Chat Settings for Agencies and Professional Teams

1. 🔑 Who Can Use Chat Settings?

Chat settings are available to:

• Verified estate agency accounts

• Service professional business profiles

These settings allow business owners or admins to control who on their team can access conversations, join client group chats, or receive collaboration invites.

2. ⚙️ Understanding Team Roles & Permissions

Team members can be assigned one of three roles:

Permissions are fully controlled by the agency or business profile owner. They can assign specific chat access either:

• Individually (user-by-user)

• Role-based (e.g. all Moderators can access chat)

3. 🛠 How to Configure Chat Settings

To manage chat settings:

1. Go to your Dashboard

2. Click on Settings

3. Open the Chat Settings tab

From here, you can:

• Enable or disable auto-join options

• Set access rules per user or role

• Choose which team members can participate in service request chats

• Create internal team group chats for coordination (see below)

4. 👥 Internal Team Group Chats

Agencies and professionals can create internal chat groups to streamline internal communication.

Examples include:

• Accounts Team Chat — for rent collection and payment issues

• Maintenance Team — to coordinate repair jobs across properties

• Sales or Lettings Chat — to align on viewings, leads, or negotiations

💡 Currently, these internal chats are limited to your own team. External users like clients or other professionals cannot be added to internal chats.

5. 🤝 Collaborating with Clients in Group Chats

One of Matchouse’s standout features is the ability to collaborate with clients and other professionals in shared chats.

Here’s how it works:

• When a landlord, buyer, or tenant hires your agency or service, they can invite you into a chat

• You’ll receive an invite notification

• To join the chat, you must first purchase the relevant lead (e.g. a service request)

Once inside, you can:

• Coordinate with the client

• Invite other professionals (solicitors, brokers, etc.)

• Keep all communication in one organised thread

🧠 Real-life scenario:
A buyer is searching for a new home. They’ve already added a solicitor and mortgage broker into their chat. When they hire your estate agency, you’re added into the same thread, creating a transparent collaboration space for everyone involved in the transaction.

6. 💸 Do I Need to Buy a Lead to Join a Chat?

Yes. To protect user privacy and ensure quality connections:

• Professionals or agencies must purchase the specific service request lead to access the related chat

• This applies whether you're invited to the chat by a user or another professional

7. 🔐 Privacy and Control

All chat access is:

• Permission-based — no one joins a chat unless approved

• Role-sensitive — access can be turned off at any time by the account owner

• Trackable — all chat invitations, actions, and participants are logged

FAQs

Can a team member join all chats automatically?
Yes, if the agency admin enables auto-join for that user or their role.

Can we remove a team member from a chat later?
Yes. Simply update the chat permissions or remove the team member from the account.

Can I use chat to speak with users even if I haven’t bought the lead?
No. You must purchase the relevant lead (service request or property inquiry) to access that chat.

Can I invite someone into a chat that I’m not managing?
Only the user who created the chat (e.g. the buyer, landlord, or tenant) can invite others. However, once added, any professional in the chat can participate fully.

📞 Need Help?

If you're unsure how to set up your team chat permissions, click the live chat icon or visit the rest of the Messaging, Offers & Communication section for step-by-step help.