Use IM and SMS messages

8x8 Work enables you to send and receive messages via desktop or mobile with your colleagues or with external contacts. Do you want to make your messages more effective by attaching a file you are discussing, emphasize key parts of a message, or even take a particularly important conversation to the next level via 8x8 Meet? 8x8 Work messaging allows all of this, and more!

The advanced noise management capability of the app automatically detects which computer or device the user is accessing more actively to send and view messages, and suppresses notifications on the less-active device.

Note: IM is available for all 8x8 customers, while SMS messaging is currently available only for phone numbers in the United States and Canada.

For details on messaging a group of people, please refer to how you can use:

Important: Depending on your organization's requirements for 8x8 Work for Desktop, you may have access to Team Messaging or to group chat.

When you send an IM message to a company contact, it allows you to see the contact’s availability status, and whether the message has been successfully sent and read.

If you send the wrong information in a message or send a message to the wrong chat, you can edit or delete the message as needed.

To write a new message to a company contact:

  1. Open Messages to view your list of chats.
  2. Click the New option to bring up a menu.
  3. In the menu that pops up, select Message to open the contact directory.
  4. Search and click the desired company contact to chat with, and begin writing the message. If the contact has multiple phone numbers you can message, clicking the contact reveals the list of phone numbers; from the list, click the desired number. For the best messaging experience, select the contact's 8x8 Work number (listed with their four-digit user extension).

To reply in a conversation with a company contact:

  1. Open Messages to view your list of chats.
  2. From the All or 1-1 sections of your chat list, select the desired contact to chat with, and begin writing the message.

While in an internal call, you can now initiate a chat with the person on the call directly from the call card by clicking the Chat icon. This option allows you to quickly chat with a caller/callee without having to navigate to the Messages tab.

You can send an SMS by writing a new message from scratch, or looking through your list of existing chats. Sending a message to an external number or a personal contact results in an SMS, which shows you whether the message has been successfully sent, but does not allow you to track the contact’s availability status or whether the message has been read.

Note that SMS messaging must be enabled for your phone system for you to use SMS on 8x8 Work.

To write a new message to an external contact:

  1. Open Messages to view your list of chats.
  2. Click the New option to bring up a menu.
  3. In the menu that pops up, select Message to open the contact directory.
  4. Search and click the desired personal contact to chat with, and begin writing the message. If the contact has multiple phone numbers you can message, clicking the contact reveals the list of phone numbers; from the list, click the desired number labeled as Mobile.

To reply in a conversation with an external contact:

  1. Open Messages to view your list of chats.
  2. From the All or 1-1 sections of your chat list, select the desired contact to chat with, and begin writing the message.

Let's say you are receiving spam SMS from an external number that is not in your contact list, and the messages are interrupting your work. You can now block the sender from sending you messages with a simple click.

Note: Only spam SMS received from external numbers that are not in your contact list can be blocked. Messages received from numbers in your contact directory cannot be blocked.

With 8x8 Work for Desktop, you have the option to block SMS messages (text messages displayed in green) sent by external numbers that are not saved in your contact list. Calls and SMS messages are handled separately; blocking an SMS only blocks the number from reaching out through this particular communication channel.

To block an external SMS:

  1. From the navigation menu, click Messages to view your list of chats.
  2. Click the message sender you wish to block.
  3. In the sender row, click for more options.

  4. From the drop-down list that displays:

    • Select Block sender .
      OR
    • Select Contact info > Block sender.
  5. At the prompt to confirm, click Block sender.

Once blocked, the SMS is removed from your list of chats.

Note: You may choose to block the sender from the chat window too, by clicking More Options and then, selecting Block sender from the list.

To unblock an external SMS:

Notes: To unblock an SMS sender you must remember the number you blocked.

  1. From the navigation menu, select Search and type the number you wish to unblock.
  2. When located, hover over the number, and click the message icon to view the messages in the Messages list.
  3. Select the contact and click for more options.

  4. From the drop-down list that displays:

    • Select Unblock sender .
      OR
    • Select Contact info > Unblock sender.Use IM

Once unblocked, the sender remains visible in the chat list.

Notes:
- You may choose to unblock a sender from the chat windows by clicking More Options and then, selecting Unblock sender from the list.
- Messages received after blocking a sender do not display in the chat history once a sender is unblocked.