Initiate Chat with Visible Resources

With the 25D update, authorized users such as dispatchers, supervisors, and project managers can now initiate one-on-one or group chats with any users they have visibility to, even if those users are not part of a Collaboration Group. This allows flexible, real-time communication without needing predefined group memberships.

For example, a Field Service Project Manager may want to send a daily reminder to all field resources under their supervision, encouraging timely start and end of routes. They might also need to share weather updates before the start of a workday to ensure the field teams are prepared for outdoor conditions. With this feature, such communications can be initiated instantly with all visible users, without relying on admin setup or static groups.

This functionality is controlled by a checkbox on the User Types page, where administrators can enable it for relevant roles.

After enabling this feature, users can::

• Search for and initiate one-on-one chats with any user visible to them in the organization structure (Visible resources field), this includes all mobile workers as well as Manager/Dispatcher/Admin users.
• Start a conversation with nearby resources visible to them in the organization structure.
• Initiate group chats using multiple group selection methods. When starting a group message based on user groups, the visible resource tree becomes available alongside the existing options: Collaboration Groups and Favourite Groups.

Visible resource tree

This allows users to initiate group chats by:

• Selecting the entire resource tree
• Targeting a specific org unit 
• Targeting a specific bucket

Target Bucket

During ongoing group chats, only the chat initiator can add users based on visibility. Other participants are limited to adding users from their Collaboration Groups only, even if their user type also has the permission enabled.

Additionally, when selecting buckets or organization units from the resource tree, a dash ("–") in the checkbox indicates that some resources within that structure are selected, but not all.

Selected resources

Business Benefits

• Removes the need to manually create Collaboration Groups and add visible resources in them for dispatchers and supervisors to initiate individual or group chats with resources, maintaining flexibility in communication based on actual organization structure visibility.

Steps to Enable

To allow chat initiation with visible resources:

1. Go to Configuration > User Types.
2. Select the appropriate user type and then select the Allow initiation of chat with all visible resources option.
3. Save the configuration.

After enabling this setting, users of that type can initiate chats with any resources they are authorized to see in the application, based on their assigned visible resources.

Enabling Allow initiation of chat with all visible resources

Tips And Considerations

• If open communication across the entire organization is acceptable, consider creating a Collaboration Group linked to the root org unit and enabling chat for all user types within that group. 

  This approach ensures that everyone in the organization can communicate with each other.

• If there is no specific business need to restrict dispatchers/supervisors from chatting with their visible resources, consider enabling the Allow initiation of chat with all visible resources option for all relevant user types. That will simplify configurations and reduce administrative overhead while maintaining effective communication across teams.