9. Communication¶
Stay connected with buyers, sellers, and clients through messages and notifications.
9.1 Messages¶
Every conversation you have inside Stone Project — with clients, your team, website visitors and other shops on the marketplace — lives on one screen.
Access: tap Messages in the bottom bar (phone) or the side menu (tablet and web).
Message List¶
The list is split into tabs, each with its own unread badge:
| Tab | What is in it |
|---|---|
| All | Everything, newest first |
| Clients | Chats with clients about their jobs, including Client Portal messages |
| Team | One-to-one and group chats with your own team members |
| For me | Conversations where someone @-mentioned you, so a question meant for you doesn't get lost in a busy job chat |
| Live Chat | Visitors who wrote through the chat widget on your website (see 9.12) |
| Marketplace | Other shops that messaged you about a listed piece |
- Each row shows the person or company, the last message, the time and an unread badge; a marketplace chat also shows the related piece.
- Use Search conversations... at the top to find a chat by name or text.
- Mark all as read (double check icon in the top bar) clears the unread badges of the tab you are on.
- A new chat message also pops up as a banner at the top of the screen. If it gets in the way (for example over the calendar menus), turn off Settings > Preferences > New message pop-up. It only changes this device, and the messages keep arriving in Messages with their badges.
9.2 Starting a Conversation¶
From a Marketplace Listing¶
- Open a piece's detail page.
- In the Contact info card, tap Message (or WhatsApp to open WhatsApp instead).
- The conversation is created linked to the piece, so both sides see which slab it is about.
- Type your message and send.
You cannot message yourself about your own pieces, so the card does not appear on your listings.
With Your Team¶
- Go to Messages and open the Team tab.
- Tap New Conversation (button at the bottom).
- Pick one team member, type the first message and tap Start conversation.
There is no button to start a chat with another company out of nowhere: chats with shops start from one of their listings, and chats with clients start from the client's job or the Client Portal.
Conversation Features¶
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Text, photos and files | Send text, photos, files and audio messages |
| Mentions | Type @ in a team or job chat to mention a team member |
| Related piece | Marketplace chats show the piece at the top, with View piece |
| Typing and read | See when the other side is typing |
9.3 Group Conversations¶
Group chats are for your own team (for example, the install crew of a job).
Creating a Group Conversation¶
- Go to Messages → Team tab → New Conversation.
- Select two or more team members. As soon as you pick a second person the chat becomes a group.
- Optionally give it a Group name.
- Type the first message and tap Create group.
Every member of the group gets the new messages as notifications (Messages group in Settings → Notifications).
9.4 Archived Conversations¶
Keep your message list clean by archiving old or inactive conversations.
Archiving a Conversation¶
- In the Messages list, swipe the conversation to the left. It is archived right away.
- A message at the bottom offers Undo if you swiped by mistake.
Viewing Archived Conversations¶
- Go to Messages.
- Tap the Archive icon in the top bar (tooltip "Archived conversations").
- Tap Unarchive next to a conversation to put it back in the list.
9.5 Keeping Up With Company Activity¶
There is no company Live Feed screen in Stone Project. What happens across the company reaches you in three places:
- The bell (in-app notifications, see 9.7): new client messages, accepted quotes, payments, assignments, clock entries and more, for the groups you follow.
- The Dashboard: today's activities, approvals waiting and job counts.
- A job's History tab: everything that happened on one job, who did it and when.
9.6 Push Notifications¶
Stay informed with push notifications on your phone, tablet or browser. What you can receive follows the groups in Settings → Notifications (section 9.8): Messages, Projects, Quotes & payments, Activities & tasks, Time clock, Marketplace favorites, Account & billing and Product news.
Enabling Push Notifications¶
- When prompted on first launch, tap Allow to enable notifications.
- If you previously denied, go to your device's Settings > Stone Project > Notifications and enable them.
- To check that pushes reach this device, open Settings → Notifications and tap Send Test Push.
9.7 In-App Notifications¶
View all notifications within the app:
- Tap the bell icon in the top navigation bar.
- Pick the Unread or Read tab (each shows its count).
- Tap a notification to open the related content and mark it as read.
- Mark all as read clears the Unread tab in one tap.
Notifications are grouped by Today, Yesterday, This Week and Older. Swipe left on a notification to delete it.
