The chat in Coachway lets you communicate with clients directly inside the platform - no need to switch between apps.
You can send text messages, voice notes, video messages, and images. Clients receive messages in their app and can reply from there.
Sending a message
Open a client from the Inbox or the Clients page
Type your message in the chat field at the bottom of the conversation
Press Enter or click Send
You can send clickable links directly in messages - useful for sharing external resources or booking links.
Tip is that you can click SHIFT + ENTER, then you break the text line.
Sending a voice note
Click the microphone icon in the chat input area
Record your message
Release to send
When recording a voice message, your browser may ask for permission to access your microphone. Simply click Allow to continue.
If the permission prompt does not pop up or recording is not working, check your browser's microphone permissions - do this in the browser settings. For the best experience, we recommend using Google Chrome.
The same applies when recording a video, as camera and microphone permissions may be required.
Note it's possible to transcribe your clients voice message, if needed - also in the clients own language.
Sending a video message
Click the video icon in the chat input area
Record your message - video messages can be up to 10 minutes
Click to Send when ready
You can record a video response while reviewing a client's check-in data, meal plan, or workout history at the same time - the recording keeps going while you scroll. You do not need to stop and start again.
To see client data directly from the chat click "Show Client". When you want to close the view again click "Hide Client".
Sending images
Click the attachment icon and select an image from your device to send it directly in the conversation.
Replying to a specific message
Hover over any message in the conversation and click the reply icon to type your response to that specific message. This keeps long conversations easy to follow, especially when a client asks multiple questions in a row.
👇 It is also possible to edit or delete the message, or react to it with emojis. Note that you, as a coach, can see when a client saw your message, however, the client cannot see when you saw their message until you mark it as read.
Marking messages as read
Click Mark as read on a conversation to clear it from your unread count. Coachway does not automatically mark messages as read when you open them - this is intentional, so you do not lose track of clients you have opened but did not get a chance to respond to yet.
Do you wan to hide workout completions and check-ins from your Inbox?
Click the gear icon at the top of the Inbox to open Display preferences. For Workout completions and Check-in submissions you can choose:
Show: they appear in the chat and count as unread
Show but do not mark as unread: they appear in the chat but don't add to your unread count
Hide from chat: they don't appear in the chat at all
This only changes your own Inbox, and it saves as you change it. You can still see workouts and check-ins on the client's Development page.
Chatting from your phone
The Coachway coach app lets you message clients on the go. You can send and receive text messages, voice notes, and images from your phone using your normal coach login. The mobile app is designed for communication - for building workouts or meal plans, use the desktop platform.
Turning off chat for a client
If you do not want a specific client to be able to send messages - for example, on a lower-tier package - you can disable the chat toggle per client. Go to the client's settings and turn off the chat by toggling off Messaging with you.
What clients can do from their chat
Clients can send you text messages, voice notes, and images from their Coachway app.
Note: If a client is not receiving notifications for your messages, ask them to check that notifications are enabled for the Coachway app on their device.