Today we're launching HiveChat: team chat built into HiveSuite. Send direct messages, set up channels for groups, and chat on every job with the people working on it - on your computer, in the HiveSuite app and in HiveCrew.
HiveChat is included on every plan and it's already switched on. Look for the chat bubble in the header, HiveChat in the menu, or the new Chat tab in HiveCrew.
Work chat that belongs to the business
Most teams we talk to run their day over WhatsApp. It works, until it doesn't: a photo of the boiler is buried under a birthday GIF, the new starter can't see last month's messages, someone leaves and takes the conversation with them, and the office is messaging people at 10pm on their personal phone.
HiveChat keeps those conversations in HiveSuite, next to the jobs, customers and schedule they're about. Your company keeps the messages, you choose who can do what, and nobody needs to share a personal number.
Talk to one person or the whole team
- Direct messages
- One conversation for each pair of people. Anyone on the team can message anyone else, Crew included, unless you set Crew to message the office only.
- Channels
- Named group conversations, such as "Bathroom fitters" or "North team". Administrators and Staff create them, rename them and add or remove people.
- Announcements
- Make any channel announcement-only, so only Administrators and Staff post and everyone else reads and reacts. Switch on a Company notices channel and everyone, including new starters, is in it automatically.
- Find things again
- Search conversations and old messages, filter to Unread, People, Channels or Jobs, and see who's been active in the last few minutes.
Talk about the job, on the job
Every job has its own chat for the people working on it. Open it from the Job Chat section of the job panel in HivePlanner, from the job in HiveCrew, or in HiveChat itself. The chat starts with the first message.
The right people, automatically
A job's chat can be read by everyone who can see the job: Administrators and Staff with HivePlanner, and the crew booked on it. Take someone off the job and its chat goes from their list.
Calls for help reach the office
Administrators, and Staff with HivePlanner, are notified when Crew write in any job chat, even on jobs they're not on, so a question from site doesn't go unanswered.
Job chats are for talking while the work is going on. Things that belong on the job's record, such as access codes or what was agreed, still go in the job's internal notes.
Know the important ones were read
Administrators and Staff can mark a message Urgent, or ask everyone to confirm they've read it. You see who has confirmed and who hasn't - useful for a change to site rules, a safety notice or tomorrow's early start.
Urgent always gets through. Urgent messages notify people even during their quiet hours, so use them for things that really can't wait.
Hear about what matters, when it matters
Messages normally appear straight away, with notifications in the HiveSuite app and in browsers on phones and computers. Each person chooses what notifies them, mutes busy conversations and sets their own quiet hours.
Working hours for the team
An Administrator can set working hours, such as 07:00 to 18:00, for Crew or for everyone. Outside them, HiveChat doesn't notify people who haven't set their own quiet hours. Messages still arrive and are waiting in the morning.
Private lock screens
Choose to hide message text in notifications, so lock screens just say "Sent a message".
On iPhone, browser notifications need HiveSuite added to the Home Screen (iOS 16.4 or later). HiveChat needs a connection: a message sent with no signal waits in the conversation and can be resent when you're back online.
You set the rules
Administrators open HiveChat Settings from the Customisation Hub. The settings apply to the whole team; each person still picks their own notifications.
| Setting | What you can choose |
|---|---|
| Who can create channels | Administrators and Staff, or Administrators only |
| Who Crew can message | Anyone on the team, or only the office |
| Earlier messages | Whether people added to a channel see what was said before they joined |
| Online status | Who sees when people were last active: everyone, the office only or nobody |
| Features | Switch job chats, voice notes, Seen, typing and GIF search on or off |
| Restoring messages | How long people can restore a deleted message: not at all, 1 hour, 24 hours, 3 days or 7 days |
Your team's messages, handled properly
- Private means private
- Direct messages and channels can only be read by the people in them. Administrators can't read conversations they're not in.
- How long messages are kept
- To start with, nothing is deleted automatically. On HiveChat Data & audit, choose to delete older messages after anything from 6 months to 7 years, and keep job chats longer for warranties or disputes about the work.
- Pause deleting
- If a dispute or claim needs messages kept, turn on Pause deleting and say why. Nothing is deleted until it's turned off.
- No bulk downloads
- Nobody can download your team's messages from HiveChat. If the law requires a copy of someone's messages, such as for a subject access request, your account owner can ask HiveSuite, and every copy is logged.
Everyone is told the first time they open HiveChat that it's for work and the company keeps its messages.
HiveChat questions
Does HiveChat cost extra?
No. HiveChat is included on every HiveSuite plan, from Solo at £34.99/month inc. VAT, and it's on to start with. An Administrator can switch it off from the Modules page.
Who can use HiveChat?
Everyone on your team who signs in to HiveSuite: Administrators, Staff and Crew. Crew can message anyone on the team unless an Administrator sets them to message the office only, and they can't create channels or send Urgent messages.
Can my customers message us in HiveChat?
No. HiveChat is for your own team. Customers can still message you through the Customer Portal, and you can text them with HiveSuite SMS.
Can Administrators read everyone's messages?
No. Direct messages and channels can only be read by the people in them, Administrators included. A job's chat can be read by everyone who can see that job.
What can I send?
Text, photos, videos, PDFs and voice notes of up to 5 minutes. Up to 6 files at a time, with photos and PDFs up to 15 MB and videos up to 100 MB. GIFs can be searched once an Administrator switches GIF search on.
Does it work on phones?
Yes. HiveChat is in the HiveSuite app, in HiveCrew's Chat tab and in the phone browser. Notifications work in the app and in browsers; on iPhone, browser notifications need HiveSuite added to the Home Screen (iOS 16.4 or later). HiveChat needs a connection: a message sent with no signal waits and can be resent when you're back online.
How long are messages kept?
To start with, HiveChat doesn't delete messages automatically. An Administrator can choose to delete older messages after anything from 6 months to 7 years, keep job chats for longer, and pause deleting if a dispute needs them.
Move the team chat to work.
Start a free trial, add your team and send your first message. HiveChat is already switched on.
30-day free trial. No credit card required. Every feature on every plan, from Solo at £34.99 per month (1 admin/staff, 2 crew), prices include VAT.