Comms Tips + Tricks

Small habits that make Comms work better for you and your clients.

Before you type

• Look for the dot. A dot after a room name, and the Client facing · … pill in the header, mean the client reads that room.

• Use Client view before a big send. One click shows the room exactly as the client sees it. Nothing you do in the preview is saved.

• Give rooms two names. Use ⋯ → Rename for the client… so your shorthand stays internal.

• Let Walter tidy a message. The lightning button in the composer (Rewrite with Walter) rewrites your draft.

Working the queue

• Start your day in Needs you. Waiting on them is sorted oldest first, so the top row is the one to chase.

• Use Money and Approvals when you only have time for one kind of follow-up.

• Owners: if Just mine is empty, switch to Whole studio.

• Open records beside the thread. Open → shows the record without losing your place.

Keeping things tidy

• Don't over-split. Every project already has a client chat and a team chat. Add a room only when it really is a separate conversation.

• Put rooms away instead of deleting them. ⋯ → Put room away keeps the history. Delete room is permanent.

• @mention people instead of hoping they'll read it. Only room members are offered, so it doubles as a check that they're in the room.

• Pin to welcome. Hover over a message you've already written and click Pin to welcome to make it the first thing the client reads in their portal.

One-time setup that pays off

• Rename your product statuses for clients. In Settings → Studio → Client experience → Firm defaults → Product statuses, tell clients "At the warehouse" instead of "Received", and "For your approval" instead of "Proposed". It's one list for every client.

• Hide statuses that are only for you. Draft, Allowance and Return are hidden by default — keep them that way.

• Turn on catch-up emails. Under Email clients who have not read their messages, turn on Send a catch-up email and choose how long to wait (minimum 15 minutes). Use Why has no email gone out? to check it, or Send one to me now to test it.

• Hide sections you don't use on a project's Client portal tab. An empty tab teaches clients not to look.