Channels, direct messages and announcements

Overview

Internal Chat organizes team communication into three kinds of space, each with its own purpose:

• Channels — group conversation rooms by topic, team or project. They can be public (any agent finds and joins) or private (invite only).
• Direct messages (DMs) — a private 1-to-1 conversation between two agents.
• Announcements — a one-way channel where only authorized people post and the rest of the team just reads. Ideal for notices.

Choosing the right space keeps communication clear and history easy to find.

Prerequisites

• The Internal Chat module enabled for the account.
• To create private or announcement channels and manage who takes part, be a channel owner/admin or an account administrator.

Step by step

Create a channel

1. In Internal Chat, use the create channel option.
2. Give it a name and, if you like, a description.
3. Choose the type: public, private or announcement.
4. Set the avatar (image or icon + color) to identify the channel.
5. Add the first members and finish creating it.

Open a direct message

1. Start a new direct conversation and choose the agent.
2. The DM appears in your list and stays private between the two of you.

Post in an announcement

1. Open the announcement channel.
2. If you're authorized to post, write and send normally; otherwise the channel is read-only for you.

Settings & options

• Channel type: public, private or announcement.
• Members: add/remove people (channel owner, channel admin or account administrator).
• Roles: owner (the creator), admin and member — promote or demote from the members panel.
• Avatar and color: the channel's visual identity.
• Notification level: per member (everything / mentions only / nothing) and a mute option.

Use cases

• A public "general" channel for the whole team.
• A private "finance" channel for sensitive topics.
• A direct message for a quick, personal question with a teammate.
• An "announcements" channel for official notices from leadership.

Tips, limits & best practices

• Use clear, consistent channel names.
• Prefer private when the topic shouldn't be seen by the whole account.
• In Announcements, keep the list of who can post small to avoid noise.
• Set roles carefully: only owners/admins manage members.

Troubleshooting

• I can't post in an announcement: you're probably not on the list of authors — ask a channel administrator.
• I can't find a channel: if it's private, you need to be invited.
• I can't promote/demote someone: this action requires a channel owner/admin role (or an account administrator).

See also

• Internal Chat overview
• Share entities as cards