a new message for the Parts Department for this service lane directly from this window as described in Messages for the Parts Department in the service lane.
   
4. Click on a name in the employee list to quickly see all your conversations with the selected member of the vehicle's service team. Post a new employee message directly from this window as described in Employee messaging from the service lane. It will be automatically associated with the service lane:

 

Dealership sub-tab

Click "Dealership" (shown next) to see a list of all employees in order to quickly see additional messaging history with other users.  

1. Click a name in the list to see all employee-to-employee messages between the selected user and yourself, for all vehicles. Note that this not specifically service-lane related.
2. Post a new employee message for this employee directly from this window as described in Employee messaging from the service lane. It will be automatically associated with the service lane.

 

Customer messaging from the service lane

To send a message to the customer from the service lane Customer sub-tab:

1. In the messaging area, all customer messages associated with this service lane are listed.
2. Make sure the correct customer cell number or email is selected: Click the current icon (e.g. ) to switch between "SMS" and "email".
3. Click beside the icon to choose from available cell numbers or email addresses, if more than one.
4. Enter your message and click . Once the text or email has been sent, the message appears in the service lane. Any responses will also appear here.

Note: To update the customer's email or cell phone number, go to Messenger as described in Customer messaging.

 

Vehicle chat messages in the service lane

To post a message to the service lane's vehicle chat from the Vehicle Team option:

1. In the messaging area, vehicle chat messages posted to this service lane are listed.
2. Enter your message and click . Once the message has been posted, it appears in the messaging area and is associated with the service lane.

 

Messages for the Parts Department in the service lane

To post a message for the whole Parts Department from the Parts Team option:

1. In the messaging area, all messages for the Parts Department are listed.
2. Enter your message and click . The message is sent to all Parts Department users. Once the message has been posted, it appears in the Parts Team messaging area.

Note: Every Parts Advisor user is included in the Parts Team. When a Parts Advisor is added or deleted (by the Dealer Administrator in Admin Settings under ' Manage Users') the change is reflected in the Parts Team list on the next day.

 

Employee messaging from the service lane

To send an employee-to-employee message from the service lane Lane or Dealership option:

1. Click on the employee name. The message history between you and the employee are listed, for all vehicles.
2. Enter your message and click . Once the message has been sent, it appears in the service lane and is automatically associated with the service lane.

An orange message flag () appears to the left of any service lane that has an associated unread message from the indicated source. A message can be associated with a service lane when it is:

• An employee-to-employee message that is associated with a vehicle in the queue:
  • = from a service employee i.e. a Technician or Service Advisor.
  • = from the Dealer Administrator.
• = from the Service Advisor. Currently this applies to parts request notifications for a vehicle in the queue as described in Parts request notifications
• = a text message from a customer that can be matched to a vehicle in the queue unless multiple service lanes are associated with the customer's phone number.

Note: If a customer text message cannot be matched to a service lane in the queue, a 'CU' message indicator appears at the top of the page but there is no link to a vehicle in the corresponding message.

Open the service lane to review the message as described in Messaging from the service lane. The service lane message indicator is removed when the service lane is opened.

To expedite the repair process, the Parts Team is automatically sent a system notification (message) in the following situations, if enabled for the dealership:

• When the Service Advisor completes a pre-write where parts are needed.
• When all recommendations requiring parts in a service lane have been approved and the status is updated to MPI Confirmed. (In Service Dashboard, the status then moves automatically to Work in Progress.)

Messages appear in the New Messages window with the 'SA' message notifier i.e. as being from the Service Advisor. The service lane also has the notifier.

 

Reviewing and claiming parts requests

Note: If there is more than one parts request notification, it is important to start working from the top of the New Messages list. Selecting (clicking in) a message further down in the list, to review and claim it, may delete messages above it from the same sender.

To review and claim a parts request:

1. Click the message notifier at the top of the page to open the New Messages window. Parts Request notifications appear in the 'Service Advisor' category.
2. Each parts request notification is associated with a vehicle and includes the list of required parts and other key service information.
3. Select a message (starting at the top of the list) then click on the blue vehicle link to the right to go immediately to the vehicle's expanded service lane. Note that the service lane also has the notifier. Review the expanded service lane information and continue with the parts request:
   • If this is a message following inspection recommendation confirmation, click "Open in TI" to complete the parts request steps in Technician Inspection.
4. To indicate the parts request has been 'claimed', click anywhere in the New Messages window message before continuing to the next request in the list (remembering to work from the top down). This deletes the message from the New Messages window for all Parts Advisors when the window is closed. The notifier also disappears from the service lane.
   

Note: You can also see all Parts Team messages, including parts requests, from any expanded service lane. Click 'Parts Team' under the General tab as shown in Messages for the Parts Department in the service lane.