The Basics
Direct messages, groups, and channels
Team Chat has three kinds of conversations:
Type | Who is in it | Good for |
Direct message | You and one teammate | Quick private questions |
Group message | You and two or more teammates. The member list stays the same once it starts. | A small group working on one thing |
Channel | Anyone who joins. Channels have a name, like front-desk. | Ongoing topics or teams |
Channels can be Public (anyone in your workspace can find and join) or Private (only people who are invited can see it). Private channels show a lock icon.
Opening Team Chat
Click Team Chat in the left menu. The number next to it tells you how many conversations have unread messages.
The Team Chat inbox, with the dock bar along the bottom
The Inbox on the left lists all of your conversations. Here's what you'll see:
Online now: teammates who are currently active. Click someone's picture to start a direct message with them.
Filters: All, Unread, Channels, and Messages. Messages shows your direct and group messages.
Sections: under All, conversations are grouped into Direct Messages, Group Messages, and Channels. Click a section title to open or close it.
Unread badges: a number on a conversation shows how many messages you haven't read yet.
Newest first: conversations with the most recent messages are at the top.
Click any conversation to open it on the right.
Starting a conversation
Click the pencil button at the top of the Inbox. Then choose Direct Message, Group Message, or Channel.
Start a direct message
Click the pencil button, then Direct Message.
Search for your teammate.
Click Start DM.
Shortcut: click anyone under Online now to message them right away.
Start a group message
Click the pencil button, then Group Message.
Pick at least two teammates.
Click Start group.
💡 You can't add or remove people after a group message starts. If you need a different set of people, start a new group.
Create a channel
Click the pencil button, then Channel.
Enter a Channel name, such as front-desk or inventory.
Choose Public or Private.
Click Create channel.
🔒 Don't see the Channel option? Your account may not have permission to create channels. Ask your practice admin.
Find and join a channel
Click the magnifying glass at the top of the Inbox. Under Public channels you'll see every public channel in your workspace. Click Join next to any channel you'd like to be part of.
You can also open a channel before joining to preview it. Click Join in the bar at the bottom when you're ready.
Sending messages
Type in the message box at the bottom of the conversation.
Press Enter to send.
Press Shift + Enter to start a new line without sending.
Messages can be up to 4,000 characters. The counter in the corner shows how many you've used.
Formatting your message
Use the buttons under the message box:
Button | What it does | Keyboard shortcut |
B | Bold | Ctrl + B |
I | Italic | Ctrl + I |
U | Underline | Ctrl + U |
S | Strikethrough | None |
Chain link | Add a link. Enter the text to show and the web address. | None |
Smiley face | Insert an emoji | None |
Mentioning someone
Type @ followed by a teammate's name, then pick them from the list. You can also click the @ button. The person you mention gets a notification in the bell at the top right of Prospyr.
Sharing photos and files
Click the paperclip button to choose:
Upload image: pick a photo from your computer.
Upload file: pick any other file, like a PDF.
Attach existing: share a document that's already in Prospyr, or a patient's clinical photo.
You can also drag files straight onto the message box. You can attach up to 10 files per message.
In the conversation, click an image or video to see it full size. Click a file to download it.
Reacting, replying, and deleting
Hover your mouse over any message to see its actions.
React with an emoji
Click the smiley face with a plus and pick a reaction. Click a reaction under a message to add yours too, or click it again to take yours back.
Reply to a specific message
Click the Reply arrow. A preview of the original message appears above the message box so everyone knows what you're responding to. Click the X on the preview to cancel.
Your reply shows up in the conversation with a quote of the original message above it.
Delete a message
Click the three dots, then Delete message. Everyone will see Message deleted in its place.
⏱️ You can delete your own messages for 15 minutes after sending them. Practice admins, and anyone with the delete permission, can delete any message at any time.
Messages can't be edited. To fix a mistake, delete the message and send it again.
Searching Team Chat
Click the magnifying glass at the top of the Inbox and start typing. Type at least two letters to search messages.
Messages finds words in any conversation you belong to.
Public channels finds channels by name.
Click a result to jump straight to that message in its conversation.
Notifications
Choose what you're notified about
In any conversation, click the bell at the top right to choose:
All messages: get notified about every new message.
Mentions only: only get notified when someone @mentions you.
Mute: pause notifications for 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 week, or Indefinitely.
When a conversation is muted, a small muted bell appears next to it in your Inbox. To turn notifications back on, open the bell menu again.
💡 Muting stops notifications, but unread messages still show unread badges in your Inbox.
Mentions
When someone @mentions you, a notification appears in the bell at the top right of Prospyr. Click it to go straight to the conversation.
On weekday mornings, you may also get a short email letting you know how many mentions you haven't read yet. It never includes the messages themselves.
Get desktop notifications
You can have your computer notify you when you get new Team Chat messages, even when Prospyr isn't the tab you're looking at.
