Item messaging lets accountants and bookkeepers send messages to clients about specific Costs items, without leaving Dext. Clients receive a notification and can respond from the Dext mobile app.
Important: You can only send a message if the document owner has the Dext mobile app installed. If they don’t, the message field on the Messages tab is greyed out and you’ll see “As your client does not have the Dext mobile app, you cannot send messages”. Your role and permissions don’t affect this.
Send a message to your client
To send a message to your client about a Costs item, open the item in their account and go to the Messages tab. You can do this from the web app or the mobile app.
From the Dext web app
Open a Costs item in a client account.
Select the Messages tab.
Write your message in the field and select the send button.
From the Dext mobile app
Open a Costs item in the client's account.
Select the message icon at the top of the details page.
Write your message and send it.
What happens after you send a message
The client receives a:
Push notification on their phone (if notifications are turned on for Dext)
Notification in the Dext mobile app - they can select the bell icon to open the Communications screen
The item also shows a message icon in their mobile app's Costs inbox.
When the client responds, you'll receive a notification - a pop-up in the web app and a push notification in the mobile app.
Respond to a message from your accountant
When your accountant sends you a message, you'll be notified in 2 ways:
A push notification on your phone (if notifications are turned on for Dext)
A notification in the Dext mobile app - select the bell icon to open the Communications screen, where you can see all messages and paperwork requests
The item with the message also shows a message icon in your Costs inbox.
To respond, you can either:
Open the push notification and select the item, or
Open the item from your Costs inbox and select the message icon
Why can’t I send a message on the Messages tab?
You can’t send a message on the Messages tab when the document owner doesn’t have the Dext mobile app. Clients read and reply to item messages in the app, so the message field stays greyed out until they install it.
Check who owns the document in the Document owner field on the item’s Details tab.
Ask the document owner to download the Dext mobile app and log in. Go to Getting started with the Dext mobile app for set-up steps.
Open the item again and select the Messages tab.