> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.menaia.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Use the Communications inbox > Text clients, keep every call, voicemail, and marketplace message with the person it belongs to, and reply faster with snippets and AI drafts. The **Communications** inbox is where your team talks to customers. Texts, calls, and voicemails with the same person land in one conversation, and messages from marketplaces such as Thumbtack or Yelp show up here too. You can reply, call back, and turn a promising conversation into a lead without leaving the page. Open **Communications** from the main navigation. It's available to every role except **Crew Member**. If you don't see it, it isn't turned on for your workspace. See [Feature availability](/reference/platform/feature-availability#communications). A badge on **Communications** in the navigation shows how many conversations have unread messages. Unread is shared by your whole team: once anyone opens a conversation, it's marked read for everyone. ## Turn on texting Until texting is turned on for your workspace, Communications shows **Turn on texting for** *your business* with a short list of what texting gives you. Texting from your own number, calling, and voicemail all need texting to be set up first. * **Admins** see a **Turn on texting** button. * **Everyone else** sees "Ask an admin to turn on texting." If marketplace conversations (Thumbtack, Yelp, and the like) have already landed in your workspace, the inbox opens even before texting is turned on, so you can read and reply to those. A banner at the top invites you to **Turn on texting to send messages from your own number**, and the message box on your own text conversations stays off until texting is approved. See [Messages from marketplaces](#messages-from-marketplaces). Click **Turn on texting**. The **Turn on texting** window opens. Only **Business name** is required, and it starts filled in with your workspace name. The other fields help carriers approve your number faster: * **Business website** * **Business registration number or EIN** * **Registration country** * **Contact name**, **Phone number**, and **Email** * **Estimated monthly message volume** Click **Submit Details**. You'll see "Texting setup submitted". After you submit, Communications shows one of these screens until your number is ready: | Screen | What it means | | - | - | | **Setting up your phone number** | Your number is being set up and verified. It usually takes a few days, and you don't need to check back. | | **Your SMS Application Was Rejected** | Carriers didn't approve texting for your business. Use **Contact Support** to find out why. | | **Something went wrong setting up texting** | Setup hit a problem. Use **Contact Support** to get it fixed. | If your workspace already has marketplace conversations, you won't see these full-page screens. The inbox opens instead so you can keep reading and replying to those, with a short note in the message box for your own text conversations: while your number is being set up, it says the inbox opens for texting as soon as your registration is approved; if setup was rejected, it says texting stays off until it's sorted out. Sending from your own number turns on once texting is approved. Once your number is approved, the inbox opens. To add more numbers, choose who each one rings, or set up voicemail and call recording, see [Communications settings](/guides/settings/communications). ## Find your way around Along the top of the inbox you'll find: * **Tabs** that filter what's listed: * **All**: every conversation, whether its latest activity is a text, a call, or a voicemail. * **Messages**: text conversations only. * **Calls**: conversations that include at least one call. See [Review calls and voicemails](/guides/calls/browse-and-review-calls). * **Voicemails**: every voicemail, with a player and transcript. * **Snippets**: opens your saved replies. See [Snippets](#snippets). * **Your availability** (**Active**, **Unavailable**, or **On a call**): controls whether incoming calls ring you. See [Make and take calls](/guides/calls/use-the-dialer#set-your-availability). Each list has a search box. Type part of a contact's name or phone number to narrow it down. On the **Voicemails** tab, search also matches words in the transcript. Each conversation in the list shows the contact's name (or their number if nobody matched), when the last activity happened, a preview, and an unread count. An icon marks conversations whose latest activity was a call, a missed call, a blocked call, or a voicemail. A small **Auto** tag marks a text Menaia sent automatically, such as a [missed-call auto-text](/guides/settings/communications#missed-call-auto-text). ### Switch between your numbers If you're on one or more of your workspace's phone lines, the **All** and **Calls** tabs show a number switcher above the search box. It starts on **All my numbers**, with a count of your numbers and branches. Click it to pick a single number and see only that number's conversations. Numbers are grouped by branch, and each one shows its unread count. A number that belongs to a different branch than the one you're working in is labeled "Outside your current branch". ## Start a new conversation Click **New** at the top of the list. The **New Message** panel opens. * On the **Contacts** tab, search for a client or contact and click them. Only contacts with a phone number are listed. * On the **New Number** tab, type a US phone number. A check mark appears when the number is valid. Click **Start conversation**. The conversation opens with the message box ready. If you've texted this person before, you land in the existing conversation. ## Work a conversation Click a conversation to open it. Texts, calls, and voicemails with that person appear in order, grouped by day. ### The header The header shows the contact's name and number. Next to them you'll find: * **Call**: calls this person. See [Make and take calls](/guides/calls/use-the-dialer). * **View Client Page**: opens the client this number belongs to. It's grayed out, with "No client is linked to this number yet", when the number doesn't match a client. * **More actions** (the three dots): **Copy Number**, and, when the conversation includes a call, a **Call options** menu for the most recent call. Use it to create a lead from the call or link it to a lead, client, or project. See [Link a call to a lead, client, or project](/guides/calls/browse-and-review-calls#link-a-call-to-a-lead-client-or-project). Below the header, **Quick Actions** hand the conversation to [Meni](/guides/meni/ask-meni) so it can help with the next step: **Add as Lead**, **Schedule Event**, **Create Estimate**, or **Ask Meni** for a summary of where things stand. Meni reads the conversation and uses the real details from it, and proposes what to create for you to confirm. ### Send a text Type in the message box and press **Enter** to send. Press **Shift+Enter** for a new line. * **Photos.