Help Center

Direct Messages and Channels

The page has two tabs. The Direct tab is for private one-to-one conversations between two people. The Channels tab is for group chats that several people share. Switch between them using the tabs at the top of the conversation list, and click any conversation to open it.

Permissions

Two permissions control the management features. "Make Announcements" lets a user post company announcements. "Can Manage Group Chats" lets a user create and manage channels. Everyone can take part in direct messages and in channels they belong to; these permissions only gate creating announcements and channels.

Writing and Sending

Open a conversation, type in the message box at the bottom, and send. Messages appear instantly for everyone in the conversation, and employees get push notifications in the app.

Attaching Files and Photos

Click the paperclip (attach) button to attach a file to your message. You can send images (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC), videos (MP4, MOV, AVI, WebM, MKV), PDFs, and Word and Excel documents. Attachments appear in the conversation and can be opened or downloaded by the other people in the chat — handy for sharing rosters, photos, or paperwork.

Requesting a Shift Swap

Click the plus (add action) button next to the message box and choose "Request Shift Swap" to share one of your shifts in the conversation as a swap request. This works in both direct messages and group channels, so you can ask a specific colleague directly or put the swap to a whole channel. The shift appears as a card showing exactly which shift is on offer, with accept actions, rather than plain text.

What Channels Are

Channels are group chats for a team, department, or topic — for example a "kitchen-team" channel. Everyone in the channel sees the same messages, attachments, and shift swap requests.

Creating a Channel

On the Channels tab, click "New Channel" (available with the Can Manage Group Chats permission). Give the channel a name and an optional description. You can make a channel position-based, so that anyone who holds the selected positions can view it automatically — useful for keeping a whole role in the loop without adding people one by one.

Managing Members

Open a channel's information to see its members and details. You can add members by area, by position, or by individual employee, and you can edit the channel's name, description, and positions, or delete the channel, from the same place.

Posting an Announcement

Announcements are one-way broadcasts to staff, separate from chat. With the Make Announcements permission, click the Announcements button (the megaphone icon) at the top of the Messages page to open the announcements list, then "New Announcement". Give it a title, the content, and a duration. Employees receive a push notification when an announcement is posted, and see announcements in the app and on their dashboard.

Targeting and Expiry

Leave the "Global Announcement" toggle on so all employees see it, or switch it off to target specific Areas or Positions so only the relevant staff receive it. The duration controls when the announcement automatically expires and stops being shown. The announcements list shows your recent announcements (the last 30 days), where you can review or delete them.

Use direct messages for private conversations, channels to keep a team aligned, and announcements for important one-way notices with an expiry. Make channels position-based so the right people are always included automatically. Use shift swap requests instead of plain messages when offering a shift, so it's clear exactly which shift is in question, and attach files when you need to share a roster, photo, or document.