Team Chat

Overview

The DOLU.ai Team Chat module is an internal communication system designed for your team members to collaborate without leaving the platform. Instead of switching to external tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams, your team can discuss customer cases, share updates, coordinate on deals, and get help from colleagues — all within the same interface where they manage conversations, deals, and support tickets.

Team Chat is deeply integrated with the rest of DOLU.ai. You can share a contact record, forward a customer conversation snippet, reference a deal, or tag a colleague about a support ticket — all from within the chat. When the AI Copilot is asked a question in Team Chat, it responds with context-aware answers that the whole team can see and benefit from. This keeps all business communication in one place, reduces context-switching, and ensures important discussions are not lost in external messaging apps.

How to Access

Dashboard → Left Menu → Team Chat

Team Chat is also accessible from:

• The notification panel (click on a Team Chat mention notification)
• Any module page via the "Share to Team Chat" action in context menus
• The bottom-right quick chat icon on every page

Key Features

Channels

• Public channels: Open channels any team member can join (e.g., #general, #sales, #support, #marketing, #announcements)
• Private channels: Invite-only channels for sensitive discussions (e.g., #management, #hiring, #finance)
• Channel topics: Set a topic/description for each channel so members know its purpose
• Channel search: Search message history within a specific channel
• Pinned messages: Pin important messages to the top of a channel for quick reference

Direct Messages

• One-to-one DMs: Private conversations between two team members
• Group DMs: Create ad-hoc group conversations with 3 or more people without creating a formal channel
• Online status: See who is currently online, away, or offline
• Typing indicators: See when the other person is typing a response

Messaging Features

• Rich text formatting: Bold, italic, strikethrough, code blocks, bullet lists, and numbered lists
• File sharing: Upload and share documents, images, spreadsheets, and PDFs directly in the chat
• Emoji reactions: React to messages with emojis for quick acknowledgment
• @mentions: Tag specific team members with @username to get their attention (triggers a notification)
• @channel / @here: Notify all members of a channel at once
• Thread replies: Reply to a specific message in a thread to keep conversations organized
• Message editing and deletion: Edit or delete your own messages after sending
• Link previews: Shared URLs display rich previews with title, description, and thumbnail

CRM Integration

• Share records: Share a contact, deal, account, or ticket into a Team Chat message with a clickable link
• Forward conversations: Forward a customer conversation snippet to a colleague in Team Chat for advice or escalation
• Deal discussions: Discuss deal strategy in a dedicated channel, with all team members seeing the linked deal context
• Ticket collaboration: When an agent needs help with a support ticket, they share it in Team Chat, and colleagues can view the ticket details and suggest solutions

AI Copilot in Team Chat

• @Copilot mentions: Tag @Copilot in any channel or DM to ask a question. The AI responds in the thread, visible to all participants
• Knowledge lookups: Ask @Copilot for product information, company policies, or platform guidance
• Data queries: Ask @Copilot for CRM data summaries ("@Copilot how many new leads came in this week?")
• Draft assistance: Ask @Copilot to draft a message, email, or social media post for team review before sending to a customer

Step-by-Step Usage

Creating a Channel

1. Go to Dashboard → Left Menu → Team Chat.
2. Click the "+" button next to the "Channels" header.
3. Enter the Channel Name (e.g., "sales-team", "product-questions", "urgent-issues").
4. Choose Public or Private.
5. Add a Description/Topic (e.g., "Discuss sales deals, strategies, and pipeline updates").
6. Add Initial Members (for private channels) or leave open for anyone to join (public).
7. Click Create Channel.

Sharing a Customer Case in Team Chat

1. Open a customer conversation in the Inbox.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the conversation toolbar.
3. Select "Share to Team Chat".
4. Choose the channel or DM where you want to share it.
5. Add a note (e.g., "Need help with this customer's refund request. @john can you take a look?").
6. Click Send. The shared conversation appears in Team Chat with a preview and a link to open the full conversation.

Using @Copilot for Team Questions

1. In any channel or DM, type @Copilot followed by your question.
2. Example: "@Copilot what is our return policy for items purchased more than 30 days ago?"
3. The Copilot responds in a thread, citing the relevant knowledge base article.
4. All team members in the channel can see the answer and follow up with additional questions.

