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Collaboration Messages

Carlos Camacho

Collaboration Messages are threaded conversations attached to a specific item inside an inspection — an observation, action item, specimen, recommendation, or report content entry. Use them to ask your client questions, share updates, or coordinate with team members without leaving the inspection. Each thread lives with its item, so the context never gets lost in a generic inbox.

Available on NSPEC inspections only. Collaboration Messages are not supported on Procore-tenant inspections (report type 42). The message button is hidden in that case.

Where You Can Start a Conversation

Look for the green chat-bubble icon in the header of these cards:

  • Observation cards (in the Observations tab)
  • Sub-observation cards (nested under an observation)
  • Action Item cards (in the Action Items tab)
  • Specimen cards (water test inspections)
  • Recommendation cards (water test inspections)
  • Report Content cards (Dynamic Reports and Water Test)

The button is disabled when you're in offline mode — you must be online to send or view messages.

Sending a Message

  1. Click the chat-bubble icon on the item you want to discuss
  2. The Collaboration Message modal opens with the subtitle "Inspector / Collaborator Conversation"
  3. Type your message in the Message field (required)
  4. (Optional) Click Add Images (Max 2) to attach up to two images
  5. Click Send

Your message is added to the thread immediately. Click Close to return to the inspection.

Reading the Thread

Inside the modal, below the Message field, the Message History section shows every message on this item:

  • Order — oldest first (chronological)
  • Author name — employee or client collaborator, whoever sent it
  • Timestamp — local time, formatted MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm a
  • Message text — the body of the message
  • Images — up to 2 attached images, displayed below the text

If no one has posted yet, you'll see "No messages yet."

Unread Messages and Notifications

Dashboard Card

The Unread Collaboration Messages card on the Home dashboard shows how many unread messages you have across all inspections. Click it to open a sortable list with columns for Project Name, Inspection Type, Inspection #, Created By, and Created On. Click any row to jump directly to the inspection and item.

How Messages Are Marked Read

Opening the Collaboration Message modal for an item automatically marks every message on that item as read for your account. There is no per-message read toggle and no "mark all as read" button — just open the modal and all messages on that item are marked read.

Email Notifications

Collaboration Messages do not trigger email notifications. Recipients see new messages via the dashboard unread card and the list modal. For email alerts to your client team, use Distribution Lists with the Inspection Automated Emails feature.

Who Can See and Reply

Both employees (your inspection team) and client collaborators (external users added to the project) can read and post on the same thread. This makes it a shared space for inspector-to-client communication on a specific finding.

Messages are attached to the item, not to a specific person, so anyone with access to the inspection can see the full thread.

Best Practices

  • Keep the thread focused. One thread per finding. If you start talking about a different issue, open a new thread on the relevant item instead.
  • Attach photos when context matters. A photo of the exact issue beats a long description.
  • Use it for coordination, not final reporting. Messages don't appear in the PDF report. If a decision needs to be documented for the record, update the observation text itself.
  • Check the dashboard daily. The unread card is your inbox — don't let it build up.

Troubleshooting

I don't see the chat-bubble button

Solutions:

  • You're on a Procore-tenant inspection (report type 42) — Collaboration Messages are disabled on Procore projects
  • You're in offline mode — the button is hidden until you come back online
  • You're looking at a Draft Observation, Photo, or Checklist — those item types don't support collaboration

My messages disappeared

Solutions:

  • Make sure you clicked Send before closing the modal. Unsent text is discarded on close.
  • Refresh the modal by closing and reopening — it reloads the thread from the server

The unread count doesn't clear

Solutions:

  • Open the Collaboration Message modal on the affected item — that marks all its messages as read
  • Refresh the dashboard (the count reloads on page focus)

Need help? Contact our support team at support@nxtconstruction.ai

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