Sending messages and announcements
Write messages and announcements in the admin panel; pick recipients and channels, check the audience preview, attach files, save drafts, schedule, and end an announcement.
In the admin panel, you write a new message from Message center → New message. The same window sends a message to people or an announcement to an audience. This article walks through every field in the window.
Required permissions
- Sending messages needs the Send messages permission.
- Announcements and bulk messages need the Announcements and bulk messages permission. A message to more than 20 recipients needs it too.
- Adding e-mail or SMS needs the Messages by e-mail / SMS permission.
For which role holds which permission, see Permissions and delivery.
Message or announcement?
Choose the type at the top of the window:
- Message: goes to specific people and can be replied to. Replies stay in one conversation.
- Announcement: goes to an audience. It has extra options such as severity, pinning and how long visitors see it.
Write a message
Open a new message
On the Message center page, select New message and choose the type.
Pick recipients
In To, search for people, staff, roles or teams. The options are listed below.
Write the subject and text
Fill in Subject and Message. The text supports headings, bold, italic, lists, links and quotes.
Attach files if needed
Use Attach files to add up to 5 files.
Set channels and options
Under Extra channels, add e-mail and/or SMS. For an announcement, set importance, pinning and visibility.
Check the preview and send
Look at the audience preview. Select Send, Schedule or Save draft.
Recipients
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Panel users | Specific admin panel users |
| Roles | Everyone with an admin role, for example Hygiene manager |
| Resolution teams | The members of a resolution team |
| Staff | Individual staff, All staff, Cleaning staff or Control staff |
| Visitors | On announcements, with Also show to visitors; all locations or the locations you pick |
For announcements to visitors, see Visitor announcements.
Channels
- In-app is always sent. The message shows in the recipient's message center.
- E-mail and SMS are added per message. These channels may be charged.
Audience preview
Before you send, the bottom of the window shows how many people you reach and how many e-mails and SMS will go out. If visitors are selected, it also shows at how many locations the announcement appears. Check these numbers, especially when you add SMS.
Attachments
- Up to 5 files, 15 MB each.
- Allowed types: images (JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF), PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT and CSV.
- Photos are shrunk automatically (up to 1920 px) and converted to WebP. Location and EXIF data are removed.
- The file content is checked against its type.
- Files that are uploaded but never sent are deleted automatically.
Drafts and scheduling
- Save draft keeps the message in the Drafts folder. Open it later with Edit and send it.
- Enter a date and time in Send at and select Schedule to send it at that time. Leave the field empty to send now.
- Scheduled messages sit in the Scheduled folder. Use Unschedule to take one back or Delete to remove it.
Drafts and scheduling are web-only; the mobile app does not have them.
Announcement options
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Importance | Info, Important or Urgent. |
| Pin to top | Keeps the announcement at the top of lists. |
| Visibility | When visitors start and stop seeing it. Left empty, it shows until it is ended. |
End an announcement early
Open a sent announcement and select End. It leaves visitor screens; the copies in recipients' inboxes stay.
Tips
- Use a message for a quick note to someone, and an announcement for a topic that concerns many people.
- Keep SMS for urgent cases. For routine updates, in-app and e-mail are enough.
- To announce work that starts at a set time, schedule the message in advance.
Related articles
Can't find what you need?
Our support team can help with anything from setup to reporting.
Message center overview
The message center collects alerts, announcements, messages and system messages in one inbox. Learn the categories, the folders and where it appears.
Visitor announcements
Show announcements for visitors on QR pages, on live displays and in the mobile app's visitor mode, and learn how visitors follow the status of their reports.