Chat Management - Pro Tips

Summary This module gives pro tips for managing your chats in PaT Chat. It shows how to mark a chat as unread, filter it by person, check who has read it, and follow and copy chats. It then shows how to turn a message into a task, and how to pin and dock the chats you use most. It has two parts: “Marking chats unread, filtering by person, read receipts and copying”, then “Turning messages into tasks, and pinning and docking chats”.

Marking chats unread, filtering by person, read receipts and copying

Summary This part covers marking a chat as unread so you remember to come back to it, filtering a chat by person, checking who has read your message, following a chat with the star, and copying chat messages.

Step 1

On the Chat Wall, a blue dot on the photo beside a chat, in the list of chats, means the chat has an unread message. Click the chat's title to open it.

Step 2

If you open a chat but aren't ready to respond, for example because you need time to gather information or resources, mark it as unread. It then serves as a reminder to come back and reply when you're ready.

Step 3

To mark it as unread, click and hold the chat in the list of chats, drag it onto the UnRead folder in the folder menu on the left, and let go.

Step 4

The chat now shows a blue dot over the person's photo again, to show that it is an unread chat.

Step 5

You can also filter a chat's messages by person. Open the chat, and in the chat thread on the right of the screen, click the photo of the person whose messages you want to see. Their photo is next to each of their messages.

Step 6

The chat thread now shows only that person's messages, with their photo at the top of the thread.

Step 7

To check who has read a message you sent, swipe the message to the right in the chat thread. Four buttons appear to its left: copy, remind, edit and a members icon (two people).

Step 8

Click the members icon, the last of the four buttons, next to your photo. The Chat Status box opens.

Step 9

The box lists the users who received a notification for the message, with the time it was sent to each of them.

Step 10

At the right of each user, Read: True means they have read the chat, and Read: False means they have not.

Step 11

To keep a close eye on a chat, follow it: click the star icon at the top right of the chat editor.

Step 12

The chat is automatically filed in your Following folder, in the folder menu on the left.

Step 13

To copy a chat message, find it in the chat thread and swipe it to the right.

Step 14

Click copy, the first of the buttons that appear. The Copy Chat box opens.

Step 15

Choose how you want to copy the chat: HTML or Plain TEXT. To close the box without copying, click Cancel.

Turning messages into tasks, and pinning and docking chats

Summary This part covers turning a chat message into a task by swiping left, how contextual communication keeps chats linked to the work they are about, and keeping the chats you use most within reach by pinning and docking them. It also covers the three sizes of a docked chat, and copying a chat's URL. PaT Chat centralises business communications and adds structured task management, which significantly improves accountability and completion rates.

Introduction. The key advantage of PaT Chat over email and other chat tools is its focus on productivity and advanced communication management. Unlike generic platforms, PaT Chat is purpose-built for the business environment, making communication more efficient, structured and action-oriented.

Step 16

If you've sent someone a message asking them to do something and realise it should have been a task, convert the message into a task: swipe left on it in the chat thread. Three buttons appear at its right end: task, reply and sd.

Step 17

Click task, the first of the three. The Inline Task box opens.

Step 18

Edit the task: who it is assigned to (the first box at the top), the task description (enter a task description), the deadline and the priority. The original chat message is included as a comment, in the large box in the middle. Then click Submit at the bottom right of the box, and PaT automatically sends the task to the assignee.

Note. Converting chats into tasks transforms how requests are managed, promoting clarity, accountability and follow-through. Unlike intent-based requests in emails or chats, tasks are formally tracked, which significantly improves outcomes. In fact, a study comparing 20 email-based requests with 20 system-tracked tasks found that tasking increased success rates by 800%.

Tip. A great saying to live by: "If it doesn't really matter, it's okay to ask. If it has to happen, raise a task." At first, formal tasking can feel intrusive or burdensome. But as teams adapt, they quickly see its impact, embracing automation, advanced reporting and improved workflows. Within months, even skeptics often become strong advocates, preferring tasks over emails or chats for reliable, efficient management.

Contextual communication

PaT allows communication to flow contextually.

Contextual communications link discussions directly to specific work items, like SDs, Notes, Section Headers or Tasks. This simple yet powerful feature ensures vital information isn't buried in personal emails, which the business can't access. It keeps communication clear, organised and visible to the whole team, greatly improving handovers and the overall management of company communications.

Why it matters. PaT Chat solves a large problem organisations face. Studies reveal that businesses are blind to up to 87% of their communications, both external with customers and internal between departments, because they are managed through personal email accounts. Communication platforms like PaT Chat solve this by centralising and organising communications, so they can be fully seen and managed.

Tip. You can also chat with people outside PaT: from PaT Chat, to their email, and back to PaT. The Chat to email to chat module covers it.

Note. A separate guide, an animated video, gives more reasons to choose PaT Chat over email or other chat programmes.

Pinning and docking chats

Pinned chats. Pinning frequently used chats helps you manage important conversations efficiently. Pinned chats are kept in the Pinned folder, in the folder menu on the left of the Chat Wall, so you can quickly reach key discussions and crucial information is always available. Pinning keeps your workspace organised, saves time spent searching for messages, and lets you focus on more critical tasks.

Step 19

Docking chats has similar benefits: it keeps essential conversations within easy reach, especially those you use daily, and lets you switch between them without interrupting your workflow. To dock a chat, open it and click the round down-arrow at the top right of the chat editor, just right of the star.

Step 20

The chat is docked: it appears as a photo in the bar at the bottom of the screen, to the left of the round + button. Click the photo to open the chat in a small window, at the top left of the screen.

Step 21

For a small chat, type in the box at the top of the small window, then click Send Comment, to the right of the box.

Step 22

For more room, click Adv. chat panel at the bottom right of the small window.

Step 23

The window becomes a medium-sized chat editor, with the members list, the formatting buttons, GIF and send comment. Use it for medium chats.

Step 24

For the largest view, click the pop-out icon (a square with an arrow pointing out of its corner), at the top right of the window, below the share icon.

Step 25

A large chat window opens in the middle of the screen, with the editor on the left and the chat thread on the right. Use it for large chats.

Step 26

You can also copy a chat's URL, which is a great way to send someone a reference to the chat thread: click the share icon (an arrow coming out of a box), below the round down-arrow at the top right of the chat editor.