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Getting Started with Conversations

Learn about the components and functionality of the Conversations module.

Michael Stephenson avatar
Written by Michael Stephenson
Updated this week

Available in Element Core (with the exception of Live Chat/Messenger, which is available in Element Engagement). See our packages overview for details.

Overview

Use Conversations to communicate 1:1 with students through the following channels: Messenger (Live Chat), SMS, Email, and In-App Calling*. Conversations are different from Campaigns, which are designed to send bulk, scheduled messages to a broad group of users. For more information on Campaigns, click here.

This article will divide the Conversations module into three sections—inbox, conversation, and sidebar—as illustrated in the screenshot below:

Below, we will cover how-to topics such as:

  • Starting a new conversation or replying to an existing one

  • Changing the conversation assignee

  • Disabling Bolt Agent

  • Favoriting a conversation

  • Closing a conversation

  • Adding private notes

  • Translating inbound messages

  • Accessing a contact's profile and associating a contact to a conversation

  • Adding + removing participants

  • Adding + removing tags

  • Gain additional insight and context related to the contact

Accessing Conversations

Navigate to Engagement > Conversations > All Conversations.

Inbox

The Conversations module's left panel displays an inbox, or list, of all conversations from all channels with search and filter functionality. Each thread, or box, provides at-a-glance information about the specific conversation using formatting and icons.

In a separate article, we cover inbox formatting, icons, searching and filtering conversations, performing bulk actions, threading conversations, and connecting shared email inboxes.

Explore More: Conversations Inbox →

Conversation

The Conversations module's middle panel displays the conversation you are reading (the one you selected from the inbox). It contains the conversation thread where you can communicate 1:1 with the contact, update the assignee, add private notes, close the conversation, translate, and more.

Top of Conversation

Assignee

  • The assignee is indicated in the center of the conversation panel.

  • When conversations are first started, they are unassigned.

  • To select a new assignee, click Select Assignee, and all users will show in a dropdown menu. Select the user you wish to assign to the conversation.

Use a conversation rule to assign users to conversations automatically.

Bolt Agent

  • If one of your Bolt Agents is active in the conversation, their name is displayed in a chip at the top of the middle panel (left of the star icon). You can disconnect or "stop" the agent from replying by clicking their chip (pause symbol). For example, see the screenshot above where Dean, our Bolt Agent, is active. To re-enable the agent, click the chip again.

Favorite Conversation

  • Click the star ⭐️ to mark a conversation as a favorite. Then, use inbox filters to view favorite conversations easily.

  • Favoriting conversations can also be performed in bulk by selecting more than one conversation thread. To learn how, click here.

Close Conversation

  • After completing a conversation, click the check mark ✔️ to close it.

  • After closing a conversation, it will remain in your inbox with a Reopen Conversation button at the bottom. Click the button to reopen the conversation.

  • Closing conversations can also be performed in bulk by selecting more than one conversation thread. To learn how, click here.

It’s recommended to close conversations as they're finished to ensure the conversation rules are evaluated correctly.

Hide Conversation Info

  • To hide the right panel, click the information icon ℹ️.

More Menu via Vertical Ellipsis (⋮)

Start New Conversation

  • Click on the three vertical dots icon to display additional actions.

  • Click on New Conversation to start a new conversation with the external participant of the message you are currently viewing. To create a new conversation with a different external participant, click the blue + New Conversation button in the top right corner.

Switch Channels

  • Click on the three vertical dots icon to display additional actions.

  • Click Switch Channels to communicate with the external participant of the message you are viewing using a new conversation channel.

Delete Conversation

  • Click on the three vertical dots icon to display additional actions.

  • Click on Delete Conversation to permanently delete the conversation

  • Deleting conversations can also be performed in bulk by selecting more than one conversation thread. To learn how, click here.

Deleting a Messenger conversation will also remove the message from the student's chat history.

Bottom of Conversation

Join Conversation

  • In conversations where you are not a participant, you can join by clicking the "join conversation" button at the bottom of the conversation panel. Once you join the conversation, you can reply or add private notes.

Reply: Compose or Edit Message

  • To reply, make sure the reply/note toggle is on reply and use the text box to type your message to the external participant.

  • Use the toolbar to enhance your message. We explain the tools below.

Note: Adding Internal Notes

  • Internal (private) notes can be added to any conversation.

  • Within that note, you can tag an individual or team. When you add a tag, the individual or team will be notified.

  • Please note that private notes are visible to any internal user with the proper permissions, but are NOT visible to the student or external participant.

To add a note to a conversation:

  1. Change the message toggle from Reply to Note.

  2. Type your note in the text box.

  3. To tag an individual or team in the note, type “@,” and a list of your users will populate. Select the user you would like to tag.

