Helpoben.care

Reply to a patient message

Open a conversation in the Connect inbox, write a reply and send it.

Who can do this
Staff with access to Connect whose role can send messages
Where in Oben
/connect

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Every text, email, web chat and portal message lands in one inbox, and WhatsApp messages too if your clinic uses WhatsApp.

Steps

  1. Open Connect. The Inbox tab opens on Unread.
  2. Choose a view: Unread, All, Recent or Starred. To see conversations waiting on the clinic, select the filter button above the views and choose Needs reply.
  3. To find someone, type in Search name, phone or message.
  4. Select the conversation to open it.
  5. Make sure Reply is selected below the conversation, not Internal note.
  6. Check the channel shown in the reply box. Select it to choose another way to reply, such as Portal, Text, WhatsApp or Email.
  7. Type your message. To start from a suggestion, select AI draft, then edit it. To add a discount code, a lesson or video link, a form, a price or clinic info, select Insert. On WhatsApp, once the 24-hour reply window has closed you cannot type a free message: choose an approved template from the list, then fill in each of its blanks.
  8. Select Send. For email, select Send email or Send securely.
  9. A closing message from the client leaves Needs reply by itself. If another conversation needs nothing more, select No reply needed beside the reply box.

Good to know

  • Nothing is sent until you select Send. A typed message goes exactly as written. A WhatsApp template goes as the approved template with your blanks filled in, not as any other edits in the box.
  • If no approved WhatsApp template exists yet, Send stays off outside the reply window. Templates are created in Settings.
  • To send a file, reply by Portal or Email and use Attach a file. See Send a text or email.
  • A red dot marks a conversation you have not read yet.
  • Mark unread puts a conversation back on your Unread list. The star keeps it in Starred. Stars are only yours.
  • Channels that cannot be used right now are listed under Not available now with the reason.
  • Select Reopen to put a conversation back on Needs reply. A conversation Oben closed by itself shows No reply needed: closing message with Reopen beside it.
  • A text, email or WhatsApp message that was not delivered shows Resend. It loads the same words into the reply box on the same channel; nothing goes until you select Send. If that channel can't be used now, the reason shows instead.