Team chat
Message colleagues, teams, your channel, everyone on the current website or an available AI agent, separately from visitor conversations.
What it is
Team Chat is INSIDE's internal messaging panel. You can speak privately to another operator, message a team, send to your channel or use All for the current website. Available AI agents have their own private conversations in the same panel. Visitors do not receive these messages.
Who uses it and why
- Operators ask colleagues for help, share context or consult an available AI agent while handling visitors.
- Supervisors coordinate with teams, send direct messages to operators and share channel or website announcements.
Where to find it
Select Team Chat in the top toolbar. Use Search people, teams or agents to find a destination. The list groups choices under Destinations, People and, when available, AI agents. Teams appear by name alongside All and Channel.
Team membership is managed in Settings › Teams. Personal alert preferences are in Settings › Account › Setup Sounds and Settings › Floor › Floor Settings.
How it works
- Select a person, group or AI agent. Check the conversation heading before sharing sensitive internal information.
- Read the available saved history, then enter your message. Enter sends; Shift+Enter adds a line break.
- Use Attach files, paste supported content or drop a file into the conversation. Wait for uploads to finish. An unsuccessful upload can offer Retry.
- Select Send message or press Enter to send to the selected destination. Reopen that destination to return to its available history.
Private messages go to the two operators. All sends across the current website. Channel sends to your current channel group, which is separate from team membership. Team messages go to that team's members; team history is available to members and Powerfront.
The console remembers your selected destination for the current website and operator during the browser session. If that destination is removed or becomes unavailable, the selection clears. Choose another destination to enable composing again.
Unread badges show messages you have not read. A destination is marked read when it is selected, Team Chat is visible and the INSIDE page has focus. Direct-message popup and desktop alerts open the corresponding conversation when selected. Your own messages and group messages do not trigger those direct-message popups.
Each available AI agent is a separate destination with its own access and private session. Replies can appear as the agent produces them. You cannot send another message to that agent while it is responding. Use Stop AI response to interrupt a reply.
Reset session asks for confirmation before permanently clearing the current private AI conversation and starting a new session.
Configure it
To set up access, an operator with the Settings role maintains accounts and website access in Settings › Account › Operators. Team membership is managed in Settings › Teams by operators with Settings or Manager, subject to their delegated permissions. Channel access is separate; join a channel through Settings › Channel before using Channel in Team Chat.
With Chat, Manager or Settings, change Team Chat Alert under Settings › Account › Setup Sounds. It is on by default. Sounds normally have a 30-second cooldown. The option to sound on every message is off by default; ask Powerfront to change it for you.
Those roles can also change personal desktop alert preferences in Settings › Floor › Floor Settings. Enable Show Desktop Notifications and allow notifications in your browser. Direct-message desktop alerts appear when the INSIDE page does not have focus, subject to both personal and website notification settings.
Available AI agents depend on the website's AI configuration and your eligibility. See Ask AI agents in Team Chat for setup details.
Messages expire after seven days when no positive retention period has been set. Ask Powerfront to check or change the retention period for your website.
Limits and good to know
- Both operators in a private conversation must belong to the same website. You cannot private-message yourself.
- All, Channel, a named team and a private recipient have different audiences. Check the destination before sending.
- Expiry removes messages from saved history as well as the live view. Cleanup is periodic, so it is not an exact-to-the-second deletion schedule.
- Each file can be up to 25 MB, measured as 26,214,400 bytes. Blocked file types are rejected, and uploads must finish before sending. Send no more than 10 attachments in one message; only the first 10 distinct attachments are considered for sending.
- Messages remain unread while you view another destination or the INSIDE page has no focus.
- Stopping an AI response and resetting its session are different actions. Reset permanently clears that private conversation after confirmation.
- A Team Chat message is not an internal note on a customer conversation. Use the conversation's comment or note tools when the information must stay with that customer record.
Depends on and works with
View all connections as a list
This feature uses
- Operator accountsRequires
Private messaging uses operator accounts on the same website.
- TeamsConfigured by
Team membership controls access to a team's messages.
- Ask AI agents in Team ChatEnhances
Available AI agents add private conversations, streamed replies, stop and session reset controls.
- DepartmentsConfigured by
Channel messages use the operator's channel group.
- Attachments in conversationsEnhances
The Team Chat composer supports attachment selection, paste and drag and drop.
- Website, channel and subsite accessConfigured by
Website and channel access determine the current channel available for Channel messages.
- Operator notifications and alertsConfigured by
Floor Settings controls desktop alerts for direct Team Chat messages, subject to browser permission.
- Operator notification soundsConfigured by
Team Chat sound preferences determine audible alerts and their cooldown.
Used by
- Operator notifications and alertsEnhances
Direct Team Chat messages have their own unread and notification behaviour.
- Operator notification soundsEnhances
Team Chat activity can play its configured alerts.
- Ask AI agents in Team ChatRequires
Team Chat provides the agent list, private conversation and message controls.
- AI customer and order searchRequires
Unrestricted customer and order searches are confined to private operator Team Chat.
- AI commerce functions and access limitsEnhances
Private operator Team Chat adds access to store-wide customer and order searches.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Why can I not find a colleague or open a team's history?
Check that you and the colleague are on the same website and that their account is available in the recipient list. For team history, ask an operator with Settings or Manager to check your current membership. Team history is restricted to members and Powerfront.
Why is the message box disabled?
Select an available destination. A previously selected person, team or agent may have become unavailable.
Why can I not send to Channel?
Join a channel through Settings › Channel. The Channel destination uses your current channel, rather than your team membership.
Why is a message still unread after I opened Team Chat?
Select the message's destination and give the INSIDE page focus. Opening the panel on another destination does not mark it read.
Why have old messages disappeared?
The website's Team Chat retention period may have expired. The fallback is seven days. Ask Powerfront to check the period for your website.
Why will an attachment not send?
Check that the file type is permitted and each file is no larger than 25 MB. Wait for all uploads to finish, use Retry if offered and send no more than 10 attachments per message.
Why can I not send to an AI agent, and should I reset its session?
The agent may still be responding. Wait for it to finish or use Stop AI response. Reset session permanently clears the current private conversation after confirmation and starts a new AI session; use it when you want to clear that conversation.
Why am I not hearing sounds or seeing desktop alerts?
Check Team Chat Alert in Settings › Account › Setup Sounds. Sounds normally have a 30-second cooldown. For desktop alerts, check Show Desktop Notifications in Floor Settings and browser permission. These alerts apply to incoming direct messages while the page lacks focus, and website notification settings must also allow them. Group messages and your own messages do not trigger direct-message popups.