Send and Receive Chat Messages

 

1. On the dashboard, tap Chat. This feature can appear in the bottom navigation bar, as a Chat with Dispatch tile, or as a Chat menu item or dial.

   

   Reminder: Transflo is the premier provider of popular commercial apps, custom white label apps, in-cab tablet editions, embedded handset editions, and thousands of additional fleet-specific integrated features. Due to all the possible product configuration changes for your specific fleet, it is possible that user interface labels, buttons, links, dials, tiles, icons, colors, logos, and placement on the screen can vary. Features can also be hidden from your view based on customer account, fleet ID, or user permissions. In the documentation, we cover a default setup with screen examples that are generally similar for smart phones and tablets running either iOS or Android OS. Adjust certain steps, if needed, to reflect your actual device, product configuration, and company policies.

2. If you have more than one fleet associated with your profile, the Messages screen appears. Tap the fleet that you want to communicate with. If you only have one fleet on your profile, the Chat screen opens.

   

   A blue or red dot indicates you have one or more unread chat messages from people in this fleet.

   

3. To send a message or respond to a message, tap in the message box, type your message, and then tap Send.

   

   

4. Your message is sent.

5. You can continue to exchange messages with your dispatcher or other drivers.

   

   Note: Users cannot delete chat messages. Only the last 100 messages appear; any remaining older messages are auto-deleted at the network server level for the platform.

 

 

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View a demonstration of these steps in one or more Transflo videos:

 

 

The embedded hardware edition of Mobile+ Release 6.7 added limited support for focused messages to specific fleets running Mobile+ on certain handsets. If your fleet has this feature (check with your supervisor), dispatchers can target specific individuals, groups, teams, or regional dispatch locations when sending messages and drivers or other team members can respond to the group chat (focused inbox) in their Mobile+ app.

 

 

 

 

If you are running this new BETA feature on an approved Honeywell handset device, multiple dispatchers can communicate with you and other drivers working in different sub-fleets, regional areas, or business units within a primary fleet by sending their messages to the corresponding in-box.

For example, chat messaging can be directed at the in-box for the Western region of Fleet 1, the Southern in-box for Fleet 2, or exclusively for workers on the Maintenance team of Fleet 3. As a driver, dispatcher, or any other team member, this feature enhances communication visibility, improves message clarity, reduces errors, and saves time.

 

1. Before a driver can see these new inboxes, your fleet administrator must work with their designated Transflo administrator to set them up. In-boxes are pre-configured by Transflo based on a simple list of requested in-boxes provided by your fleet administrator.

2. After initial setup, your fleet administrator and authorized dispatchers can go into Transflo Command Center to communicate with a group of drivers associated with each in-box. A future release might support an API connection with your fleet TMS.

   Example: A fleet admin has set up four (4) inboxes for carrier Fleet 3. They clicked East and started a new chat message that will go to all drivers in the East group who will receive the chat message in their East inbox.

   

3. As a driver, tap the Chat feature (several possible ways are demonstrated in the example image below).

   

4. If you registered with more than one fleet, select the fleet you want to check for new chat messages or to send your own message.

   

5. If your fleet admin set up inboxes, select one in the list. (If you do not see any inboxes, just select a fleet.)

   

   • (Optional) To start a new series of messages, tap  New Chat Message. This feature might not be available to drivers. For most fleets, this feature is disabled; instead, your dispatcher initiates the group chat and drivers can simply view the message and respond only when necessary.

   • To continue any previous exchange of messages, tap the inbox you want.

     For example, if you know you are in the West group, tap West.

     

   • The Inbox page shows the full list of inboxes available to you (the currently logged on driver).

   • A blue dot indicates that you have new unread messages in an inbox.

     

   • The In-Box filter at the top of the In-box page lets you filter In-boxes to show you only In-Boxes with unread messages. You can also search all messages to find a piece of information such as a date, location, or route ID.

     

   • Selecting an In-Box will open the message window which contains the ongoing message thread from the selected In-Box.

   • You can enter a response or ask a question and tap Send. On handsets, use the built-in hardware keys instead of an on-screen touch-keypad.

6. Review the messages in the current inbox or send your own response or ask a question.

   • Type your message and press Send.

     

   • To go back, tap Back.