  4. When you're finished, click the Add Private Note button.

✨ Pro Tip: You can use saved replies in notes, too. This makes it easy to insert commonly used notes with one click. To keep them organized, we recommend starting the title with “NOTE:” so you can quickly spot them when using saved replies in both replies and notes.

Private notes can only be added using the note tab within the individual conversation using the process outlined above.

Voice: Send a Voice-Recorded Message (Messenger Only)

Instead of sending a text-based message or reply to a contact, you can send a voice-recorded message.

  1. Select the Voice toggle and click the microphone icon to begin recording.

  2. Once you are finished speaking, click the send button.

Notes about Voice Messages:

  • Voice messages are available to all users—students, staff, and Bolt Agents–enabling everyone to participate in voice-based conversations.

  • Voice messages are exclusive to the Messenger channel and work with or without Bolt Agents enabled.

Explore More: Voice Messages

Translating Inbound Messages

Element451 allows you to translate inbound messages to English and Spanish. To translate a message:

  1. Hover over the message you wish to translate.

  2. Click on the three vertical dots icon.

  3. Select whether you want the message translated into English or Spanish.

Note: Translations are only visible internally, meaning your external participant will not see the translated message.

Reply + Note Toolbar

When writing replies and notes, you have a toolbar with functions that help enhance your message. Below, we explain each tool and whether it's available for replies, notes, or both.

Tool

Reply

Note

Upload an Image

✅

✅

Upload a File

✅

❌

Insert Emoji

✅

✅

Saved Replies (Insert a Saved Reply)

  • To manage your custom replies, navigate to Engagement > Conversations > Settings > General > Custom Replies

✅

✅

Save a Reply

  • To activate this tool, you must first type a message in the text box.

✅

✅

Write with Bolt AI

  • Auto-Generate Reply: Bolt AI uses the context of the conversation to automatically write a reply on your behalf. You can then edit (if needed) and send.

  • Generate Custom Reply: Type a prompt to have Bolt AI write a reply for you. You can then edit (if needed) and send.

✅

❌

Record a Video with Loom

  • Additional fees and subscriptions apply.

✅

✅

Record a Video with Covideo

  • Additional fees and subscriptions apply.

✅

✅

Edit with Bolt AI (Bolt Writing Tools)

  • Improve your writing

  • Fix spelling and grammar

  • Shorten your message

  • Expand your message

  • Change the tone of your message

  • Translate your message

✅

✅

✨ Pro Tip: You can use saved replies in both replies AND notes. This makes it easy to insert commonly used notes with one click. To keep them organized, we recommend starting the title with “NOTE:” so you can quickly spot them when using saved replies in both replies and notes.

Sidebar

The Conversations module's right panel, or sidebar, is comprised of 4 collapsible sections—Bolt Analysis, Profile, Manage, and Related. These sections provide additional information about the conversation and the contact.

Bolt Analysis

The Bolt Analysis section, powered by Bolt AI, provides an at-a-glance understanding of a conversation. It highlights quality, sentiment, and intent, as well as any unanswered questions or follow-ups that may need staff attention.

  • Experience Score (1–5): An overall measure of the interaction’s quality, with reasoning that highlights what went well and where friction occurred. (1 = poor, 5 = excellent)

    • ✨ Pro Tip: Use the Experience Score filter in the conversations inbox to quickly identify interactions that need extra attention or recognize conversations that went especially well.

  • Summary: A concise recap of the conversation, including key topics, sentiment, tone, intent, and type.

  • Recommended Actions: AI-suggested next steps to help keep the student engaged and moving forward (when applicable).

  • Topics: A breakdown of the major themes discussed, such as financial aid, admissions, application process, or academic programs.

Missing the Bolt Analysis for a Conversation? This could be why:

  • Bolt Analysis is available for partners on an AI Workforce package.

  • The Bolt Analysis is generated for conversations in which enough messages have been exchanged to provide enough context for analysis (3 messages for Messenger, 2 messages for Email/SMS/WhatsApp).

  • Bolt Analysis is available for conversations beginning January 2024 and forward. Conversations before this date will not include analysis until new activity is added to that conversation.

Profile

The Profile section tells you who you’re talking with. It displays basic details about the participant—first name, last name, email, and phone number. To access the contact's full record, click View Full Profile.

  • If Element451 has identified the participant, the fields will already be filled in.

    • Messenger: happens if the participant is logged in through an application site (authenticated) or if they confirmed their email when prompted in Messenger.

    • SMS/Email: happens automatically if the incoming phone number or email matches an existing record.

  • If Element451 cannot identify the participant, the fields will be blank. In this case, you can:

    • Associate existing user: Use the Search People option to find and confirm the correct record.

