Client Messages

Client Messages is the in-portal channel to your firm — threaded, categorized conversations when messaging is enabled. Start a New Request, reply in place, and track Open vs. Resolved status without email threads.

Key capabilities

• Threaded conversations between the client and the firm team, scoped to the business
• New Request composer with a subject, a category, and an opening message
• Categories: General, Document Request, Tax Question, Payment Question, Other
• Conversation status: Open, Waiting on Client, Resolved
• Master/detail layout — conversation list on the left, thread on the right
• Inline reply composer (Enter to send, Shift+Enter for a newline)
• Messages auto-marked read when a conversation is opened
• Unread-count badge on the sidebar Messages entry
• Sender attribution (client vs. advisor) on every message
• Gated by the firm's client-messaging setting

How it works

A client opens a new request with a subject and category or replies to an existing thread. The firm is notified and responds from its side; both sides' messages appear in the same thread, and the conversation's status reflects whose turn it is until someone resolves it.

flowchart TD
  enable{"Messaging enabled?"} -->|"No"| hidden["Messages hidden"]
  enable -->|"Yes"| new["Client: New Request (subject + category)"]
  new --> thread["Conversation thread"]
  thread --> firm["Firm replies (notified)"]
  firm --> thread
  thread --> status{"Status"}
  status -->|"Open / Waiting on Client"| thread
  status -->|"Resolved"| closed["Composer hidden"]

How to use it

1. Open Messages in the portal sidebar. It appears only when your firm enables messaging.
2. Click New Request, enter a subject, pick a category, and write your message.
3. Or select an existing conversation from the list to read the full thread.
4. Type in the composer and press Enter to send (Shift+Enter for a new line).
5. Watch the unread badge in the sidebar — it clears for a thread once you open it.

Pro tips

• Firm-side: enable client messaging (firm settings) only for clients you want a direct line with; it's off by default.
• Firm-side: mark conversations Resolved when they're done — that hides the composer and keeps the client's list focused on active threads.
• Client-side: pick the right category (Tax Question, Payment Question, etc.) so your firm can direct and prioritize the thread.
• Client-side: use Messages for quick questions or discussion; for a specific file the firm needs, use Document Requests, and for a tracked to-do, watch your Notifications.
• Client-side: turn on message notifications in Settings → Notifications so you're alerted by email or in-app when the firm replies.

In-depth guide

What the client can see vs. do

Categories

Statuses

Access control

The whole feature is gated by the firm's Client Messaging setting (off by default):

• Off: the sidebar entry and unread badge are hidden entirely.
• On: conversations are scoped to the business the client is viewing, and access to another business's threads is rejected by the platform.

How firm-side data flows in

• Each conversation belongs to a business and the advisory firm, so the firm sees client threads in its own messaging surface and replies there; the portal reflects the same thread.
• Opening a conversation marks its messages read for the viewer, which is what drives the unread badge on both sides.

Edge cases

• No business selected: the page shows "No business selected."
• No conversations: the list shows an empty state prompting the client to start their first message with New Request.
• Resolved threads: remain readable, but the reply composer is hidden until the firm reopens them.