Go to Settings, then Notification Preferences.
Find Browser notifications and click Enable on this browser.
If your browser asks for permission, click Allow.
Desktop notifications follow your choices for each conversation (All messages, Mentions only, or Muted). For privacy, they never include the message text. You need to turn them on separately on each computer and browser you use.
Managing a conversation
Click the panel button at the far top right of a conversation to open its details.
From here you can:
See who's in the conversation, and whether each person is online.
Add a participant (channels only). Anyone in a public channel can add people. For private channels, you need permission to manage members.
See shared media: every photo and file shared in the conversation.
Change notifications.
Leave channel: you'll stop seeing it. You can rejoin a public channel any time from search.
Hide conversation (direct and group messages): removes it from your Inbox. It comes back when someone sends a new message.
The dock: chat while you work
The dock is the bar along the bottom of Prospyr. It keeps your chats open while you move around the app, so you can answer a teammate from the Schedule, a patient chart, or anywhere else, without leaving what you're doing.
Put a chat in the dock
There are three ways:
In your Inbox, click the small dock button on the right side of any conversation.
Inside a conversation, click the dock button at the top right, next to the bell.
Drag a conversation from your Inbox and drop it on the dock bar. This works once the dock bar is showing.
The chat opens in a small window, and a tab for it appears on the dock bar. The dock button turns blue so you know the chat is docked.
Using the dock bar
Click a tab to open or close that chat's window.
Unread badges on a tab show new messages, even while the window is closed.
Click the X on a tab to remove that chat from the dock. The conversation is still in Team Chat; it's just no longer docked.
Click the arrow at the far right to shrink the dock bar out of the way. Click it again to bring it back.
The dock bar shrunk down, showing the number of docked chats.
Dock window buttons
Each dock window has three buttons at the top right:
Button | What it does |
Lock | Switches the window between locked (sitting just above its tab) and floating (you can drag it anywhere). |
Minus | Minimizes the window. The chat stays on the dock bar. Pressing Esc does the same thing. |
X | Closes the window and removes the chat from the dock. |
To make a window bigger or smaller, drag any of its edges or corners.
Floating windows
Click the lock button to let a window float. Then drag it by its title bar to wherever it's most convenient. You can have up to 3 floating windows, plus one locked window above the dock bar.
To snap a floating window back above its tab, click the lock button again.
When a docked chat is also open on the Team Chat page
A chat can only be open in one place at a time. If you open a docked chat on the Team Chat page while its dock window is showing, the page says Open in the dock. Click Bring back here to move the chat back to the page. It stays on your dock bar, so you can reopen it from there later.
Good to know
The dock holds up to 12 chats. If it's full, you'll see a Dock is full message. Remove a chat from the dock to make room.
The dock remembers your chats. They're still there after you refresh or log back in on the same computer and browser. Each workspace has its own dock.
The dock doesn't follow you to other computers. Docked chats are saved on the computer and browser you're using.
The dock hides on small screens. If your browser window is very narrow, like on a phone, the dock disappears. Your docked chats come back when the window is wider.
Opening a 4th floating window minimizes the one you floated earliest.
FAQ
I don't see Team Chat in my menu.
Team Chat needs to be turned on for your account. Ask your practice admin to give you Team Chat Access.
Can I edit a message after I send it?
No. You can delete your own message within 15 minutes of sending it and then send a corrected one.
Why can't I delete my message?
You can only delete your own messages within 15 minutes of sending them. After that, ask a practice admin.
Why can't I create a channel?
Creating channels requires the Create Channels permission. Ask your practice admin.
Who can see a private channel?
Only the people who have been added to it. It doesn't appear in search for anyone else.
How do I add someone to a group message?
You can't change who's in a group message after it starts. Start a new group message with everyone you need, or create a channel if the group will keep changing.
I hid a conversation. How do I get it back?
It comes back in your Inbox as soon as someone sends a new message in it. You can also start a new direct message with the same person to reopen it.
I muted a conversation but still see an unread badge.
That's expected. Muting stops notifications, but Team Chat still shows you which conversations have messages you haven't read.
Do desktop notifications show what the message says?
No. For privacy, desktop notifications never include the message text. Open Team Chat to read it.
Will my unfinished message be saved?
If you switch to another conversation, your unfinished message is kept while Prospyr stays open. It's not saved if you refresh or close the tab.
My dock disappeared.
The dock hides when your browser window is very narrow. Make the window wider and it comes back with your chats. If the dock bar looks like a small tab in the bottom right corner, it's shrunk; click it to expand.
My docked chats aren't on my other computer.
That's expected. The dock saves your chats on each computer and browser separately.
A chat says "Open in the dock" instead of showing messages.
That chat is open in a dock window. Use the dock window, or click Bring back here to read it on the page instead.
I see "Dock is full."
The dock holds up to 12 chats. Click the X on a tab you don't need to make room.