Table of Contents

• Secure Chat
• Starting a Secure Chat on the Web
• Adding Members to the Chat
• Viewing and Removing Members
• Ending a Chat
• Automated Time Capture

Add on Features

Secure Chat and Automated Time Capture are add on features to the base Centerbase product. If you would like to have them turned on please contact your Centerbase sales rep to start the process and activating and using these powerful features.

Secure Chat

Secure Chat threads are conversations that Centerbase users can begin with their clients. The user can text or send web messages through a secure chat phone number to which the client can respond directly to that number and the response will be logged into the appropriate secure chat thread.

Text messages created using secure chat will be captured automatically as billable events when the user sends out a text message to their client. 

Secure chat is a part of Automated Time Capture, so this setting must be enabled by Centerbase.

To use Secure Chat on the web, the user can navigate to a Matter or contact and select the secure chat tab.

Starting a Secure Chat on the Web

The user can start a new thread by hitting the create new orange button in the top left of the screen. All you need to do is select the contact you want to chat securely with and which phone number of theirs to use. The Client Number drop-down will list all phone numbers on that client's record. The new thread will have the creator as its only default member.

Secure chats can only be viewed by their members and users with the "Can View All Secure Chats" user permission. When a Centerbase user is a member of a secure chat they will receive a notification on the web when there are new messages in the chat. If a user does not wish to receive web notifications of this chat thread, they can select mute chat.

Secure chats can also be viewed on the mobile app, but you cannot edit chat membership or change the client number.

Viewing and Removing Members

The Manage Members button will display a dialog showing the users and contacts in the secure chat thread. The creator can remove members using this dialog as well as mute them. In addition you can also end the thread or delete it entirely.

Adding Members to the Chat

The creator can add more people to the chat thread by using the Add member button, the creator can add another user or a contact linked to the matter. Only contacts linked to the matter can be added to a secure chat.

Ending a Chat

The End Thread button will un-link the chat thread from the text messaging service, the message will remain archived but the user can not text the client again unless they begin a new thread. This is important for clients who are linked to several matters. There is a limit on the number of chats that can be open between the same user and client. Ending old threads that are no longer active will free up links to be able to start new chats with the client.

The creator can also delete the chat thread which will remove all records of the chat thread from the user’s database.

Automated Time Capture

Automated Time Capture creates billable event records when you communicate with your clients through Secure Chat or the Centerbase Mobile App.   Billable events are like pre-time entries that store the matter, timekeeper, duration, and short description of the event that you can then turn into a time entry to bill the client.

Billable events are created by Secure Chat, both on the web and through the Centerbaes Mobile App, When you call a client through the Centerbase Mobile App, and when you email the client through the Centerbase Mobile App. 

For Calls, the app starts a timer when you place the call and stops it when the call is ended.

For Emails, the billable event will have a default duration to use when emailing.

For Secure Chat, Centerbase will make a billable event when the chat is started and will update if there is a new text from the user within 10 minutes. This is to reflect an ongoing conversation. If 10 minutes have elapsed without texting again, even if the client texted back, then a new text to the client will create a new billable event.

You can manage billable events from the Billable Events Dashboard.

For more information on how secure chat and automated time capture work on the Centerbase Mobile App see the related article.

Related Articles:

Billable Events Dashboard

Centerbase Mobile App