The bell keeps every notification, even for groups where you turned push and email off.
9.8 Notification Settings¶
Choose how each kind of notification reaches you:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- The three switches at the top are the master controls: Notifications enabled (turns everything off), Push notifications and Email notifications.
- Under What you get, each group has its own Push and Email switch:
| Group | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Messages | Client messages, project chat and mentions |
| Projects | Stage and phase changes |
| Quotes & payments | Accepted quotes, follow-ups, invoices and overdue balances |
| Activities & tasks | Assignments, deadlines, overdue items and reminders |
| Time clock | Clock in/out, breaks and review requests |
| Marketplace favorites | Slabs you favorited were sold or reserved |
| Account & billing | Subscription, company approval and system notices |
| Product news | Weekly round-up of new features, improvements and tips |
Changes save as you flip each switch; there is no Save button. A group showing Following the company default uses the setting picked in Company notifications (the row at the bottom of the screen, for whoever can edit the company), which also controls the quote follow-ups and payment reminders your clients receive.
What Your Clients Get Automatically, and How to Turn Each One Off¶
Your clients only get emails from Stone Project in these cases, plus whatever you send yourself (quotes, invoices, deposit requests). Each automatic one has its own switch, so you can silence all of them or keep just the ones you like. A client with no email on file is skipped.
| Automatic email to the client | Where to turn it off |
|---|---|
| Appointment reminder the day before Template, Install and other visits | Settings > Notifications > Company notifications > What the client gets > Activity reminders to clients |
| Quote follow-ups when a sent quote gets no answer | Same screen > Quote follow-ups to clients (or Stop on one quote) |
| Payment reminders on invoices | Same screen > Payment reminders to clients |
| "Stage changed" email when a job moves to a new stage | Settings > Workflow Designer, open the stage and turn off Notify client |
| Review request after a job is completed | Settings > Workflow Designer, open the Completed stage and turn off Request review |
Importing jobs from another system? Turn off Activity reminders to clients first, so clients are not reminded about visits that were scheduled elsewhere. Your team keeps getting its own internal notifications either way.
9.9 SMS Notifications (Pro)¶
Pro Feature
SMS Notifications require an active Pro subscription and the edit company permission.
Text your clients automatically at the moments that matter — a quote going out, a payment landing, an install tomorrow morning. Messages go to the phone number on the client's record, so a client with no phone number on file is simply skipped.
Access: Go to Settings > SMS Notifications.
Turning It On¶
- Switch Enable SMS Notifications on. The whole feature is off until you do — the individual event switches stay locked out while the master switch is off.
- Turn on the events you want texted (see below).
- Changes save as you flip each switch. A Saving indicator appears briefly at the bottom.
Choosing Which Events Send a Text¶
| Event | When it fires |
|---|---|
| Project status updates | A project moves to a new stage |
| Quote sent to client | A quote is sent to a client |
| Quote follow-up reminders | A pending quote needs a nudge |
| Invoice sent to client | An invoice is sent to a client |
| Payment due reminders | A payment is coming due or is overdue |
| Payment confirmation | A payment is received |
| Contract sent for signing | A contract goes out for signature |
| Contract signing reminders | A contract is still unsigned |
| Appointment reminders | An appointment or activity is coming up |
| Review request invitations | A project is finished and you want a review |
| Deadline reminders | A project deadline is approaching |
When an event has an active template, the template's name appears under the switch, so you can see at a glance which wording will go out. See SMS Templates to change it.
Testing Mode & Verified Numbers¶
While SMS is still being rolled out for your account, the screen shows an amber SMS in testing mode notice. In testing mode, texts only reach numbers you have verified — everything else is quietly skipped.
To verify a number:
- Tap Add number.
- Enter the phone number and tap Send code.
- Enter the 6-digit code that arrives by text and tap Confirm. The code is good for 10 minutes.
- The number now appears in the Verified numbers list with a check mark.
Tap the trash icon next to a number to remove it from the list.
Sending a Test Message¶
- Tap the send (paper plane) icon in the header.
- Enter a phone number. The dialog shows a preview of exactly what will be sent.
- Tap Send. A confirmation — or the reason it failed — appears at the bottom of the screen.
Texts cost money
SMS is charged per message, at standard rates for the destination country. Messages longer than 160 characters are sent as multiple segments and cost more than one message.
