Send and Receive Messages with Applicants

Employees and applicants can send and receive messages through OneGov, to communicate about a permit. To utilize this feature:

Set up the application type:

1. In Administration, select Groups or App Groups.

2. Click on ‘Manage’ next to the group of applications you would like to setup with communications.

3. Click on ‘Modify' next to the app type.

4. On Step 2 ‘Additional’, click on ‘Enable/Set to Conversations’.

   1. Optionally rename this to something like “Message Board”, “Permit Communications”, etc.

5. Click ‘Save and Exit’.

On the permit view page, a tab name ‘Conversations’ (or what you renamed it to be called) will be added to the top, next to the Invoices tab.

To create a new conversation (only employees can create conversations):

1. Click on the tab labeled ‘Conversations’ (or what you renamed it to be called).

2. The Application Owner will be auto selected to receive the notification of the new message. Select the checkbox to include extra emails (optional) and then add those email addresses in the space provided. Multiple emails should be separated by a ; (semi-colon).

   1. example: support@rtvision.com; no-reply@rtvision.com;

3. The Subject will default to the first 50 characters of the Message Body. If you want to enter a Subject that is not the first 50 characters of your message, you will need to remove the checkbox, and then add your Subject.

4. Enter the Message and add any supporting attachments. Attachments can be documents (Word, Excel, etc) or media (JPEG, PNG, etc) files.

5. Click ‘Send’. This will send the select email addresses an email with a link to view and optionally respond to the conversation thread.

   1. The notification will send to anyone listed, however, only the author of the permit application, or any users listed in the same ‘company’ (and employees) will be able to click the link and view the conversations board.

To reply to a conversation from the email notificiation (employees and permit authors/applicants and those in the same ‘company’ may reply to conversations):

1. Click the link in the email notification.

2. Find the Reply box.

3. Enter your message.

4. Optionally add attachments.

5. Click Send.

To reply to a conversation from within the OneGov site (employees and permit authors/applicants may reply to conversations):

1. Navigate to the permit view page.

2. Click on the Conversations tab.

3. You will see a list of ‘groups’ of conversations here.

4. Click ‘View Conversation’ to see the entire thread of messages back and forth.

5. Optionally reply to a message.

6. Click the ‘Conversations’ tab again to get back to the view page of the groupings.

7. Optionally start a new conversation (employees only).