    • Create new profile: Manually enter details (email is required). Once you add an email, a Create Profile button appears, allowing you to create a new record and automatically associate it with the conversation.
      ​

      When entering an email, if Element451 finds a match with an existing record, you’ll be prompted with an Associate User button to confirm the association.
      ​

Note: Messenger conversations are the only place you’ll regularly encounter “unknown participants." If the participant is using Messenger, we will request their email address to attempt to identify them. For SMS/Email, anonymous conversations must be enabled to receive messages without an identified record.

Manage

The Manage section provides tools to control visibility, notifications, and organization for a conversation. In this section, you will find:

Participants

A participant is anyone contributing to or following a conversation. Participants receive notifications in Element451 and via email for all external participant responses. At this time, these email notifications cannot be disabled. To reduce inbox clutter, consider using rules or filters in your email provider.

Add a participant:

  1. In the conversation, open the Manage section.

  2. If no participants exist, click Select Users.

    • If participants already exist, click near the existing user chip(s) to open the selector.

  3. Search and select the user(s) you want to add.

Remove a participant:

  1. In the conversation, open the Manage section.

  2. Click near the existing user chip(s) to open the selector.

  3. Click the X next to the user you want to remove.

Private

Enable this setting to convert a conversation from public to private.

  • Private conversations are visible only to the author, the assignee, and participants.

  • They are denoted with a lock icon in your inbox.

Tags

Tags help organize conversations by category, making them easier to search and filter as your volume grows (e.g., financial aid, recommendations).

Add a tag:

  1. In the conversation, open the Manage section.

  2. If no tags exist, click Select Tags.

    • If tags already exist, click near the existing tag chip(s) to open the selector.

  3. Search and select the tag(s) you want to add.

  4. To create a new tag, click Add at the bottom, name the tag, and save.

Remove a tag:

  1. In the conversation, open the Manage section.

  2. Click near the existing tag chip(s) to open the selector.

  3. Click the X next to the tag you want to remove.

Flag Conversation (Content Moderation)

Content moderation automatically flags conversations (text and images) where Bolt Agents participate if potentially inappropriate, harmful, or manipulative content is detected.

  • Block conversation: When a conversation is flagged, you can configure an automatic action to block the participant from sending further inbound messages. If a conversation is blocked, you’ll see the toggle enabled. You can reinstate access or manually enable blocking from here.

  • Flag conversation: When a conversation is flagged, the relevant categories appear. You can edit the flags, clear them, or manually add a new one.

For more information, see the dedicated Content Moderation help article.

And depending on the channel, this section may also display:

  • To/From phone number (SMS, Phone, WhatsApp)

  • To/From email (Email)

  • No additional fields appear for Messenger.

Related

The related section allows you to gain additional insight and context related to the external participant by providing links to:

  • Previous Conversations

  • Submitted Applications

  • Sent Campaigns

Creating a New Conversation

Option 1: From Conversations Module

  1. Navigate to Engagement > Conversations > All Conversations.

  2. Click the + New Conversation button in the top right corner.
    ​

​

Option 2: From a Contact's Profile

  1. Navigate to Contacts > People.

  2. Search for the contact and open the record.

  3. Find the Conversations profile card. If you don't see it, it will need to be enabled for your Profile Template.

    • ✨ Pro Tip: You can also add a "call to action" to your profile template header that makes starting a conversation even easier. The following actions related to conversations are available: Phone Call to Displayed Person (Cell), Phone Call to Displayed Person (Home), Email to Displayed Person, Open Conversations with Displayed Person, and Phone Call.

Next Steps on Creating Conversations + Channel Settings

For detailed steps, see the help articles for creating new conversations by channel and configuring their settings.

Explore More: Help Articles by Channel →

Understanding Conversation Drafts

Conversation drafts in the Conversations module are designed to help you pick up where you left off, even if you navigate away or switch between profiles.

How Drafts Work

  • User-Based, Not Conversation-Based: Drafts are saved to your internal user session, not the specific contact you were messaging. This means if you start typing a message and leave without sending it, that text remains saved as a draft.

  • Message Content Only: Only the message content itself is saved as a draft. Things like the recipient’s name or any attachments are not included in the draft.

  • Channel-Specific: If you begin a draft in email, it saves specifically for that channel. If you switch to SMS, that draft is separate and will only appear when you switch back to SMS.

  • Sticky Across Profiles: If you navigate away from a conversation and start a new one with another contact, the previous draft will still be there, prepopulated in the message field

How to Clear a Draft

  1. Send the message — this automatically removes it from the draft state.

  2. Delete the message content — clear the message field before navigating away.

If neither of these actions is taken, the draft will persist and appear the next time you start a new conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find quick answers to common questions about the Conversations module in our dedicated FAQ article.

*In-app calling is a premium feature. To learn more about adding the feature, contact the Element451 customer support team.

Related Articles
Messenger (Live Chat)
WhatsApp
Email
Conversations Inbox
Conversations Settings
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