ShiftCare’s Instant Messaging feature allows your office and staff members to communicate securely in real-time without leaving the platform. The inbox keeps your conversations easily accessible across the web and mobile app.
Instant Messaging is available on the Intelligence (Premium) and Growth (Professional) plans. If you would like to discuss your plan, you can email our Customer Success Team at support@shiftcare.com.
Enable Instant Messaging
Before your team can chat, an Admin user must enable the specific types of messaging allowed for your organisation.
Navigate to Account > Feature Settings from the sidebar menu.
Scroll to the Instant Messaging section and click 'Edit'.
Toggle on your desired settings:
Enable General Chat: Enables a single, company-wide chat channel that all staff can see and participate in.
Enable Team-Based Chats: Automatically creates dedicated chat channels for specific Teams. Any staff member assigned to a team will automatically see a channel for that team.
Enable Direct Messaging: Allows 1-on-1 chats between staff members.
Enable Broadcast Channel: Enables a top-down announcement channel. All staff are automatically added to this channel, but only authorised office roles can post messages. Carers can read and react, but cannot reply. This setting is currently off by default.
Allow Group Direct Messages: Allows users to create custom group chats with 3 or more people.
Send Care Signal Alerts via Chat: Allow admins to subscribe to real-time Care Signal Alerts.
Click 'Save'.
Accessing the Inbox
On the Web App
You will see a messaging bar fixed to the bottom-right corner of your screen. A red number badge will indicate how many unread messages you have.
Click the bar to expand your Inbox, which lists all your conversations.
Clicking on a conversation will open a separate chat window next to the inbox so you can chat while navigating the rest of ShiftCare.
On the Mobile App
To access Instant Messaging, tap the hamburger menu (☰) and select 'Messaging'. A red number badge will indicate how many unread messages you have.
Click the Plus button to start a new 1-on-1 chat with a staff member.
Types of Conversations
Click the '+' (New Message) button in your inbox to create a new message.
Direct Messages (1-on-1)
To start a private chat with a single staff member:
Select the Direct Message (DM) tab.
Search for and select the staff member, type your message, and hit 'Send'.
A green dot indicates that the staff member is currently online in ShiftCare.
Group Chats (Custom Groups)
Any user can create a group chat.
Give the group a name and select at least 2 other people to invite.
Broadcast Channel
If enabled by an Admin, the Broadcast channel will appear pinned to the top of everyone's inbox.
This is used for company-wide announcements. When a message is posted here, every staff member receives a push notification.
Only Admins (or office roles explicitly granted permission) can type in this channel. Other staff members can read and leave emoji reactions, but cannot reply.
Messaging Features
Attachments: Click the paperclip icon to upload images, PDFs, or documents (less than 500KB) to the chat.
Reactions and Read Receipts: You can react to any message with an emoji, and a small indicator will show you when your message has been seen.
Global Chat Search: Type a channel name, staff member's name, or a specific keyword in the search box. Clicking a result will jump you straight to that message in the chat history.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I add participants or their family members to group chats in the instant messaging feature?
No, the instant messaging feature is designed for staff members only and does not support adding participants or their family members to group chats.
If this is a feature you’d find valuable, we encourage you to submit your idea or vote on existing requests here: https://feedback.shiftcare.com/
Can I, as an admin, view my staff’s instant messaging conversations?
Admins can only access messages in group or individual chats that they are part of. If you are not included in a specific team or conversation, you will not be able to view those messages.
This also applies to one-on-one (private) chats between staff members. Direct messages are only visible to the participants in that conversation.
For further assistance with Instant Messaging, please contact our Support team using online chat when you're logged into ShiftCare or email our Support team at support@shiftcare.com.