9.10 SMS Templates (Pro)¶
The wording of every automated text lives in a template, so you can write it once in your own voice.
Access: Go to Settings > SMS Notifications > SMS Templates.
Reading the List¶
Templates are grouped by the event that triggers them. Each row shows:
| Marker | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Default badge | This is the template that will actually be sent for that event |
| System badge | A built-in template — you can customize or duplicate it, but not delete it |
| Character count | The message length out of 160; it turns red past 160 |
| Inactive | The template is switched off and will not be used |
Your own active template always wins over the system one for the same event.
Editing a Template¶
- Tap a template (or choose Edit Template from its ⋮ menu — on a system template the option reads Customize Template).
- Fill in:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Template name | How the template shows in your list |
| Trigger event | Which event sends it — the same list as the SMS Notifications screen, plus Custom |
| Active | Off means the template is never used |
| Message | The text of the message itself |
- Use the Available variables chips to drop placeholders such as
{{client_name}}into the message — they are grouped into Company, Client, Project, and Event, and clicking a chip inserts it at your cursor. - Watch the counter under the message: it shows characters and how many SMS segments the message will use.
- Tap Preview (available when editing an existing template) to see the message with sample values filled in.
- Tap Save.
Duplicating and Deleting¶
- Duplicate Template (from the ⋮ menu) makes an editable copy — the usual way to start from a system template without touching it.
- Delete is only offered on your own templates. System templates cannot be deleted.
Restoring the Defaults¶
The ⋮ menu in the header has two very different options:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Load default templates | Adds the system defaults that are missing. Your custom templates are kept, untouched |
| Restore default templates | Deletes all your custom templates and leaves only the system defaults |
Restore cannot be undone
Restore default templates permanently deletes every custom template you have written. If you only want the missing defaults back, use Load default templates instead.
9.11 Getting Help Inside the App (Concierge)¶
You do not need to leave the app — or write an email — to get help. The Concierge lives on the right edge of every screen.
Access: Move your pointer to the right edge of the window and click the Concierge handle. It sits tucked just past the edge and slides into view when you hover it.
It grabs the evidence for you
The moment you open the Concierge, the app takes a screenshot of the screen you were on and records which part of the app you were using and your app version. You do not have to describe any of that — it is already attached.
The Three Tabs¶
| Tab | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Chat | The AI assistant. Opens here by default |
| Open | Your support tickets that are still being worked, with a count |
| Closed | Tickets that have been resolved, with a count |
Asking the Assistant¶
Type your question the way you would say it out loud. The assistant can answer, walk you through a workflow, jump you straight to the right screen, and in some cases fill a form in for you — when it does, a banner on the form says the Concierge filled it out. If it cannot solve the problem, it can open a support ticket on your behalf.
Opening a Ticket Yourself¶
- Tap New Ticket.
- Pick a type: Bug Report, Feature Request, General, or Other.
- Fill in the one field — What happened? — and describe the problem in your own words.
- Attach anything that helps (see below).
- Tap Submit Ticket. The ticket appears under Open, and moves to Closed once it is resolved.
Everything else (subject, priority, which part of the app it concerns) is worked out automatically and refined afterwards, so you do not fill in a form full of dropdowns.
Attaching Screenshots and Files¶
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Add attachment | Pick files from your computer — you can also drag and drop them onto the ticket |
| Capture screen | Attaches the screenshot taken when you opened the Concierge, or takes a fresh one |
| Screenshot icon (header) | Minimizes the ticket into a small bubble so you can navigate to another screen, grab it, then restore the draft with everything you typed still there |
Tap a thumbnail to view an attachment full size, or the × on it to remove it.
9.12 Live Chat & Live Visitors¶
Put a chat bubble on your own website and answer the people browsing it without leaving the app.
Setting Up the Chat Widget¶
Access: Go to Settings > Chat Widget.
- Switch Enable chat widget on.
- Set the look: position (bottom left or bottom right), primary color, and theme (light, dark, or follow the visitor's system).
- Write the messages visitors see: welcome title, welcome message, offline message (shown outside your hours), and thank-you message.
- Optional switches:
- Auto-create lead — a visitor who starts a chat becomes a client record automatically.
- Hide "powered by" — removes the platform credit from the widget.
- Choose the assigned users who should be notified about incoming chats.
