What is the communications inbox?
Use the inbox to read and answer all of your clients' messages - Chat, SMS (text messages), and Email - from one screen, instead of checking a separate place for each channel. Every conversation groups the full history with a client across all channels, and the whole team at your clinic shares the same view, so everyone can see what has been answered and what still needs a reply.
The communications inbox is currently open for early access and must be enabled for your clinic. To request access, reach out through chat (ask to discuss with a human) or your account manager.
Note: everyone at your clinic can open the Inbox and read conversations. Sending SMS and emails requires the Manage Client Communications permission - the same permission that gates sending messages from the patient's Health Card. Chat replies don't require it.
How this helps your daily work
Front desk / receptionists - triage every incoming chat, text, and email reply from a single list, with unread conversations grouped at the top, so nothing gets missed between screens
Vets & nurses - reply with full context: the client's details, their pets, and quick links to the Health Card sit right next to the conversation
Practice managers - read status is shared across the clinic, so you can see at a glance what your team has already handled, without asking around
Where to find it
In the main menu, go to Communication -> Inbox.
The Inbox has three areas:
Left - the conversation list, with a Conversations tab and a Contacts tab
Center - the selected conversation and the reply box
Right - the Context panel with the client's and pets' details
You can collapse or resize the left and right panels by dragging their edges, and the Inbox remembers your layout.
Note: the Inbox shows the conversations of the clinic you are currently working in. If you work at several clinics, switch clinics to see each clinic's Inbox.
How to read and reply to a client message
Go to Communication -> Inbox. The Conversations tab lists your clinic's conversations, with the Unread section at the top and Read conversations below. Each row shows the channel its last message came in on, so you can tell a text from an email before you open it.
Select a conversation. Opening it marks the conversation as read for your whole clinic.
In the reply box, pick the channel to reply on: Chat, SMS, or Email. Channels that are not available for this client stay visible but disabled, with a tooltip explaining why (for example "No phone on file" or "Pet parent has no chat account").
For an email, fill in the Subject field (when composing a new email) or reply directly under the client's email. For an SMS, keep an eye on the character counter - one SMS holds up to 160 characters, and longer messages are sent and charged as several.
Check the Select pets field for clients with more than one pet. It comes pre-filled with the pets the conversation last talked about, so you usually don't need to change it - and because the pets link the message to the right patients' records, at least one must be selected before you can send.
Use the Record field to file the message against a medical record (SOAP). It appears next to Select pets as soon as a single pet is selected, and lists that pet's records at your current clinic, most recent first, whatever their status. The message then sits on that record, exactly as if you had sent it from the Health Card - and it shows up in the visit summary the client receives. Leave it empty when the message doesn't belong to a visit.
Click Send via Chat, Send via SMS, or Send via Email. Your message appears in the conversation, with its delivery state underneath it. SMS and email messages are also saved to the patient's record the moment they're sent, so they show up on the Health Card right away. Chat messages stay in the Inbox - use the Tails AI chat summarization workflow to add a summary of a chat to the record.
Note: the Record field only shows when exactly one pet is selected, and only for staff who can edit records and manage client communications. Change the pets so that more than one is selected and the record you picked is cleared. You won't see the field on an email reply - a reply stays filed wherever the first email in the thread was filed - or on chat, because chat messages aren't stored on the patient's record.
Other things you can do
See which channel a conversation came in on
Every row in the Conversations list carries a tag showing the channel of its last message - chat, SMS, email or a call - so you can route a conversation to whoever handles that channel without opening it first. Conversations from senders who aren't linked to a client carry the tag too.
Check whether your message was delivered and seen
Every message you send shows its own state, so you can tell a message that never landed from one your client simply hasn't answered yet:
Sent - the message was accepted by the provider
Delivered - it reached your client's phone, mailbox, or device
Seen - your client opened the email or read the chat message
Important: an SMS stops at Delivered. No mobile network reports whether a text has been read, so a text without a Seen state does not mean your client ignored it. Email opens are measured with a tracking pixel, which misses clients who block images and can register an open when a mail app loads the message on its own - treat it as a useful signal, not proof that the message was read. Messages your client sends you carry no state, and a message that fails to send keeps its existing failure notice instead of a state.
Mark a conversation as read
Opening a conversation marks it as read for your whole clinic. To clear one without opening it, hover over it in the list and click Mark as read.
Read status is shared across the clinic: once anyone reads a conversation it shows as read for everyone, so two people don't answer the same message.
Filter a conversation by channel
In an open conversation, use the channel filter to focus on one or more channels. Pick the channels you want and click Apply, or switch back to All channels to see everything again.
Search conversations and messages
In the Conversations tab, use Search by name to find a client's conversation
In an open conversation, use Search messages to find a specific message, and jump between matches with the next and previous arrows
Start a conversation with a client who hasn't messaged you
Open the Contacts tab, find the client with Search clients, and select them to start a conversation. Tick App users only to see only clients who have the Digitail app installed and can receive chat messages.
Reply to an SMS from an unknown number
When a text arrives from a phone number that isn't linked to any client, it appears as an "Unknown sender" conversation. You can read it straight away, and reply by SMS without leaving the Inbox.
