Back to Resources
HOW TO USE BOOKWITS CHAT BEGINNER

Chat Module Guide

A beginner-friendly guide to Bookwits Chat: where to find it, how conversations work, inviting participants, sending messages/files, managing notifications, and handling permissions.
How to Use Bookwits
12 min read
Video Walkthrough (Chat Module)
A strong walkthrough should show this full flow: create conversation, invite people, send messages and files, and manage chat settings.
Coming soon...
Why this module matters Chat gives your team one place to coordinate work with colleagues and clients, without switching tools or losing conversation history.

Where to find Chat

Go to: Chat from the main navigation.
From here you can
  • Start a new direct or group conversation
  • Search conversations
  • Filter to unread, archived, or all chats
  • Open a conversation and send messages/files
  • Open conversation details and manage settings

What Chat is (before you start)

In Bookwits, a conversation is the container for people, messages, files, and settings.
Two conversation types
  • Direct: one-to-one chat
  • Group: three or more participants
Participant states
  • Active: currently in the chat
  • Pending: invited but not accepted yet
  • Declined: invite declined
Beginner tip: treat each conversation like a mini workspace. Keep one topic per conversation so future follow-up is easy.

Quick Start (First 15 minutes)

If you are new, do these in order:
1
Create one direct conversation
2
Send a text message + add one reaction
3
Upload one file and one image
4
Create one group chat and invite a participant
5
Pin one chat and mute one chat

Step-by-step

When to do this

Use direct chat when one specific person needs to coordinate quickly.

Steps
  1. Open Chat.
  2. Click New conversation.
  3. Select one participant.
  4. Click Start chat.
If a direct chat already exists with that person, reuse it instead of creating duplicates.
When to do this

Use group chat when multiple people need ongoing visibility on the same work.

Steps
  1. Open Chat and click New conversation.
  2. Switch to Group mode.
  3. Select 2 or more participants.
  4. Enter a clear group name.
  5. Click Create group.
What happens after

The group appears in your list and participants receive it in their chat view.

When to do this

Use invites when someone is not already in the conversation.

Steps
  1. Open conversation details.
  2. Click Add people.
  3. Select existing users or add custom email.
  4. Send invite.
Invite statuses

Participants can be Active, Pending, or Declined until invite status changes. If someone declines or does not respond, you can resend or cancel the invite from Conversation details.

Steps
  1. Open any conversation.
  2. Type your message in the composer.
  3. Optionally attach files/images.
  4. Press Send.
What happens after

Message appears immediately and updates other participants in realtime.

Use replies for context instead of sending separate "what is this about?" messages.
Common actions
  • Reply to a specific message (keeps context linked)
  • Edit your own message
  • React with emoji
  • Copy text
  • Forward to another existing conversation
  • Delete for me / delete for everyone (when allowed)
Important delete rule

If you sent the message, you can usually choose delete for me or delete for everyone. If someone else sent it, you can remove it only from your own view.

Settings you should know
  • Pinned: keeps a chat at top
  • Muted: silences popup noise
  • Archived: hides from active list
  • Delete for me: removes chat from your list only
  • Delete for everyone: owner-only permanent removal
Pin urgent chats. Mute noisy chats. Archive finished chats.
Why this matters

Some actions depend on role (member/admin/owner).

Typical role actions
  • Rename group conversation (admin/owner)
  • Manage participant roles (owner has full role control)
  • Remove participants
  • Resend/cancel pending invites
  • Add people to existing group chats
  • Run high-impact conversation actions
What to use
  • Conversation search: find chats by name and last message preview
  • In-conversation search: find messages inside one chat
  • Forward message: send one message into another existing conversation
  • Load earlier messages: scroll up for older history
Forward works only to existing conversations. If needed, create the target conversation first, then forward.
Steps
  1. Open a conversation.
  2. Open conversation actions (three dots).
  3. Choose View attachments or View media.
  4. Download any file/image directly from the list.
Why this helps

You do not need to scroll through long chat history to find files; Chat gives you a quick attachments/media center per conversation.

What you will see
  • Sent: message reached conversation
  • Seen / Seen by X: other participants read it
  • Not sent: send failed
  • Retry: resend failed message quickly
  • Edited: message content was updated
  • This message was deleted: deleted for everyone
What recipient does
  1. Open invite link from email.
  2. Sign in with invited account if prompted.
  3. Choose Accept invitation or Decline.
  4. Click Go to chat after success.
Important behavior

Expired or revoked links cannot be accepted. Sender must resend a new invite.

Conversation rules that prevent common mistakes

Direct chat = one participant only To include more people, create a group conversation.
Group chats require at least two selected people + group name Bookwits enforces this to keep groups clear and searchable.
Duplicate emails are blocked in group creation The same email cannot be added twice in one group selection.
Starting a chat with an archived direct conversation reopens it If a direct thread already exists but was archived, Bookwits restores it instead of creating a second duplicate direct chat.

Notifications and unread behavior

Unread counts Conversations with unread messages update your unread totals automatically.
Popup notifications New messages can appear as toasts with quick open. Multiple events are grouped so you do not get spammed by many separate popups.
When no popup appears (by design)
  • You are already viewing that same conversation in Chat
  • The browser tab/page is active and visible for that chat
  • Conversation is muted
Deletion toasts If a conversation is deleted for you or for everyone, Chat shows a dedicated deletion notification so the change is clear.

Troubleshooting (Common Beginner Issues)

"I invited someone but they are not in the chat yet"
  • Check if they are listed as Pending
  • Resend invite from participant actions
  • Confirm they used the same account/email for acceptance
  • If invite expired, cancel and send a new invite
"I am getting too many chat notifications"
  • Mute low-priority conversations
  • Archive old conversations
  • Keep only critical chats pinned
"I cannot perform a participant action"
  • The action may require admin/owner role
  • Ask group owner/admin to apply the change
"My message says Not sent"
  • Click Retry on the failed message
  • Check connection and try again
"I can’t add this email to the group"
  • A duplicate email is not allowed in one group
  • If this is an existing member, use that existing profile

Glossary (Plain English)

Direct conversation: One-to-one chat between two people.
Group conversation: Chat with multiple participants and role-based controls.
Pending invite: Invitation sent, not accepted yet.
Declined invite: Recipient declined. You can resend or cancel the invite.
Muted: Conversation still active, but notifications reduced.
Archived: Conversation moved out of main active list.
Delete for me: Removes chat/message from your account only.
Delete for everyone: Permanently removes chat/message for all participants.
Want help setting up Chat workflows for your team? Book a demo and we’ll help you design a clean chat structure for client communication, internal collaboration, invites, and notification control.
Book a demo → Start free trial