The Messages hub
One inbox for client threads, team chat, business-line texts, social DMs, Slack and Telegram — how the navigator is organised and how to start each kind of conversation.
Messages is a single full-width inbox across every conversation your agency has: team chat, client threads, texts on your business lines, social DMs, Slack, Telegram and the AI assistant line. What you see is decided per source, so two people on the same team can open Messages and find different channels in it.
Before you start
Each source has its own permission: client threads, team messages, texts, social DMs, prospecting texts, Slack and Telegram channels, and the assistant line are granted separately. Texting also needs a connected business line — Quo, Telnyx or Twilio.
Client threads
Conversations with a client and their portal users
Team chat
Internal conversations with your own team
Business-line texts
Inbound and outbound SMS on a Quo, Telnyx or Twilio line
Social DMs
Direct messages on your connected accounts
Slack and Telegram
Connected channels, read and answered here
One Messages inbox
The navigator
The left rail groups conversations into four sections, and remembers which ones you left collapsed on this device.
| Section | Holds |
|---|---|
| Inbox | All conversations, Unread and Archived |
| Team | Internal team chat, plus Slack and Telegram channels |
| Clients & customers | Client threads, business-line texts and social DMs |
| AI Assistant | The assistant line |
The AI Assistant line is deliberately kept apart
It is excluded from All conversations, Unread and Archived, and only appears under MessagesAI Assistant. That is on purpose — an assistant thread in your unread count would bury a client who is actually waiting.
Start a conversation
Open Messages
From the left navigation.
Click New conversation
MessagesNew conversation — choose Client thread, Team message or Text message.
For a text, pick the line
Fill To, choose the From line, and write the Message. With no line yet, Connect a line takes you to SettingsIntegrations.
Send
The thread appears in the matching navigator section.
Settings reference
| Setting | What it changes | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Navigator sections | Inbox, Team, Clients & customers and AI Assistant. Collapse state is remembered per device, not per account. | — |
| New text — To / From line / Message | Starts a text conversation from one of your connected business lines. | — |
| Connect a line | Routes to Settings to connect a Quo, Telnyx or Twilio business line. | — |
There is no iMessage channel
Texting runs on business lines from Quo, Telnyx or Twilio. Nothing in Zyan sends from a personal phone number or from iMessage, and a client texting your own mobile will not appear here.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A whole channel is missing from the navigator | That source has its own permission and yours is not granted | Ask the workspace owner for the matching messaging permission |
| You cannot send a text | No business line is connected, or you lack the texting permission | Use Connect a line, or ask for the permission |
| An assistant conversation is not in Unread | The assistant line is excluded from Inbox counts by design | Open it under AI Assistant |
| An old message link still works but lands somewhere new | Direct message links redirect into the hub | Nothing to fix; update the bookmark if you like |
| A client says they texted you and nothing arrived | They texted a personal number rather than a business line | Give them the business line number |
| Social DMs stopped arriving | The account's Meta update subscription lapsed | Re-subscribe from the Accounts tab |
In this section
Your Gmail or Outlook mailbox inside the admin — threads, labels, filters and compose.
Send an announcementBroadcast to clients through the portal, email and SMS, or to your team in-app.
Notification settingsWhich events reach you in-app and by email, immediately or as a daily digest.
Related
- Connect and manage social accounts — where social DMs come from
- Client requests
- Roles and permissions