Send Instant Messages
The 8x8 8x8 Work for Desktop provides Instant Messaging (IM) with your company contacts. You can chat with one contact or with multiple contacts, whether in the same conversation or separate conversations. You can type a message at any time, but for interactive messaging, both contacts must be online.
You can also view message history and export these conversations as text files.
Note: Instant messaging is available to you if your phone system administrator has enabled IM.
Using IMs

- In the navigation menu, see whether you have any unread chat messages under the tab.
- Click the messages to view them.
You can leave chat messages for 8x8 Work users who are currently not logged in. Users can also leave you chat messages when you are not logged in.

- From the navigation menu, open the Contacts tab.
- Select a contact from the directory, and click
.
OR
Search for a contact by name, number, or group.
OR
Clickbelow the navigation menu. You are prompted to enter a contact name or phone number.
The Virtual Office Messages window pops up. - Compose the message, and press the Enter key.

- From the navigation menu, open the Contacts tab.
- Select a contact from the directory, and click
.
The Virtual Office Messages window pops up. - Click at the top of the chat window.
Phone calling is possible with other 8x8 Work users on the same phone system who are also logged in at the same time as you.

- From the navigation menu, open the Contacts tab.
- Select a contact from the directory, and click
.
The Virtual Office Messages window pops up. - Click at the top of the chat window.
Video chat is possible with other 8x8 Work users on the same phone system who are also logged in at the same time as you. On starting video chat, your system opens a window that allows you to use the proper plug-in and select which video camera you wish to use.
Video chat does not allow audio.

- From the navigation menu, open the Contacts tab.
- Select a contact from the directory, and click
.
The Virtual Office Messages window pops up. - Click at the top of the chat window.
Starting a Virtual Office meeting is possible with other 8x8 Work users on the same phone system who are also logged in at the same time as you.
Note: Virtual Office Meetings is available based on your subscription.

- From the navigation menu, open the Contacts tab.
- Select a contact from the directory, and click
.
The Virtual Office Messages window pops up. - From a one-on-one chat session, click at the top of the chat window. A contact search box pops up.
- In the search box
Group chat is possible with other 8x8 Work users on the same phone system who are also logged in at the same time as you. You cannot add contacts who are currently logged off or only logged in to the 8x8 Work for Mobile, or those who are imported from Google. If one or more of the desired users are offline, you cannot start a group chat.

- From the navigation menu, open the Contacts tab.
- Select a contact from the directory, and click
.
The Virtual Office Messages window pops up. - In the bottom-right corner of the chat window, click the emoji (on Windows 7, this appears as
) to open the list of emojis.
Note: Emojis may be limited based on your OS character set.
- From the list, click an emoji while writing a message to insert it into the text.

- From the navigation menu, open the tab.
- Click the chat you want to review.
You can also open and view past chats by clickingnext to a contact under the Contacts tab, and scrolling up through the chat to load older messages with that contact.

- Click
- Go to General.
- Under Notifications > On Incoming IM/SMS, select the Play Sound check box to enable sound notifications when chat messages are received. This option is enabled by default.
OR
To disable sound notifications, clear the check box.

- Click
- Go to General.
- Under Notifications > On Incoming IM/SMS, select the Pop to Front check box to bring a chat window to the front of your screen on receiving an incoming chat message, eliminating the need to open the chat window manually for a new message.
This option is enabled by default.

This feature must be enabled by your phone system administrator.
- Click
- Go to Contacts.
- Select the Google check box.
- In the window that pops up, enter your Google login and password.
- Click Allow.
- In the Contacts tab, select the Login to Google Talk check box.
Notes:
-Logging in to your Gmail or GTalk account to activate your 8x8 Work for Desktop contacts brings those contacts into your 8x8 Online account.
-When you chat from your 8x8 Work for Desktop account, your name from your Google account is presented to your Google contacts. The name on your 8x8 account does not show during the chat with Google contacts.