Staff chat for the office and guards
The society office, the facility manager and the guards message each other inside SmartMy, one to one or in groups. The chat opens from Chat in the back office and shows only the conversations you are in.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- Shift instructions go to a guard's personal WhatsApp and are lost when the guard leaves.
- The office cannot reach the night guard without phoning the gate.
- Committee members and the estate manager mix society work into their family chats.
- When something goes wrong, nobody can find what the office told the gate.
How it works
- Office staff click Chat in the main menu of the back office. It replaces Discuss and opens under the usual menu bar.
- New > Message someone lists your colleagues: everyone with a back-office login who shares a society (Entity) with you, including the guards.
- Choose a person and click Open chat. There is only ever one chat per pair of people, so it opens again next time.
- New > New group makes a group of colleagues, for example Night shift or Committee and estate manager, with a name you choose.
- Write, attach files with the paperclip and send. New messages appear within a few seconds without reloading, and unread counts show in the list.
Everything it does
The chat screen
- The list: every group, one-to-one chat and channel you are in, newest first, with the last message, its time and the unread count
- The conversation: day labels (Today, Yesterday, 5 Oct), your messages on the right, others on the left with their name
- One tick means sent; two ticks mean everyone in the conversation has seen it
- Search inside a conversation; Back to the chat returns to all messages
- Mute a conversation, and leave a group or channel you are in
- Enter sends; Shift + Enter starts a new line; a message holds up to 4,000 characters
- It follows the back office's light or dark theme; on a phone the address /chat shows it with its own top bar
Who is in staff chat
- Office staff, managers and committee members who have a back-office login
- Guards: the Guard role is a back-office login, so they appear under Message someone and open the chat at /chat
- Only people who share at least one Entity with you are listed
- Residents are never in staff chat; the office talks to them in the society chat
With the society chat
- Where the society chat is on, guards get a Messages page on the guard page and in the Guard app
- Office staff then also message residents, listed with their flat, and guards from the same Chat screen
- The society chat's groups, reports and paused chats are set under Residents in the back office
What it does not do
- No voice or video calls and no voice notes
- A message cannot be deleted by its author once sent
- No phone notification for chats between colleagues; unread counts show in the list
Who uses it
Society officeMessages guards and colleagues, and makes groups for shifts or the committee.
Facility manager or security supervisorGives shift instructions to guards in one group and follows up one to one.
GuardReads instructions and answers the office from their own login.
Committee memberTalks with the office and the estate manager in a group of their own.
Where you use it
- Web: Chat in the main menu of the back office (in place of Discuss)
- Web: the address /chat in any browser, for staff and guards with a back-office login
- The guard page at /guard and the SmartMy Society Guard app: Messages, where the society chat is on. It is built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- Not in the resident portal or the Resident app: residents use the society chat
- Not a calling tool: no voice or video calls
What you control
Settings
- Nothing to set: Chat is on for every back-office user
- Who a person can message: colleagues sharing an Entity with them
- Mute per conversation, chosen by each person
Notifications
- No phone notification for chats between colleagues; the Chat list shows the unread count
- With the society chat: Chat Message to the members of a society chat group, except its author and those who muted it. App notification and in-app
Questions
Can guards use it without a computer at the gate?
A guard can open /chat in a phone browser with their own login. Where the society chat is on, the Guard app has a Messages page as well.Can the office read guards' private chats with each other?
No. Each person sees only the conversations they are in.Can residents message the office here?
Not in staff chat. Residents reach the office and the guards through the society chat, which shows in the same Chat screen for the office.Do people get a phone notification for a new message?
Not for chats between colleagues. The unread count shows in the Chat list, and new messages appear on their own within a few seconds.Can we call or send voice notes?
No. The chat is for text, photos and files only.Related features
COMMUNITYSociety groups and announcementsOne group for the whole society, kept up to date as families move in and out. The office makes groups for a tower or the committee, and residents make their own. Any group can be set so only its admins post, for announcements.COMMUNITYOne-to-one messages between residents, office and guardsResidents message a neighbour, the society office or a guard without sharing a phone number. Anyone can block a person or report a message, and the office warns or pauses someone's chat. A resident can turn off messages from neighbours.GATE, GUARDS AND KIOSKGuard app and guard web pageOne screen shows the guard who is expected, waiting for a flat's answer, inside or pre-approved, and which children wait for a parent. It runs in any browser at /guard and as the SmartMy Society Guard app.SECURITY OPERATIONSShift handover between guardsThe outgoing guard leaves a note for the guard taking over: a delivery expected, a broken barrier, the keys, a visitor to watch. The next guard sees the note marked New and presses Got it, and standing instructions stay on top for every shift.ACROSS SMARTMY SOCIETYNotificationsSmartMy Society tells the right person the moment something happens. It might be a visitor waiting for the flat, a parcel at the gate or the maid late. It might be a child at the gate, a bill due, an emergency. Each event has its own recipients and channels: app notification, in-app, email, and SMS or WhatsApp on paid credits.
See it set up for your own society.
Tell us how many towers, flats and gates you have. We will show you and your committee the resident app, the guard app and the office screens, set up that way.