Set up chat messaging in WFM and Work app

Follow this guide to enable and control access to Chat messaging in Humanforce WFM and Work app.

Part 1: Request messaging activation for your company

1. Contact Humanforce Support to request messaging functionality be enabled for your organisation.

2. Once enabled, your system will support chat functionality in the Humanforce Work app.

3. Continue with setup steps in the following sections to complete configuration.

⚠️ Note: Messaging will not function until it has been enabled by Humanforce. Ensure this request is made before proceeding with other steps.

Part 2: Bulk sync users to the messaging system

1. Go to Admin > Admin Config > System Settings > General.

2. Under the General tab, click Sync Chat Users.

3. Wait for the sync process to complete.  This may take several hours.

This process will send all existing users to the messaging system, allowing their names to be searchable in the Work app for chat creation. You'll only need to perform this action once. After the initial sync, any new users added to the system will be automatically included when their profile is created and synced with the mobile app.

If you choose not to create users in bulk, users will be added on the fly as they visit the Messages screen in the Work app.  However, bulk syncing ensures all users are available immediately for messaging without requiring them to access the Messages screen first.

Clicking the 'Sync Stream Chat Users' button more than once will not duplicate users in the chat system. The system is designed to prevent duplicate entries, ensuring seamless user management.

Part 3: Configure messaging permissions for tailored access

1. Go to Admin > Security Config > Access Levels
2. For the relevant Access Level row, click Edit
3. Click on the Permissions tab
4. Search for 'Enable Stream Messaging'

5. Enable or disable the following messaging permissions based on the communication needs and organisational policy:

   • 1. Enable Stream Messaging
        - this will enable the new Stream Chat feature for a user (WFM and Work app)
     2. Allow Sending to Assigned Departments (vs Default Only)
        - lets a user start a chat with employees that are associated with any of the departments assigned to the current user. The scope of this permission is also limited by the Location permissions.
     3. Allow Sending to All Departments
        - this overrides the above permission, but the scope is still limited by the Location permissions.
     4. Allow Sending to Assigned Locations (vs Default Only)
        - lets a user start a chat with employees associated with any of the Locations assigned to the current user. However, the scope is still limited by the Department permissions. E.g. You could give an employee permissions to Send to All Locations, but if the Department permissions are off, then they'll only be able to find/chat with employees from the current user's Default Department.
     5. Allow Sending to All Locations
        - overrides the above permission, but the scope is still limited by the Department permissions.
     6. Allow Sending to Employees on Higher Authorisation levels
        - Use this to allow a user to start a chat with superiors - such as a Supervisor or Manager (as those users typically have a greater authorisation level). Note that a Higher level is represented by a lower number.
     7. Allow Sending to Employees on Same and Lower Authorisation Levels.
        - User this to allow a user to start a chat with their colleagues or users typically more junior than them.

     Note: If a user has an existing conversation, they can continue that chat conversation regardless of the above permissions. This ensures that an employee who typically can't initiate messages with another department will be able to reply when a manager from that department makes contact (assuming the manager has required permission).

Additional Information

• This is a new chat system and does not integrate with the legacy messaging system in Humanforce WFM or the Classic app. Conversations do not transfer between systems.

• The new chat permissions have been designed with the previous messaging permissions in mind, to make it easier for you to set-up the new permissions in a similar way to before.

• Whether a user appears as available in the chat system depends on both the user sync and the permission setup being completed successfully.