Replying to a Customer from a Colab

The Composer at the Bottom

Open any Colab and scroll to the bottom. The box there is the composer, where you reply to the customer and add things to the timeline. It splits into two parts: Reply to customer (goes to the customer) and Internal (only your team sees it).

The composer is available on both plans, Basic and KeyBolt Pro, to anyone with reply permission. One difference: sending a text needs your own business phone line, which is part of KeyBolt Pro.

Replying by Email

If the Colab has an email address on file (from the customer, the contact, or whoever last emailed in), the Email tab is active.

1. Tap the Email tab.
2. If you're replying to an email the customer sent, KeyBolt fixes the subject to 'Re: ' their subject and shows it for you. If it's a fresh email, type a subject.
3. Type your message.
4. To attach files, tap Attach. You can attach images, PDFs, and Word or Excel files. Each file can be up to 8 MB, and all attachments together up to 20 MB.
5. Tap Send Email.

The email goes out from your shop's branded address and lands in the timeline. The customer can reply, and their reply comes right back into the same Colab. Branded email works on both plans. See Your Shop's Inbound Email Address.

Replying by Text (KeyBolt Pro)

If the Colab has a phone number on file, the Text tab appears.

1. Tap the Text tab.
2. Type your message. The box shows the number you're texting.
3. Tap Send text.

Two-way texting is part of KeyBolt Pro because it uses your own business phone line. If you're on the Basic plan and tap Send text, KeyBolt will tell you that texting customers requires KeyBolt Pro. Upgrade from Settings > Subscription to turn it on. The customer's replies land back in the same Colab.

If two open Colabs share the same phone number, KeyBolt may add a short reference code like 'Ref: A1B2' to the end of your text so the customer's reply routes back to the right thread automatically.

Adding an Internal Note

Under the Internal heading, the Note tab lets you leave a message only your team sees. Type it and tap Add note. Notes never reach the customer. Use them for things like 'gate code is 4417' or 'customer prefers afternoons'.

Adding a Photo

Tap the Photo tab under Internal, then pick an image. Photos can be up to 5 MB and must be JPG, PNG, WebP, or HEIC (the iPhone format). The photo shows as a thumbnail in the timeline that anyone on the Colab can open full-size.

Adding a Document

Tap the Document tab to attach a file. Documents can be up to 5 MB and must be a PDF, Word, Excel, or image file. They show in the timeline as an 'Open document' link.

Notes, photos, and documents are internal records on the Colab. They are not emailed or texted to the customer. To send a file to the customer, attach it to an Email reply instead.

Deleting Something From the Timeline

You can delete notes, photos, and documents. Tap the entry and use the trash icon, then confirm. Owners, managers, and dispatchers can delete any note, photo, or document. A regular tech can delete only ones they added themselves. Calls, texts, emails, and status events are part of the permanent record and can't be deleted from here.

When a Colab Is Closed

If a Colab is Closed or Cancelled, the composer is locked and shows 'This Colab is closed. Activity is locked.' To start adding to it again, you'd reopen the work. See Colab Statuses, Closing, and Reopening.