Item messaging lets accountants and bookkeepers send a message about a Costs item to the document owner in a client account, without leaving Dext. The client reads and replies in the Dext mobile app.
This article covers sending a message and finding your conversations. For the client's steps, go to How to reply to a message about an item in the Dext mobile app
Important: You can only send a message if the document owner has the Dext mobile app and has logged in to it. If they haven't, the message field on the Messages tab is greyed out and shows "As your client does not have the Dext mobile app, you cannot send messages".
Send a message about a Costs item
To send a message about a Costs item, open the item in a client account. Then use its Messages tab in the Dext web app, or its message icon in the Dext mobile app.
In the Dext web app
To send a message in the Dext web app, use the Messages tab on the item:
Open a Costs item in a client account.
Select the Messages tab.
Write your message in the field and select the send button.
In the Dext mobile app
To send a message in the Dext mobile app, use the message icon on the item:
Go to the client account, then tap an item on the Costs tab.
Tap the message icon at the top of the item, next to …. This opens Messages.
Write your message in the Write a message… field and tap Send.
What happens after you send a message
After you send a message about a Costs item, the document owner gets:
A push notification on their phone, if notifications are turned on for Dext
The message in Communications in the Dext mobile app, which they open with the bell icon
The item also shows a message icon on their Costs tab. Document owners can read and reply to item messages only in the Dext mobile app, not in the Dext web app.
When the document owner replies, you get a notification under the bell icon in the Dext web app, and a pop-up while you're logged in.
See your conversations in the Dext mobile app
To see your item conversations across all client accounts, use the bell in your practice's own business account:
Tap the round button with the initial at the top left of any tab. This opens Select client.
Choose your practice under My business.
Tap the bell icon at the top right of the Costs tab. This opens Communications.
Tap the Messages tab.
Each conversation shows the supplier, the amount, who sent the last message and the client name. Conversations for archived items show an Archived chip. Tap a conversation to open it. To preview the item, tap the document icon at the top right of the conversation.
Common questions about item messaging
These are the questions people ask most about item messaging.
Why is the message field greyed out on the Messages tab?
The message field is greyed out when:
The document owner hasn't logged in to the Dext mobile app yet. The tab shows "As your client does not have the Dext mobile app, you cannot send messages".
The item has no document owner, or the document owner isn't a user in the client account.
The item is archived. The tab shows "This item has been archived" instead of the message field.
To fix the first 2 reasons, open the item's Details tab and check the Document owner field. Choose a user if the field is empty or the document owner isn't a user yet. Then ask the client to download the Dext mobile app and log in. For app set-up steps, go to Getting started with the Dext mobile app
To fix an archived item, move it out of the archive. For steps, go to How to archive and unarchive items in Dext
Where does the client reply?
The client replies in the Dext mobile app only. They can't open item messages in the Dext web app. They can reply to a message you sent, but they can't start a conversation. You read their replies on the Messages tab of the item in the Dext web app. For their steps, go to How to reply to a message about an item in the Dext mobile app
How do I find out when the client replies?
Client replies reach you as a notification under the bell icon in the mobile app and a pop-up in the Dext web app.
What happens to a conversation when I change the document owner?
The conversation stays on the item. The new document owner joins it when you send your next message, and gets that message as a push notification. They don't see the conversation in Communications until then.
How are my messages signed?
Item messaging signs messages with either your company name or your name as the signed-in user. To choose, select Practice settings in the bottom-left navigation of the Dext web app, then go to Practice profile and find Item messaging. For more details, go to What is Practice settings in Dext?