IN BRIEF
The Messenger Center is iClassPro’s two-way texting interface, allowing staff members to view, manage, and respond to SMS conversations with families and staff in one centralized location. It provides visibility into message status, opt-in compliance, and conversation history to help teams communicate efficiently and responsibly.

• Overview
• Accessing the Messenger Center
• Step-By-Step Instructions
  • Understanding Permissions
  • Opt-In and Opt-Out Behavior
  • Message Indicators and Statuses
    • Messenger Icon Indicator
    • Conversation Statuses
  • Audit Logging
• Troubleshooting & FAQs
• Related Articles

Overview

The Messenger Center is designed to centralize all two-way SMS communication within the System. Staff members can monitor incoming messages, respond directly, and track the status of each conversation to ensure timely follow-up and proper documentation.

Conversations move through clear statuses—Unread, Open, and Closed—to help teams prioritize responses and manage ongoing communication.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Carriers serving New Zealand apply a standard fee for receiving SMS messages from a short code, billed at the same rate as sending a message.

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Accessing the Messenger Center

The Messenger Center can be accessed from multiple locations within the System:

• Messenger page 
  
  • Accessible from the Messenger icon located in the bottom-left corner of the interface. 
    
    • Note: The Messenger Center icon is only displayed for staff members who have permission to access it.
• FAMILIES page 
  
  • Accessible from within the SMS section of the “Communication” tab on an individual family record.
• STAFF page 
  
  • Available within the SMS Logs section of the “Communication” tab on an individual staff record.

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Step-By-Step Instructions

Understanding Permissions

Access to the Messenger Center and its functionality is controlled by two Tasks permissions:

• Mass Text
  • Controls whether a staff member can send messages from the two-way texting interface.
• SMS Logs
  • Controls whether a staff member can view the two-way texting interface.

Note: The SMS Logs permission replaces the former Family SMS Logs and Staff SMS Logs permissions.

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Opt-In and Opt-Out Behavior

The Messenger Center enforces SMS opt-in and opt-out rules more strictly to ensure compliance.

• If a phone number is shared across multiple family and/or staff records, messages can only be sent if all instances of that phone number are opted in to receive text messages.
• If any instance of the shared phone number is opted out, the Messenger Center will indicate that the family is opted out, and messages cannot be sent to that number.

This behavior ensures consistent and compliant messaging across shared contact information.

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Message Indicators and Statuses

Messenger Icon Indicator

The Messenger icon at the bottom of the page displays a numeric indicator that reflects conversation activity:

• Red indicator
  • Shows the number of unread messages.
• Gray indicator
  • Shows the number of open conversations.

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Conversation Statuses

Each conversation in the Messenger Center is assigned one of the following statuses:

• Unread
  • A new incoming message has been received, and no staff member has viewed it.
• Open
  • All messages have been seen by a staff member, but the conversation has not been closed.
  • Leaving a conversation open indicates that follow-up is still needed.
• Closed
  • A staff member has intentionally closed the conversation, marking it as complete.

When a new incoming message is received:

• The conversation status changes to Unread if no staff member is currently viewing it.
• The conversation remains Open if a staff member is actively viewing the conversation and sees the message arrive while the tab is open.

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Audit Logging

The Messenger Center includes expanded audit logging to improve visibility and accountability. Audit logs record the following actions:

• Which staff member sends outgoing messages.
• When a staff member opens or closes a conversation.
• When a phone number sends a message that changes the conversation status to Unread.

These logs help administrators track communication activity and review messaging history as needed.

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Troubleshooting & FAQs

• Why do I not see the Messenger Center icon?
  • The Messenger Center icon is only visible to staff members who have the appropriate Tasks permissions. Verify that the SMS Logs permission is enabled for your staff profile.
• Why can I view messages but not send replies?
  • Sending messages from the Messenger Center requires the Mass Text permission. Without it, you can view conversations but cannot send outgoing messages.
• Why does my search not return any results?
  • Searching is limited to message content, not phone numbers or family names. To search by these terms, staff can search the FAMILIES page and then review the SMS section of the “Communication” tab on an individual family record.
• Why does a conversation show as opted out when the family says they opted in?
  • If a phone number is shared across multiple family or staff records, all instances of that number must be opted in for the family to be eligible to receive SMS messages. If any record is opted out, the System will treat the number as opted out.
• What is the difference between Open and Closed conversations?
  • Open conversations indicate that messages have been read but may still require follow-up. Closed conversations are marked complete by a staff member and no longer require action.

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Related Articles

• How Do I Configure Staff Permissions and User Groups?
• How Do I Send SMS/Text Messages?
• How Do I Manage SMS/Text Messaging Logs and Compliance?
• How Do I Set Up SMS/Text Messaging?

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