Two-Way Conversations
Once inbound is configured, messaging becomes a conversation rather than a broadcast — which changes what you need to think about.
Where to find it
Architect Panel → Communication:
- Received Messages — the inbound half of the thread
- Message Log — the outbound half
Architect Panel → Activity:
- Correspondence — where the thread appears alongside email and letters
Keep the thread on the record
Both directions should file against the same record so the exchange reads as a conversation. A case where outbound messages are on the file and replies are in a separate list is a case nobody can follow, and it will be followed by somebody who was not part of the exchange.
Somebody must be listening
The commonest failure of two-way messaging is organisational rather than technical: replies arrive and nobody is responsible for reading them.
Decide who owns the queue and how quickly they respond before you invite anyone to reply. A channel you opened and do not monitor is worse than one you never opened, because people reasonably assume they have been heard.
The WhatsApp session window
WhatsApp allows free-form replies only within a window following the user's last message. Outside it, you must use an approved template.
A conversation that stalls because the window closed looks to the user like being ignored. Design flows that keep exchanges inside the window where possible, and fall back to a template gracefully rather than silently failing to reply.
Set expectations in the message
Tell people what the number is for and when it is monitored. "This number is not monitored — call 0300 123 4567" is honest and useful. Silence is neither, and somebody in difficulty will message it anyway.
Safeguarding and crisis messages
Where the people you message may be vulnerable, an inbound channel will eventually receive a disclosure or a crisis message. Not might — will.
Have the route decided in advance. A rule that flags certain content for immediate human attention is worth configuring before you need it, and the team that would receive that flag should know it is coming. This is the single most important thing to plan when opening a messaging channel in social care, housing or health.
Worked example
A youth service opens a text channel for appointment changes. Rules flag messages containing a small set of risk indicators to a supervisor queue with an alert, regardless of what else the rule set would have done with them. The team agreed the indicator list with their safeguarding lead before the channel opened, and reviews it quarterly.
Recommendations
- Agree the safeguarding route before opening the channel.
- State the monitoring hours in outbound messages.
- Keep both directions on one record.
- Review unanswered inbound messages weekly — that number should be zero.