Feedback: Direct Messages feature requires a total rework

Hi ​@arieyuffa,

Thanks for sharing this feedback and welcome to the Dentally Community 👋
 

We’ve heard similar thoughts around Direct Messages, especially from larger practices where lots of team members are chatting at once, so your examples add valuable insights.

I’m passing this to our Product team, along with recent feedback about message templates. Right now Direct Message updates aren’t on our near-term roadmap, but feedback like yours is exactly what shapes our priorities. I’ll keep this thread updated as soon as we have any concrete plans to share. 😊

In the meantime, please keep the ideas coming. The more context we have around day-to-day use, the better we can make Dentally for everyone.

Would it be possible to add some sort of ‘group chat’ feature? We often have to message the same thing to multiple users. Currently, this involves lots of copy and pasting into all the individual chats.

Hi ​@DJmum 👋,

Thanks for the feedback. Our Product team are actively gathering similar requests, so I’ve added yours to the Direct Messaging enhancements tracker. I’ll keep an eye on its progress and circle back here with any updates. Really appreciate you helping us make Dentally better! 🙌

100% agree a group messaging system is much needed. Would also be useful if it grouped users at the top of the list that we’re currently logged in. 

I agree with the above. Where we work on a rotation system it would be great if we could say selection who is on reception so it sends a message to both rather than copy and pasting all the time

Here here

Hi, any update when the group message feature will be added?

This would be a great feature!

Perhaps something in the format of the message feature for Dentally Support?

This might make it easier to see, and probably easier for allowing group messaging

Hi ​@Ataturk,

No updates to share yet! I’ve passed the request to our Product team and will update this thread as soon as we have news. 😊

Hello, 

Still no updates yet? 😊

Hi ​@Jolanta Kveksaite,

I know this is a highly-requested area, I’ve logged all the asks here (group chat, clearer read states, a larger/clearer roster, etc.) and I’m advocating for it internally. It’s not in our current build cycle yet, but it’s on our list and our Product team is well aware. I’ll update this exact thread the moment there’s new updates 🤞

Yes! We desperately need a feature to send group messages and also quick plans for direct  messages just like SOE had. Smile dental care practices find the direct messaging very basic and the text boxes are too small

Hi, 

This also would be beneficial for us too. Please let us know when there is an integration update.

Thanks

Mandy

We are a new user just transferred from Exact this week.

OH my goodness I can not believe if we want to Message or Task more than one person we have to individually do it to every single person. I am astounded that this was not thought of in the first place. This is a no brainer absolutely essential basic feature these days for practices with more than one other person working in them. If I want to let the whole team know something I can’t be sending individual tasks every single member of the team every the time. It works great in Exact. I can’t imagine Whatsapp would have lasted long if you could only ever message one person at a time. 

There are some good features in Dentally but to not take account of being able to send an important communication to more than one staff member seems a complete oversight.

I agree with the comments from others above.

Is it possible for Devs working at SOE for Exact and Dentally can have a chat? 

Thanks everyone who’s added additional feedback on this topic - please be assured this is all being added to the existing feature request for the product team to take into account!

Agree, with all above. . 

We are using the chat feature on dentlally and it is great, especially when chatting between clinics. However, when you need to chart your reception team, we have to copy and past int up to 8 different chats.

if anyone knows if the is possoible, or if support have it in pipeline for rollout. 

also

Delete chat. 

I have in error once / twice send a chat to the wrong person  (dentist  and admin with same first name) and jsut select wrong name. Is it posisble to delete a chat (even if only by manager?)

Regards

Eamonn

Want to keep this at the top of the list so it does not fall down the list.  Stressing the importance of group messaging improves efficiency at the practice massively.

Adding my whole hearted agreement that this would be a fantastic feature. 

Imagine having a group chat for each day of the week… e.g. a Monday Team, Tuesday Team, Wednesday etc. That way you can quickly message whoever is working that day to give updates on what’s happening/how things are running. 

Supporting what was said in this thread, we have a big team and we are on different floors, we need to be able to message multiple people and also like an email window, it would be great to be able to expanded if needs be

YES! A group messaging function is essential.

Could a feature to send messages to groups be brought in? It would make a huge difference!

One idea on top of a group messaging feature just from personal experience at our practice could be, if all user accounts are assigned to one practice,  then a "Message All" button that messages all online users that share the same practice as you would be great.

This would send the same message to each individual chat you have with that person, or create a new conversation if you havent messaged yet. This would allow reception to send a message when labs arrive to collect lab work to all active dentists but they receive it as a personal message from you, instead of creating a group chat.

Just to add an other idea to the mix😂

Could a feature to send messages to groups be brought in?

Needs to have the ability for anyone in one practice to be able to dip in and dip out of any group e.g. Person 1 comes and its on reception and can connection to the “reception” group chat.  If Person 1 at lunch time is no longer on reception and Person 2 comes to reception, Person 1 should have the ability to check out of that group so as not to keep getting msgs.

If only Dentally management would start focusing on the simple basic things that we all need now rather than fancy ai and dentally vision, it would bring huge benefits and quick wins.

HI We have jsut joined Dentally. And this messaging system is not ideal for large practices. What is more worrying is that people have raised concerns over an year ago and nothing has been done! what is the hold up and can we have a clear road map on it. It cant take this long to make a feature update when its not working. Can you provide updates please.