Unread Replies Badge
How the unread replies badge works, what the count means, and where its quick links take you.
The speech-bubble icon beside the changelog badge in the app header is the unread replies badge. It is there to help you spot new inbound SMS replies without needing to leave the page you are already on.
What The Badge Tells You
- Unread inbound SMS only: this badge counts new inbound text replies, not outgoing texts and not email.
- Personal unread state: the count is tied to your own read state, so another team member clearing a reply does not automatically clear it for you.
- 99+ cap: once the unread total grows beyond 99, the badge shows 99+ instead of trying to fit the full number into the dot.
What Happens When You Click It
Clicking the badge opens the Unread Replies popup. The popup loads a recent list of unread inbound SMS replies so you can decide what to open next without going straight to the full communications history.
- Recent replies: each row shows the customer name when Work Planner could match it, the message excerpt, and the time received.
- Mark read: clears that one reply from your unread list without affecting anyone else.
- Reply: opens a reply box on that row so you can answer the customer without leaving the page you are on. It shows the credit cost as you type, and sending clears the reply from your unread list.
- Communications: opens the main communications history and jumps straight into the matching record.
- Customer and Job: quick links that open the linked customer or job when those records were matched successfully.
Replies sent here go out from the same Work Planner number the customer already has, so they continue the existing thread. If SMS is not on your plan, or you have run out of credits, the reply box says so instead of sending.
Customer Payments
The popup also lists what your customers have done themselves, under Customer payments: paying you online, setting up a Direct Debit through a link you sent or cancelling their Direct Debit at their bank. Everyone who can see payments in the business sees them, and each row says what happened and when.
- Customer name: opens the customer, where the payment or Direct Debit is recorded.
- Dismiss: clears that one from your list without affecting anyone else.
- Dismiss all: clears every one waiting for you, including any further down than the list shows.
Anything you leave drops off after two weeks. The payments themselves stay on the customer and on the debt list. If you would rather not see these at all, turn off Customer payments and Direct Debits in your notification settings, which also stops the notifications.
Notifications When The App Is Closed
The bell only helps while Work Planner is open. To be told about these things when it is not, turn on notifications for your phone or browser from the Notifications section of your Profile page, where you can also choose which types you want and set quiet hours.
If you use Work Planner for more than one business, notifications cover all of them, while this popup lists the businesses you currently have selected. When something is waiting elsewhere, the popup tells you how many and in which business, and opening a notification switches you to the right one.
When To Use It
- Quick reply triage: useful when you just need to see whether a customer has replied before deciding what to do next.
- Answer on the spot: useful when the reply needs a short answer and opening the full history would slow you down.
- Jump to the right record: useful when you want to go straight to the related customer or job instead of searching manually.
- Stay on your current screen: useful when you are in the middle of another task and only need a quick check.
Related articles
- Communications: the full history page the popup links into when you need more detail.
- Customer Detail View: where matched customer replies can also be reviewed on the Communications tab.
- Job Detail View: where matched job replies can also be reviewed on the Communications tab.
- Message Customers Popup: where the texts these replies usually answer are sent from.
- Notification Settings: how to be told about these things when Work Planner is closed, and how to set quiet hours.