- Copy the embed snippet and paste it into your website's pages.
No website of your own?
You already have one. The app builds a public site for your company — themes, pages, branding, and the quote widget — under Settings > My Website. The chat widget is built into it, so you can skip the embed snippet entirely. See Your Public Website.
Watching Live Visitors¶
Access: Tap Live Visitors in the sidebar.
If the widget was never installed, this screen shows an install prompt instead of empty lists — tap it to jump straight to the Chat Widget settings.
Browsing now. Across the top, a strip shows the people on your site right this second, whether or not they have started a chat. Tap a card to see the page they are on, where they came from, their language, time zone, screen size, and when they first landed.
Metrics bar. Four live counters: Active, Waiting, Served, and Today.
Buckets. The conversations are split into tabs, each with a count:
| Tab | What lands here |
|---|---|
| All | Everything, with each row showing its own status |
| On chat | A live conversation — something was said in the last 5 minutes |
| Waiting | The visitor spoke last and nobody has replied yet |
| Served | Your team replied and it has been quiet for 5 to 60 minutes |
| Closed | No activity for over an hour, or you closed the chat yourself |
Each row shows the visitor's name, the last message, how long ago it was, and chips for the page they were on, their language, and their email and phone once they hand them over. Unread messages show a red count. Tap a row to open the conversation and reply.
Moderating a Chat¶
Use the ⋮ menu on any row:
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Close | Archives the conversation into the Closed bucket |
| Reopen | Brings a closed conversation back |
| Ban | Blocks that visitor's email address from chatting; you can note a reason |
| Unban | Lifts the block |
9.13 WhatsApp Inbox (add-on)¶
Connect your shop's own WhatsApp numbers and answer clients from inside Stone Project. Every conversation is stored here, linked to the client and job it belongs to, so anyone on the team can pick it up.
Price: US$10 per month for each connected number. The add-on is bought in the Stone Project web app; it cannot be bought in the iPhone or Android app.
Connecting a Number¶
Access: Settings > WhatsApp. Requires the Company → Edit permission.
- Tap Buy another number slot and complete the purchase. The counter (for example, 1 of 1 numbers) updates after payment is confirmed.
- Tap Add number and give it a name your team recognizes, for example Sales or Office.
- Tap Connect. A QR code appears.
- On the phone that owns the number, open WhatsApp > Linked devices > Link a device and scan the code. If it expires, tap Generate new QR code.
- When the status turns Connected, the number is ready for the whole team.
The phone stays the owner of the number: Stone Project works as a linked device, the same way WhatsApp Web does. Messages you send from the phone also appear here.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rename | Changes the name shown to your team |
| Disconnect | Stops syncing until you connect again; history is kept |
| Remove number | Permanently deletes that number's conversation history in Stone Project. It does not cancel the paid subscription for the slot |
Subscription ended?
A number whose add-on is no longer active stays listed and keeps receiving messages, but nobody can send from it or reconnect it until a slot is active again.
Using the Inbox¶
Access: Tap WhatsApp in the sidebar (a badge shows unread conversations). Requires the Messages → View permission; sending requires Messages → Send. Admins can hide the menu entry in Settings > Modules & Screens.
- Inbox, Unread, and Archived filter the list; All numbers switches between your connected numbers.
- New conversation starts a chat with any phone number (include the country code).
- In a conversation you can send text and attach a file up to 16 MB (photos, PDFs, documents). Each message shows Sending, Sent, Delivered, Read, or Not sent, and your team's messages show who sent them.
- Use the conversation menu to Link to client, Link to project, Unlink, Create client (creates the client with that phone number and links it), or Archive conversation.
Automatic Link to the Client and Job¶
When a message arrives, Stone Project looks for a client whose phone or cell (or one of their contacts') matches the number. If exactly one client matches, the conversation is linked to them; if that client has exactly one active job, it is linked to the job too. Group chats are never linked automatically, and a link you set by hand is never replaced.
Once a number is connected, the client's and the job's detail screens have a WhatsApp section listing their conversations, with Send WhatsApp to start one. The client needs a phone number on file.
Sharing a quote or invoice without the add-on
Send via WhatsApp on a quote, invoice, or contract works without the add-on: it opens your own WhatsApp with the message ready. See Send documents by WhatsApp.