How to use the Message Center and Chat
The Message Center provides a medium for enhanced interaction and communication between system members with access to the Main Application (MRO) and the Technician Work Center. (Those who have access only to the Service Requester and/or MC Express do not have access to the Message Center.) This feature integrates with the Rules Manager, allowing event notifications to be received within the application (in addition to, or instead of, an external Email application). Members of Access Groups with permission to use the Message Center will see an icon displayed on the main toolbar, indicating the number of unread messages.
The Message Center can include the following types of communication:
- System Alerts: Automatically generated alerts, typically indicating things like the amount of time before a session time out.
- Rule Notifications: Notifications initiated by the Rules Manager based on trigger Events.
- Internal Messages: Manually generated messages between Members, following a typical Email format.
- Chat Messages: Real time internal chats between Members.
The Message Center displays an Inbox, showing system-generated messages initiated by the Rules Manager, as well as manually-composed messages sent between Members.
In addition to providing a centralized source for system alerts and notifications, the Message Center includes a feature to chat with accessible online members. A sidebar is shown at the left of the Message Center, listing all members with access to the feature and letting you know which members are online and available to chat. Clicking the Chat option for an Online Member opens a chat window and sends the member an alert requesting the chat.
You simply enter a chat message and click Send, and the message will be sent to the Chat window of the specified member. You can then proceed to carry on a chat dialog.
There are a few more articles that can help you use the Rules Manager, Notifications, and Messaging to their fullest potential. Take a look at the rest of the articles in this section of the Knowledge Base.
