What are conversations and how do you use them?


Conversations are a way of grouping items in a Client or Contact's Activity Feed. Items could be anything e.g. emails received, emails sent, notes etc. Additionally, you can give a conversation a label.


Labels can be created by you or by the system.


Custom Labels


Labels can be given their own name that way you can organise things in a way that makes sense to you and your team.


All conversations have a default label e.g. an incoming email will result in a conversation with one item and a label set to the subject of the email. You can then change this label or add other items to the same conversation to keep them together.


Here's a story that shows how you might use them:

  • You receive an email from a client about their personal tax liability but with the subject  "Quick question" etc. You could change the label of the conversation to "Personal Tax". Importantly, the subject of the email doesn't change!
  • You send an email to HMRC with the subject set to the client's tax reference number but you group it under the "Personal Tax" label.
  • HMRC's reply comes in and is automatically filed to the same conversation.


So, what you should see is the following:



In your current email software, the "Quick question" and "Tax Payer Reference...." emails would be completely separated and the internal note wouldn't appear at all.


System-generated Labels


The system creates conversation items like notifications about jobs, errors etc. When it does so, it creates labels itself.


The most common one you will see is for jobs. Jobs generate their own dedicated conversations. Each conversation is given a label that includes the name of the job and its due date. All system generated notifications for the job (including automated reminders) are automatically added to the conversation. 


Here's a story that shows how you might use a system generated label:

  • You set the Confirmation Statement job due on 26th October 2020 to Started.
  • You email the client asking for their new registered office address with subject "Change of Registered Office Address".
  • The client emails replies to you with the new address.
  • You submit the Confirmation Statement and mark the job as completed.


So, what you should see is the following:



You now have a complete audit trail for the job including any related notes or emails.