Collaborating on a Support Ticket

1. An agent encounters a complex support ticket they cannot resolve alone.
2. They share the ticket in the #support channel: "Need help with ticket #1042 — customer reports intermittent login failures."
3. A senior engineer replies in a thread with troubleshooting steps.
4. The agent applies the solution, resolves the ticket, and adds a note referencing the Team Chat discussion.
5. The knowledge gained is added to the knowledge base for future reference.

Use Cases

Sales Team Coordination

The sales team uses a #sales channel to discuss deals, share competitive intelligence, and celebrate wins. When a rep is about to close a large deal, they tag the manager for approval. Deal records are shared directly in the chat for context. Weekly pipeline review discussions happen in a dedicated thread.

Customer Support Escalation

Frontline agents use a #support-escalation channel to escalate complex issues. They share the ticket with all relevant details, and senior agents or managers jump in to help. This is faster than formal escalation workflows for issues that need quick collaboration.

Marketing Campaign Reviews

The marketing team shares draft campaign content in a #marketing channel for peer review. Team members react with emoji (thumbs up for approval, eyes emoji for "needs review"). The AI Copilot is asked to generate alternative headlines or translate content into other languages for the team to evaluate.

Remote Team Daily Standups

Remote teams use a #standup channel where each member posts their daily update: what they did yesterday, what they are doing today, and any blockers. Managers can review these asynchronously across time zones.

Tips & Best Practices

Use Channels, Not Group DMs, for Recurring Topics

Group DMs are great for one-off conversations, but for recurring topics (sales discussions, support help, marketing reviews), create dedicated channels. This keeps discussions organized and searchable, and allows new team members to access the full history when they join.

Use Threads to Keep Channels Clean

When a message sparks a detailed discussion, reply in a thread instead of the main channel. This prevents long conversations from cluttering the channel feed and makes it easier for others to follow multiple topics.

Pin Important Messages

Pin onboarding guides, team processes, frequently referenced links, and key announcements to the top of relevant channels. This reduces repeated questions and gives new members a quick start.

Leverage @Copilot for Team-Wide Knowledge

Instead of asking a colleague and waiting for a response, try @Copilot first. The AI can answer many questions instantly using your knowledge base, freeing up your colleagues' time for more complex discussions.

Troubleshooting

Not receiving notifications for mentions

• Check your notification settings in Settings → Notifications. Ensure "Team Chat mention" notifications are enabled for your preferred channels (in-app, email, push).
• If you muted a channel, you will not receive notifications from it even for @mentions. Unmute the channel from the channel settings.
• Browser push notifications require that you have granted notification permissions.

Cannot access a private channel

• Private channels require an invitation. Ask the channel creator or an admin to add you.
• If you were previously a member and were removed, you will need to be re-invited.

File upload failing

• Check the file size. DOLU.ai supports file uploads up to 25 MB per file.
• Verify the file format is supported (common formats: images, PDFs, Office documents, archives).
• Ensure your browser allows file uploads from the DOLU.ai domain.

Messages not appearing in real time

• Check your internet connection. Team Chat requires a stable connection for real-time messaging.
• Try refreshing the page. If messages appear after refresh, it may be a temporary WebSocket connection issue.
• Ensure you are not experiencing browser-level restrictions (some corporate networks block WebSocket connections).

FAQ

Q: Is Team Chat available on mobile? A: Yes. Team Chat is fully functional in the DOLU.ai mobile web interface. Channels, DMs, file sharing, and @mentions all work on mobile browsers.

Q: Can I search across all channels at once? A: Yes. Use the global search bar in Team Chat to search messages across all channels and DMs you have access to. Results show the message, channel, sender, and timestamp.

Q: Are Team Chat messages private from customers? A: Yes. Team Chat is entirely internal. No customer or external user can see Team Chat messages. This is completely separate from the customer-facing Inbox.

Q: Can I integrate Team Chat with external tools? A: Incoming webhooks are supported, allowing external systems to post messages into Team Chat channels. For example, your CI/CD pipeline can post deployment notifications to a #deployments channel.

Q: Is there a message retention limit? A: Team Chat messages are retained for the lifetime of your DOLU.ai account. There is no automatic deletion policy.

Q: Can administrators see all private channel messages? A: Admins with the "Super Admin" role can access all channels, including private ones. Regular admins can only see channels they are members of.