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Portal Messages

Portal Messages provide a dedicated communication channel between your customers and your team, all within the context of their project. Unlike email, portal messages keep conversations organized by project, maintain a complete history, and ensure nothing gets lost in crowded inboxes.

Why Use Portal Messages?​

Portal messages offer several advantages over traditional email:

  • Project Context — Every message is tied to a specific project, so conversations stay organized and relevant information is easy to find.
  • Complete History — All messages are preserved in the system, creating a permanent record of customer communications.
  • Team Visibility — Staff members can view and respond to customer messages, making handoffs and collaboration easier.
  • Email Notifications — Recipients are automatically notified by email when new messages arrive, so nothing gets missed.
  • Secure Channel — Messages stay within your system rather than traveling through external email servers.

The Messages Inbox​

The messages screen uses a split-pane inbox layout. The left panel shows a list of conversation threads, and the right panel displays the selected conversation.

Thread List​

The left panel displays all message threads with:

  • Participant name and avatar for the other person in the conversation
  • Subject line for each thread
  • Message preview showing the beginning of the most recent message
  • Date or time of the last activity (today's messages show the time, older messages show the date)
  • Unread indicator — a blue dot next to threads with unread messages, with the sender name and subject in bold

Threads are sorted by most recent activity, so conversations with new replies appear at the top.

Reading a Conversation​

Click any thread in the list to open it in the right panel. The conversation displays all messages in chronological order, with each message showing the sender's name, avatar, and timestamp. The conversation automatically scrolls to the most recent message.

On mobile devices, selecting a thread opens it full-screen. Use the back arrow to return to the thread list.

Searching Messages​

Use the Search messages field above the thread list to filter conversations. The search checks thread subjects, message content, and participant names, narrowing the list as you type.

Sending Messages​

Starting a New Conversation (Customer View)​

Customers compose new messages from the portal:

  1. Click the Compose button in the messages section
  2. Select a recipient from the To dropdown — this lists the project team members assigned to the customer's project
  3. Optionally enter a Subject to describe the topic
  4. Write the message in the Message field
  5. Click Send

The recipient dropdown includes avatars and names to help customers identify the right team member. A search field within the dropdown filters the list for projects with large teams.

Starting a New Conversation (Staff View)​

Staff compose new messages from the portal messages screen within ReadyBuild:

  1. Click the Compose button
  2. Select a Project using the project search field
  3. Write the message using the rich text editor
  4. Click the Send button

The message is sent to the project's contact. If the contact has both a primary email and a partner email on file, both people receive an email notification with a link to view the message in the portal. Both people share the same message inbox — they see the same threads and conversation history. Replies from either person appear in the same thread as the contact.

Replying to a Thread​

To continue an existing conversation:

  1. Click the thread from the thread list
  2. Review the conversation history in the right panel
  3. Type your reply in the editor at the bottom of the conversation
  4. Optionally attach files using the attachment icon or by dragging files into the editor
  5. Click Send

Replies appear at the bottom of the conversation in chronological order.

Email Notifications​

When a message is sent, the recipient is notified by email so they don't need to check the portal constantly.

Notifications to Customers​

When a staff member sends or replies to a portal message, an email notification is sent to the customer. The email includes:

  • The project name for context
  • A View Message button with a secure magic link that takes the customer directly to the messages section in the portal

If the contact has both a primary email and a partner email on file, notifications are sent to both addresses. Each person receives their own magic link.

Notifications to Staff​

When a customer sends a message from the portal, a Portal Activity notification appears in the ReadyBuild notification bell for the staff member the message was sent to. Only the staff member who is a participant in the thread receives the notification — other team members do not. The unread count increments with each new customer message and decreases as messages are read.

Read Tracking​

Messages track read status per user so both sides of the conversation know whether their messages have been seen.

How Messages Are Marked as Read​

  • Customers — Messages are automatically marked as read when the customer opens the thread in the portal.
  • Staff — Messages are automatically marked as read when a staff member opens the thread in the portal messages screen. The Portal Activity notification count decreases accordingly.

Unread Indicators​

Unread threads are highlighted in the thread list with:

  • A blue dot next to the thread
  • Bold text for the sender name and subject line

The customer dashboard also displays a count of unread messages in the messages widget, providing a quick summary without navigating to the messages section.

Rich Text Editor​

The message editor supports rich text formatting, making it easy to write clear, structured messages.

Formatting Options​

The editor provides a toolbar for common formatting:

  • Bold, italic, and underline text
  • Bulleted and numbered lists
  • Links

Mentions​

In the staff view, you can mention team members using the @ symbol. Type @ followed by a name to see a list of matching users. Select a user to insert a mention, which highlights their name in the message.

File Attachments​

Attach files to any message:

  1. Click the attachment icon (paperclip) in the editor toolbar, or drag and drop files directly into the editor
  2. Selected files appear as previews below the editor
  3. Remove a file before sending by clicking the remove button on its preview
  4. Click Send to send the message with all attached files

Attachments are sent with the message and become part of the permanent conversation record.

Supported File Types​

CategoryFormats
ImagesJPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WEBP
DocumentsPDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF
SpreadsheetsXLS, XLSX, CSV
OtherZIP files and other common formats

To download an attachment from a received message, click the file name or download icon within the message.

Staff Access to Messages​

Staff access portal messages from the Portal Messages screen within ReadyBuild. The staff inbox uses the same split-pane layout as the customer view, with additional features for managing messages across projects.

Filtering Threads​

The staff inbox includes a Mine / All toggle above the thread list:

  • Mine — Shows only threads where you are a participant (default)
  • All — Shows all message threads across projects you have access to

Each thread in the staff view also displays the project name below the participant name, making it easy to identify which project a conversation belongs to.

Searching​

The search field filters threads by subject, message content, participant names, or project name.

When to Use Portal Messages​

Portal messages work best for asynchronous communication that doesn't require an immediate response.

Good uses for portal messages:

  • Questions about project status or timeline
  • Requests for clarification on selections or specifications
  • Sharing documents like contracts, change orders, or selections
  • Following up on previous discussions
  • Non-urgent inquiries that can wait for a response

Consider other communication methods for:

  • Urgent matters — Call directly for time-sensitive issues
  • Complex discussions — Schedule a meeting or video call when back-and-forth would be more efficient
  • Sensitive information — Use appropriate secure channels for highly confidential data

Message History and Records​

Every message sent through the portal is permanently saved, creating a complete communication record for each project.

What Gets Saved​

  • The full text of every message, including formatting
  • All file attachments
  • Sender information and avatars
  • Exact date and time of each message
  • Read status per participant

Finding Past Messages​

To locate a specific conversation:

  1. Open the Messages section
  2. Use the search field to filter by subject, content, or participant name
  3. Scroll through the thread list (sorted by most recent activity)
  4. Click into a thread to see the full conversation history

This history remains available for the life of the project and serves as documentation of all customer communications.