Conversations

Overview

Conversations provide a unified inbox for all SMS and email communication with your customers and contacts. Each conversation is a threaded message history tied to a contact, routed through a configured channel (SMS via Twilio or email via Postmark/SendGrid). Dispatchers and admins use conversations to follow up on work orders, confirm appointments, and handle customer inquiries without leaving Forz.

Before You Begin

Prerequisites:

1. You have the Conversations: Create permission on your role.

2. The Conversation module is enabled (Settings > Modules).

3. At least one channel is configured — SMS (Twilio) or Email (Postmark/SendGrid) (Settings > Channels).

4. At least one contact record exists with a mobile phone number or email address.

Viewing Conversations

The conversations inbox displays three filtering layers:

• Status tabs — Open, Closed, and Snoozed filter conversations by their current state.

• Scope filters — Mine shows conversations assigned to you. All shows every conversation, and Unassigned shows conversations with no assigned user.

• Search — type a keyword to search across conversation content.

Tip: The scope filter badges show unread counts. A conversation is unread when it has messages newer than your last read timestamp.

Expected result: The inbox loads with your open, assigned conversations by default. Unread conversations appear with a visual indicator.

Starting a New Conversation

Select the contact and channel

1. Click Conversations in the sidebar navigation.

2. Click the + New button.

3. Select a Contact from the dropdown.

4. Choose the channel type: SMS or Email.

Note: If the selected contact has only a mobile phone number (no email), Forz auto-selects the SMS channel. If the contact has only an email address, Forz auto-selects the Email channel. Channel selection appears only when the contact has both.

Compose and send

1. If SMS is selected, choose the Phone Number from the contact's mobile numbers.

2. Type your message in the message field.

3. Click Save.

Expected result: Forz creates the conversation, sends the message through the selected channel (SMS or email), and opens the conversation thread view.

Warning: If an open conversation already exists for the same phone number or email address, Forz prompts you to continue the existing conversation or create a new one. This prevents duplicate threads for the same contact.

Replying to a Conversation

1. Click on a conversation in the inbox sidebar to open it.

2. Type your reply in the message field at the bottom.

3. Click Send.

Expected result: The message appears in the thread and is delivered to the contact via the conversation's channel. Forz marks the conversation as unread for all other assigned users.

Note: Inbound messages (received from the contact) trigger unread indicators for all assigned users. Outbound messages you send do not mark the conversation as unread for you.

Managing Conversation Status

Conversations have three statuses: Open, Closed, and Snoozed.

Closing or reopening a conversation

1. Open the conversation you want to close or reopen.

2. Click the status toggle button.

Expected result: The conversation moves between Open and Closed status. Closed conversations no longer appear in the Open tab.

Snoozing a conversation

Snooze a conversation to temporarily hide it and have it resurface at a scheduled time.

1. Open the conversation.

2. Click the Snooze button.

3. Select a duration: 1 hour, 4 hours, Tomorrow (9:00 AM), Next week (9:00 AM), or enter a Custom date and time.

Expected result: The conversation moves to the Snoozed tab. When the snooze period expires, the conversation automatically returns to Open status.

Unsnoozing a Conversation

1. Switch to the Snoozed tab.

2. Open the snoozed conversation.

3. Click Unsnooze.

Expected result: The conversation returns to Open status immediately.

What Happens After Sending a Message

When you send a message, Forz automatically:

• Routes the message through the appropriate provider (Twilio for SMS, Postmark or SendGrid for email) via the Communication Gateway.

• Marks the conversation as unread for all other assigned users (inbound messages only).

• Updates the conversation timestamp so the most recent conversations appear first.

• Supports attachments — messages can include file attachments.

Common Scenarios

Following up on a completed HVAC repair

A dispatcher needs to confirm that an air conditioning repair resolved the customer's issue. She opens Conversations, clicks + New, selects the customer contact "Maria Gonzalez," chooses the SMS channel, and sends: "Hi Maria, this is ABC Cooling. Just checking in, is your AC working properly after yesterday's repair?" When Maria replies, the dispatcher sees the inbound message and can close the conversation or create a follow-up work order.

Sending an appointment confirmation via email

Before a scheduled fire safety inspection, a dispatcher starts a new conversation with the building manager, selects the Email channel, and sends a message confirming the date, time, and technician name. The email is delivered through Postmark and tracked in the conversation thread. The dispatcher snoozes the conversation until the day before the appointment to check for a reply.

Managing a busy inbox during peak season

During summer, an HVAC company receives dozens of inbound SMS messages daily. The lead dispatcher uses the All scope to triage unassigned conversations, opens each one, and either replies directly or assigns it by adding users to the conversation. Completed inquiries are closed to keep the Open tab focused on active threads.

Troubleshooting