Overview

The team chat lets you talk to your colleagues right inside Bugalou, next to your customer conversations. Chat in channels (for example #warehouse or #team-de) or 1-on-1 with a colleague. Messages are automatically translated into each reader's language, so Dutch, English and German colleagues can each write and read in their own language.

The team chat is included in every paid plan: Starter, Pro and Enterprise. Automatic translation is available on Pro and Enterprise. Team chat messages don't count towards your conversation limit.

Getting started

1. Click Team chat in the left menu.
2. You automatically join the #algemeen channel, which every colleague in your organization is a member of.
3. Under Colleagues you see everyone in your organization. A green dot means someone is online. Click a colleague to start a direct message.

Channels

• Create a channel: click the + next to Channels. Give the channel a name, an optional description and pick the members. Tick Private if the channel should only be visible to its members.
• Join: use Browse to see public channels you're not a member of yet.
• Manage: use the three dots in the top right of a channel to add members, mute the channel or leave it.

Messages

• Type your message and press Enter to send. Use Shift + Enter for a new line.
• Type @ to mention a colleague. They'll get a notification.
• Use the paperclip to send a photo or file.
• Hover over a message to react with an emoji, reply, turn it into a task, or edit or delete your own message.

Automatic translation

For every message Bugalou detects the language it was written in. Colleagues with a different reading language see the message translated, with Translated from … underneath. Click show original to see the original text.

You choose how you read messages:

1. Click the gear next to Team chat in the top left.
2. Under Read messages in, pick your reading language (Dutch, English or German) or your dashboard language.
3. Turn Translate messages automatically on or off. When it's off, you can still translate a single message from that message's menu.

A fair use limit of 20,000 translations per month applies per organization.

Sharing customer conversations

Need help with a customer conversation, or should a colleague pick something up? Share the conversation in the team chat:

1. Open the conversation in the Inbox.
2. Open the actions menu at the top of the conversation and choose Share in team chat.
3. Pick the channel or colleague, add a note if you like and send.

The conversation appears as a card with the customer name, channel and status. Colleagues open the conversation with one click. With I'll take it a colleague assigns the conversation to themselves; the card then shows everyone who is on it.

Questions and to-dos with buttons

Click the checklist icon next to the paperclip to create a question or to-do:

• Question (Yes/No): colleagues answer Yes or No with one click. You see who answered what. Click again to take your answer back.
• To-do: a colleague clicks I'll do it and then Done. Use Reopen to put a to-do back.

Under For whom, choose Everyone in this chat or one colleague. If you pick one colleague, they get a notification and only they and you can use the buttons. When someone answers your question or finishes your to-do, you get a push notification.

Notifications

• The number of unread messages is shown next to Team chat in the left menu and per channel or colleague in the list.
• For a direct message, an @mention or a question or to-do for you, you hear a sound and see a notification in the dashboard.
• If you've enabled push notifications (for example by installing Bugalou as an app on your phone), you also get a push notification.
• A channel you mute no longer counts towards your unread badge. If someone @mentions you, you still get notified.

Alerts from automations

An automation can post a message in a channel itself, for example on a new return or a delayed shipment:

1. Open or create an automation under Automations.
2. Add the step Post in team chat.
3. Pick the channel and write the message. You can use variables such as the customer's name or the order number.

These messages appear with Automation as the sender. If a customer conversation belongs to it, it's attached as a card.

Privacy and retention

Team chat messages are only visible to the members of the channel or conversation. They follow the same retention period as your other messages, are included in your organization's data export and are deleted, including attachments, when your organization is deleted.