Because an unlinked conversation isn't on anyone's record yet, link it as soon as you know who it is:
Link to existing pet parent - attach the number and the conversation to an existing client
Add new pet parent - create a new client, then the conversation links automatically
Once linked, the conversation and its messages appear on that client's record like any other.
Reply to a co-owner or another contact person
When a text or email comes from a co-owner or another contact person on a client's file rather than the account holder, you can answer it by SMS or email like any other conversation. The Inbox shows you which contact person the conversation belongs to, Select pets offers their pets that are patients at your clinic, and the message is filed against both the pet and that contact person.
Note: a contact person with no patients at your clinic still has SMS and email disabled, because there is no pet to file the message against.
Invite a client to chat in the app
Chat works through the Digitail app. If a client hasn't installed the app, the Chat option is disabled with an App not installed notice - click Send invite to email them instructions to download the app. The invite requires an email address on file.
Work with client and pet details while you reply
The Context panel on the right shows the client's profile and their pets. From there you can:
Switch between the Client and Patient tabs
Open the pet's Health Card or Timeline in a new tab, so you never lose your place in the conversation
Use the quick actions to create a Record, an Appointment, or a Task for the patient you're discussing
Call the client directly with Digitail VoIP - coming soon
Let Tails AI help you reply
In the reply box you can use Generate Reply Message to draft a reply with the Tails AI Assistant, or Record message with Tails Dictation to dictate instead of typing.
Drafts for SMS and chat arrive as plain text, so no stray formatting characters reach your client, links stay clickable, and the character counter reflects what is actually sent. Email drafts keep their formatting, because email renders it. Your draft stays put if you switch between the Chat, SMS, and Email tabs.
Tips & best practices
Reply on the channel the client used - the reply box preselects the channel the conversation last used, but you can switch at any time before sending
Double-check the pets on a multi-pet client - the pre-filled selection follows the last message, so change it when your reply is about a different pet
File the message while you write it - picking a Record in the reply box saves a second trip to the patient's record afterwards, and keeps the conversation with the visit it belongs to
Click a client-reply notification to jump straight to the message - it opens the conversation and scrolls to the message the client replied to, however old the reply is and however far down the list the conversation has slipped; notifications from before the Inbox was enabled for your clinic still open the patient's record
Check the delivery state before you chase a client - a message still on Sent or Delivered may simply not have been opened yet, while one that failed shows a failure notice instead
If a message shows as not delivered, check the Communication Log - the failure notice in the conversation links straight to it
Keep texts short - messages over 160 characters (or 70 characters when using special characters or emoji) are split into several SMS and charged for each
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why don't I see the Inbox in my menu?
The Inbox is in open beta, so it isn't enabled for every clinic yet. To request access for your clinic, reach out through chat or your account manager. Until it's enabled, keep using Chat and your other communication tools as before.
Can I still use the old Chat page?
Yes. The Chat page stays available until the Inbox is fully rolled out, and your chat conversations appear in both places in the meantime, so you can switch over whenever your team is ready.
When I read a message, is it marked as read for my teammates too?
Yes - read status in the Inbox is shared across your clinic, so once anyone opens a conversation it shows as read for everyone. That way the Unread section reflects what the whole team still needs to answer, not just you.
Do emails that clients send directly to our clinic email address appear in the Inbox?
No - the Inbox captures email replies to messages your clinic sent from Digitail. A brand-new email a client sends straight to your clinic's own email address is not captured, so keep checking that mailbox separately.
Why can't I send an SMS, or why don't I see SMS replies?
Sending SMS requires the SMS module to be enabled for your clinic and the Manage Client Communications permission. Seeing client replies additionally requires 2-way SMS with a clinic phone number. If something is missing you'll see a notice in the reply box - contact our Support team to learn about enabling 2-way SMS, pricing, and setting up your clinic's SMS number.
How far back does the conversation list go?
The list starts with the most recent conversations and loads older ones automatically as you scroll. To reach a conversation from further back, search for the client by name in the Conversations tab - search covers your full history, however old the conversation is.
Can I assign a conversation to a specific team member?
Not at the moment - the Inbox is shared clinic-wide and doesn't have assignees. As a workaround, agree on ownership within your team, for example by channel or by client, and rely on the shared read status to see what has already been picked up.
Why doesn't my text message ever show Seen?
Because no mobile network reports whether a text was read. SMS stops at Delivered, which means the message reached your client's phone. Only email and chat can reach Seen.
Can I file a message to a medical record from the Inbox?
Yes. Pick a Record in the reply box when you compose an SMS or a new email, and the message is filed against that medical record (SOAP) as well as the pet. The field appears once exactly one pet is selected, and needs the permissions to edit records and manage client communications. Email replies and chat messages can't be filed this way.
A client's co-owner texted us - can I reply from the Inbox?
Yes, as long as that contact person has a pet who is a patient at your clinic. Reply by SMS or email as usual; the message is filed against the pet and against the contact person. If they have no patients at your clinic, SMS and email stay disabled because there is no pet to file the message against.