** Click the paperclip to attach up to 10 images (JPEG, PNG, or GIF, up to 5 MB each). Wait for them to finish uploading before you send. * **The From line.** When a conversation is tied to one of your numbers, a **From** line above the message box shows that number with a lock. Hover over it to see why: the customer wrote to that line, so the conversation stays locked to it, and calls you place from the conversation go out on it too. * **Failed texts.** If a text doesn't go through, it's marked **Failed**. Click **Retry** to send it again. ### Use the command menu Type **/** in an empty message box to open the command menu. Use the arrow keys to move, **Enter** to pick, and **Esc** to close. | Command | What it does | | - | - | | **/snippets** | Opens a searchable list of your snippets and your team's. Click one to drop it into the message box. | | **/ai** | Drafts a reply from the conversation. | | **/manage** | Opens your snippet library so you can create or edit snippets. | ### Draft a reply with AI Click the sparkles button next to the message box, or type **/ai**. Menaia reads the recent back-and-forth and puts a short draft in the message box for you to edit. It never sends on its own. The button only works once the conversation has at least one message. For what the AI will and won't do, see [AI features and limits](/reference/platform/ai-features-and-limits#text-reply). ## Snippets A snippet is a message you save so you don't have to retype it. Click **Snippets** at the top of the inbox, or type **/manage** in the message box, to open your library. The library has two tabs: * **Mine**: snippets you created. You can edit or delete these. * **Team**: snippets teammates have shared. You can use these, but only the person who shared one can edit it ("Shared by a teammate — only they can edit it."). Snippets are grouped by category, and each shows how many times it's been used. Search matches a snippet's name, shortcut, or text. ### Create a snippet Click **New snippet**. Enter a **Name** (for example "Photos on the way") and a **Shortcut** (for example `photos`). The shortcut is shown with a **/** in front of it so you can spot the snippet in lists. Type the **Message**. Use the **Insert** buttons to add placeholders. A counter shows the length and roughly how many text segments it will take. **Preview in this conversation** shows how it reads with sample details filled in. * **Share with the team**: everyone with access to your numbers can insert it. * **Append your signature**: adds your first name and company name to the end, for example "-- Dana, Acme Plumbing". * **Category**: groups the snippet in the library. Snippets without a category go under **General**. Click **Create snippet**. To change it later, select it and click **Save changes**, or **Delete snippet** to remove it. **Placeholders.** When you insert a snippet into a conversation, `{{first_name}}` is replaced with the contact's first name and `{{company_name}}` with your company name. The other placeholders (`{{project_address}}`, `{{tech_name}}`, and `{{review_link}}`) stay in the text as typed, so replace them before you send. ## Messages from marketplaces Conversations that come from outside platforms show a source badge in the list, such as **Thumbtack**, **Yelp**, **Angi's List**, **Google Business Profile**, **Google Local Services Ads**, or **Facebook Business Page**. In the open conversation, the header says "via" followed by the platform. These conversations work a little differently from texts: * **They don't depend on your own texting number.** Because a reply goes back through the platform rather than your workspace's number, you can read and reply to a marketplace conversation even when texting isn't turned on yet, or while your registration is still being set up. Only your own text conversations wait on texting being approved. * **Replies are text only.** You can't attach photos. * **The customer's number usually isn't shared**, so there's no call button and no **View Client Page**. Thumbtack is the exception when Thumbtack shares the customer's phone number. * **Where your replies go depends on the platform.** Thumbtack replies go back through Thumbtack when your Thumbtack account is connected. See [Thumbtack leads in Communications](/guides/settings/integrations#thumbtack-leads-in-communications). For other platforms, a reply reaches the customer only if your workspace has a connection set up to pass replies back to that platform. If you're not sure, check with your admin before relying on it. ### Convert a conversation to a lead When a marketplace conversation is worth pursuing, click **Convert to Lead** in its header. The **Convert to lead** window starts with the name from the conversation. A last name is required. Add a **Phone** or an **Email** (at least one), since the platform usually hides the customer's real contact details. Click **Create lead**. You'll see "Lead created" and land on the new lead. Once converted, **Convert to Lead** disappears from the conversation. For Thumbtack conversations, the header then links to **View Lead**, or to **View Client Page** once the lead has a client. For who can convert and which branch the lead lands in, see [Lead capture rules](/reference/leads/capture-rules#converting-an-inbox-conversation-to-a-lead). ## Voicemails Open the **Voicemails** tab to see every voicemail, newest first. Unheard voicemails show in bold with a dot. Click **Load more** at the bottom to see older ones. Click a voicemail to open it: * **Play** it. The first time anyone plays a voicemail, it's marked heard for everyone. * Read the **AI TRANSCRIPT** below the player, when one is available. While it's still being processed you'll see "Transcribing…". * **Delete** it with the trash icon, then confirm with **Delete**. Voicemails also appear inside the caller's conversation with a player, the transcript, and a **Call back** button. ## Who can do what | Action | Who | | - | - | | Open Communications, read and send texts, use snippets and AI drafts, delete voicemails | Every role except Crew Member | | Turn on texting | Admin | | Convert a marketplace conversation to a lead | Admin, Sales Admin, Ops Manager, Client Coordinator | | Change phone lines, voicemail, recording, and other call settings | Admin, in [Communications settings](/guides/settings/communications) | ## What's next Call customers, answer incoming calls, and transfer calls to teammates. Find past calls, call back missed ones, and link calls to the right records.