Messages live in two places. A trip's Messages page covers everything tied to that trip. A contact's Messages tab covers the same ground plus anything not attached to a trip at all, and gathers a client's full history in one view. Both use the same composer, so the rest of this article applies to either.
A Trip's Messages Page
Navigate to a trip and select Messages from the left navigation.
The Messages page contains two tabs:
Inbox
View messages and communication activity associated with the trip.
Scheduled
View messages that have been scheduled for future delivery.
All communication remains associated with the trip, creating a complete communication history.
A Contact's Messages Tab
Open a contact and select Messages. The recipient is always that contact, so there's no recipient picker.
The sidebar splits the view:
All Messages shows the contact's complete history, both messages sent from a trip and messages sent directly to them.
Trip Messages lists each trip the contact has been on. Click a trip name to narrow the view to that trip's correspondence.
Within either, Inbox and Scheduled work as they do on a trip's Messages page. Each message shows its delivery status, such as Sent or Opened, and carries a Reply all option.
Click the message field to open the full composer. Everything covered below works here: templates, files, forms, scheduling, and automated follow-ups.
Use this when the message isn't about a specific trip: checking in with a past client, following up on an enquiry that hasn't become a trip yet, a seasonal note. It's also the fastest way to see everything you've exchanged with someone without opening their trips one at a time.
Send a Message
Open a trip's Messages page, or a contact's Messages tab.
Click inside the message area.
Select the sender email address.
Choose one or more recipients. On a contact, the recipient is already set.
Optionally add CC recipients.
Enter a subject.
Write your message.
Click Send Now.
The email is sent immediately and appears in the message history.
Use an Email Template
Instead of creating an email from scratch, you can use a saved template.
Open the Send Message window.
Select a template from the Use Template dropdown.
The template's subject and content populate automatically.
Make any necessary edits.
Send or schedule the message.
Add Files and Forms
Messages can include supporting documents and forms.
Add Files
Click Insert File.
Select the desired file.
The file is attached to the email.
Add Forms
Locate the Insert Form section.
Search and select a form template.
Send or schedule the message.
Recipients can access and complete included forms directly from the email.
Schedule a Message
To send an email at a later time:
Compose your message.
Click Send Later.
Select the desired send date and time.
Confirm the schedule.
The message appears in the Scheduled tab and is delivered automatically at the selected time.
Create Automated Follow-Ups
TripLoft can automatically send a follow-up message when no response is received. To configure a follow-up:
Compose the message.
Enable the follow-up option.
Enter the number of days to wait.
Select a follow-up email template.
Choose the follow-up send time.
Send or schedule the message.
If the recipient does not respond within the specified period, the follow-up email is sent automatically. For the full mechanics of how the send time is calculated and what cancels a follow-up, see How Automated Follow-Ups Work.
