# The conversation, with the context. Bring patient SMS and app messages into your clinic’s inbox. See who is asking, check their appointments and prepare a considered reply. Keep unfinished conversations visible, so the next person can pick up the thread. Feature availability depends on your plan, enabled features and access permissions. Canonical HTML: [https://dappleos.com/features/inbox-messaging](https://dappleos.com/features/inbox-messaging) Feature group: [Patient experience](https://dappleos.com/features/patient-experience) ## At a glance - **Know who you’re replying to.** See the patient and their appointments beside the conversation. - **Keep unfinished work in view.** Separate Open from Completed, with Read and Unread controls of their own. - **Keep the conversation connected.** Reply by SMS or through your clinic’s branded patient app, where configured. - **A starting point for your reply.** Use saved replies and DappleAI suggestions while your team stays in control. - **Understand the response.** Review received messages, completed work and response activity in Inbox Performance. ## A familiar patient. A clearer answer. An appointment question is easier to answer with the appointment in view. Keep the patient’s identity, contact details and visits beside their thread, with a direct path into the patient record. - Patient details alongside the conversation - Upcoming and previous appointments - A patient summary for authorised team members ## Read it. Reply. Mark it complete. Opening a thread and finishing the conversation are different actions. Keep work in Open until the team deliberately marks it Completed. Re-open a conversation when it needs more attention. - Separate Read and Unread controls - Confirmation before marking Completed - Brand and location filters for the working view ## One conversation, beyond the front desk. Patients can message your team through the clinic’s branded app. Staff can reply in the connected thread, choosing from the channels available for that patient. Two-way SMS is available with an active SMS provider and a patient mobile number. - Patient-app messaging follows the clinic’s configuration - Available reply channels shown in the composer - Patient and staff messages stay clearly distinguished ## Keep the file with the conversation. When patient attachments are enabled, patients can send photos and PDFs through your branded app or portal. Your team can open the file beside the message, then decide what needs to be kept in the patient’s Documents. - Patients can attach up to five supported images or PDFs per message, up to 15 MB each. - Authorised staff choose Save to Documents, review the document name and confirm the save. - Patient-supplied material stays distinct from clinical review. This is app and portal messaging, not SMS attachments. ## Start with a reply. Make it personal. Bring a saved Inbox shortcut into the composer, then tailor it to the question in front of you. DappleAI can review a draft and suggest wording. Your team reviews, edits and decides what to send. - Reusable Inbox text shortcuts - Editable suggestions with a reason - Your chosen reply channel remains visible ## See the work still waiting. Look beyond the latest message. Inbox Performance brings received and completed messages, completion rate and response activity together, with open messages and responder detail to investigate. - Received and completed messages for the period - Average response time for completed messages - Open inbox, oldest first, and responder breakdowns ## Keep the team conversation in the clinic. Use internal chat for conversations between colleagues, with individual and group channels for the people involved. Read states and typing indicators help the team follow the discussion, separately from patient-facing messages. - Choose colleagues for an individual or group conversation - Keep internal messages separate from patient SMS and app threads - Use Tasks when the conversation needs a named follow-up ## Less searching. More context. Keep the patient conversation, appointments and response history together. Reduce the separate searches and handwritten handovers that happen when patient messages sit on individual devices. - Use Inbox for individual patient conversations - Use Broadcasts for a deliberate audience message - Use Automations for configured, ongoing follow-through ## The detail that answers the question. Elise asks about her next appointment. The same date, time and location are visible in the patient detail pane. ## Completion is a deliberate action. Marking Completed moves the conversation out of Open. It records inbox work, not message delivery or a clinical outcome. ## The right working view. Filter by brand or location, including No location. Needs attention brings Concierge handovers into a view for the team. ## Your clinic’s app. Their conversation. The patient sees the clinic’s identity and the same appointment answer. Messaging must be enabled for the clinic and the patient’s access. ## A shortcut stays editable. Insert a saved reply, then add the appointment detail. The draft remains in the composer for the team to review. ## Review the suggestion before using it. DappleAI shows a reason and suggested wording. Adopting the suggestion changes the draft; it does not send it. ## From an overview to open work. This example has 80 received messages and 60 completed in the selected month, a 75% completion rate. Open inbox shows the messages still waiting, oldest first. ## Your team stays responsible for the reply. Keep the patient, channel and next action clear, with deliberate review before a message leaves the clinic. - Patient context: Patient details and appointments stay beside the thread. Access to the AI patient summary follows the team member’s permissions. - Available channels: SMS requires an active provider and a patient mobile number. App messaging follows the clinic’s settings and the patient’s login access. - Human review: Saved replies and DappleAI suggestions stay editable. The person replying remains responsible for what is sent and for escalating clinical questions. - Clear status: Read and Completed are separate. Completion records the inbox workflow; it is not proof of delivery or that a clinical issue is resolved. ## Bring your patient conversations together. Book a demo with a DappleOS team member. Explore your current message channels, location structure and a real front-desk conversation, then see how the inbox and its reporting could fit your clinic. ## FAQs ### How does this help a busy clinic front desk? The team can read a patient’s conversation with their identity and appointment details alongside it. Open and Completed views keep unfinished work findable, while Read and Unread remain separate. That gives the next authorised person context before they reply. ### Which patient messaging channels can we use? The inbox supports two-way SMS with an active provider and a patient mobile number, plus messaging through the clinic’s branded patient app when it is enabled and the patient can log in. We can confirm the channels and setup your clinic needs during your demo. ### Can patients send photos and PDFs through our branded app? Yes, when patient attachments are enabled and the patient has access to your app or portal. They can attach up to five JPEG, PNG, WebP or PDF files per message, each up to 15 MB. Authorised staff can review an attachment and explicitly save a named copy to Documents; files are not automatically added to the clinical photo library. This does not enable photo attachments through SMS. ### Can we use this across several locations or brands? The inbox includes brand and location filters, so the team can focus its working view. Open, Completed and Needs attention views help distinguish the kind of work being reviewed. A demo can map these views to your clinic structure and access requirements. ### Can we reuse replies without making them impersonal? Use saved Inbox text shortcuts as a starting point, then edit the draft for the patient and their question. DappleAI can review a draft, explain a concern and suggest wording for the team to consider. The team decides whether to adopt, edit and send the response. ### What can managers see about response activity? Inbox Performance shows received and completed messages, completion rate, open work and responder detail. Its average response time is calculated for completed messages in the selected period. These are recorded communication measures, not a delivery guarantee or measure of clinical care quality. ### What should we bring to a demo? Bring your current message channels, clinic locations and a few common patient questions. We can show how patient context, replies, completion and reporting fit together, then confirm the configuration and team access your clinic needs. ### Can colleagues message each other without using a patient thread? Yes. Internal team chat has individual and group channels for colleagues, with read states and typing indicators. It is separate from patient SMS and app conversations, and access follows staff permissions. When a discussion needs an owner and due date, use Tasks to record the follow-up. ## Related features - [Clinic-branded patient app](https://dappleos.com/features/patient-app) - [Broadcasts](https://dappleos.com/features/broadcasts) - [Automations and journeys](https://dappleos.com/features/intelligent-automations) - [Reporting and analytics](https://dappleos.com/features/intelligent-reporting) ## Next step [Book a demo](https://dappleos.com/sales-call)