Chat for school leaders: Configure your chat environment settings

This article walks through the chat environment settings in the Finalsite Mobile Apps module, including how to configure chat room names, posting permissions, direct message access by role, and contact visibility across campuses.

In this article

• Navigate to Chats settings
• Configure Chat room names
• Configure "Create chat rooms with..." setting 
• Configure Members visibility
• Set Posting permissions
• Configure Direct message settings
  • Real World Direct Message Scenarios
• Allow for attachments
• Configure Chat rooms and Direct messages settings
• Configure Chat reminders via text messages
  • Configure a Welcome message
  • Configure Unread messages reminders
  • Configure Dormant re-engagement reminders
• Configure Unread chat messages digest
• Configure roles 

Navigate to Chats settings

To locate your settings, navigate to the module menu > Mobile Apps module then click on Chats. Tap to open the Settings tab where you can configure the settings in this article.

Configure Chat room names

Select and adjust how chat room names appear to users.

• Chat room names can be built from up to three components:
  • Class name (from SIS)
  • Grade level
  • School name
• These components can be arranged in any order or omitted as needed. For example, you might use Class + Grade but exclude School name.
• Finalsite Support can help you make any adjustments to Chat room names. 

Configure "Create chat rooms with..." setting 

Select which participant types can be added to chat rooms.

• Parents
• Students
• Teachers/Chat managers
• You can create chat rooms with just the participant types you select.
• Finalsite Support can help you make this adjustment. 

Configure Members visibility

Choose who can see member names in chat rooms. District managers have a global overview of all users.  Teacher names are always visible. 

• Check the box next to roles you'd like to be able to see member names in chat rooms.

Set Posting permissions

Control who can post messages in chat rooms.

• Everyone: All participants can post messages.
• Admins and teachers only: Limits posting to the admin and teacher (chat manager) roles. Students and parents will not be able to post. This is great for announcement-type rooms.
• Chat room moderators can change posting permissions: Toggle this off or on to allow for moderators to change posting permissions between two-way and one-way chat environments at the chat room level from a device.

Configure Direct message settings

Enable or restrict direct conversations between participant types. This allows for a wide variety of granular combinations of who can and cannot send direct messages.

• Students can participate in direct messages:
  • Initiate conversation with student
  • Initiate conversation with parent
  • Initiate conversation with teacher
• Parents can participate in direct messages:
  • Initiate conversation with student
  • Initiate conversation with parent
  • Initiate conversation with teacher
• Teachers can participate in direct messages:
  • Initiate conversation with student
  • Initiate conversation with parent
  • Initiate conversation with teacher

Allow for attachments

Allow selected users to send photos and files in chat rooms and direct messages.

• Students
• Parents
• Teachers/Chat managers

Configure Chat rooms and Direct messages settings

This setting allows district managers to have the option of maintaining a global overview of all users within the district.

• Toggle on if you want Chat participants to only see contacts within their own school for chats and messaging. 

Configure Chat reminders via text messages

Here you will configure the settings for sending text messages to boost parent engagement and mobile app usage. This includes the following messaging: Welcome message, Unread messages reminder, and Dormant re-engagement. 

Configure a Welcome message

US only. A one-time automated SMS sent to newly added users on weekdays. It includes a direct login link and is never repeated. Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings tab > Chat reminders via text messages and toggle on Welcome message to expand configuration options.

For a full overview of the Settings tab, see Chat environment settings: Configure Chat reminders via text messages > 

• Start date: The date the system begins checking for newly added users.
• End date: The final date of the campaign. The system stops sending welcome messages after this date.
• Select time: The time of day (in the user's local time zone) the message is delivered.
• Message box: Custom message text, limited to 60 characters. The system appends a deep link automatically.

Use the preview panel on the right to verify how the message and link will appear on a parent's lock screen before saving. Click Save in the bottom right to apply changes.

What families see: A single text from the district's dedicated school number with a link to get started. The message is never repeated. Families can reply STOP at any time to opt out of all future SMS, or reply START to resume.

Configure Unread messages reminders

US only. Sent when a user has unread content and has not opened the app for a configurable number of days. At most two reminders send per week, only between 8 AM and 9 PM local time. Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings > Chat reminders via text messages and toggle on Unread message reminder to expand options.

• Send X days after last active (minimum 3 days): The number of inactive days required before the reminder triggers. This is the district-wide default; users can set their own threshold in Profile > Notifications > Chat reminders, and personal settings are never overwritten by admin changes.
• 1 unread message: Message text shown when a user has exactly one unread item. Use a direct call to action.
• Several unread messages: Message text for users with multiple unread items. Keep this general; the system does not specify the type of content waiting.

Sample message texts

• 1 unread: "Your school sent a message! Tap to read it now!"
• Several unread: "New school updates are waiting in the app!"
• 1 unread: "New message from [School Name]. Tap to reply."
• Several unread: "Several unread school updates are waiting. Tap to view."

What families see: A text from the district number with a deep link. Tapping it opens the app (if installed), a branded school page with download links (if not installed), or web chat on desktop. Families can reply STOP to opt out immediately, or adjust their personal inactivity threshold in the app.

Configure Dormant re-engagement reminders

US only. Targets users who have been inactive for an extended period and have unread messages pending. The minimum configurable threshold is 30 days. Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings > Chat reminders via text messages and toggle on Dormant re-engagement to expand options.

• Inactivity threshold: The number of days a user must be inactive before the message sends.
• Unread message threshold: The minimum number of unread messages required for the nudge to trigger.

Consider the district's typical communication cadence when setting thresholds. Highly active communities may benefit from a lower inactivity threshold; quieter districts may prefer a longer window.

What families see: A text bundling a summary of missed content with a deep link to catch up. As with all SMS, families can reply STOP at any time.

Configure Unread chat messages digest

All regions. Bundles unread chat conversations into a single email sent at each user's preferred cadence. Each digest includes up to 10 channels with the two most recent messages from each, plus deep links that open directly in the app, mobile browser, or desktop web chat. Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings > Unread chat messages digest and toggle on Enable email digest to make this feature available to users.

• Default cadence: Choose how often users receive digests by default. 
  • Options are Daily (previous 24 hours), Every 3 days (mid-period catch-up), or Weekly (full-week summary). 
  • Users can override this in their own notification settings at any time.
• Inactivity threshold: The number of days a user must be inactive before a digest is triggered. Users who are actively reading messages will not receive one.
• Send time: The time of day the digest sends, applied to the district's time zone setting.
• Branding: Digests automatically use the school's logo and primary color from the Mobile Apps CMS setup page. No additional configuration is needed.
• Click Send test digest to send a sample to the admin email address and verify branding, layout, and deep links before enabling for families.

What families see: An email summary of unread conversations and links to open each thread directly. 

• A digest only sends when there are unread messages. 
• Families can unsubscribe by clicking the link in any digest footer, or by toggling off Unread messages digest in their app profile. 
• User-level overrides are preserved when district-wide defaults change.

Configure roles 

Finalsite Support can help you with any adjustments you'd like to make to your Chat roles. For a full overview of what each role can do, and how to change an individual user's role using the Members tab, check out the article, "Chat for school leaders: Assign chat roles, create rooms, and manage members."