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Messaging, Notifications and Communication

Platform: AXITRAQ (axitraq.app) Last Updated: May 2026 Applies To: All user roles (Owner, Admin, Manager, User)

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. In-Platform Messaging
  3. Opening the Messaging Dashboard
  4. Conversation List
  5. Reading Messages
  6. Unread Indicators and Badges
  7. Starting a New Conversation
  8. Direct Messages
  9. Job Broadcast Messages
  10. Department Broadcast Messages
  11. Asset Broadcast Messages
  12. Composing and Sending Messages
  13. Writing a Message
  14. Choosing a Channel (Internal vs SMS)
  15. SMS Messaging
  16. How SMS Works
  17. Receiving SMS Replies
  18. SMS Usage and Limits
  19. Configuring Twilio SMS (Admin)
  20. Messaging Permissions
  21. Permission Types
  22. Managing Permissions (Admin)
  23. Dashboard Messaging Widgets
  24. Notification Preferences
  25. Notification Types
  26. Delivery Channels
  27. Configuring Your Preferences
  28. In-App Notifications
  29. Viewing Notifications
  30. Marking Notifications as Read
  31. Email Notifications
  32. Push Notifications (Mobile App)
  33. Dash AI Assistant
  34. Troubleshooting

Overview

AXITRAQ provides a complete communication system built into the platform. You can send internal messages to colleagues, broadcast messages to entire job teams or departments, send SMS to employees and contacts via Twilio, and receive notifications across multiple channels including email, in-app alerts, and mobile push notifications.

All messaging and notification features are accessible from the sidebar and are integrated with your daily workflows. The platform also includes Dash, an AI-powered support assistant available on every page.

In-Platform Messaging

The messaging system lets you communicate with employees, contractors, clients, and suppliers directly within AXITRAQ. Conversations are threaded, so you can follow the full history of any exchange.

Opening the Messaging Dashboard

  1. Click Messaging in the left sidebar.
  2. The messaging dashboard opens with a split-panel layout:
  3. Left panel -- your conversation list, with a search bar and a "New Message" button.
  4. Right panel -- the currently selected conversation thread.

If you have no conversations yet, the right panel displays a prompt to select a conversation or start a new one.

Conversation List

The left panel displays all your conversations sorted by most recent activity. Each conversation entry shows:

Element Description
Participant name(s) Who is in the conversation
Last message preview A snippet of the most recent message
Timestamp When the last message was sent
Unread indicator Bold text and a count badge for unread messages
Channel icon Whether the conversation is internal or SMS

Use the search bar at the top of the conversation list to filter conversations by participant name or message content.

Reading Messages

  1. Click any conversation in the left panel to open it.
  2. Messages appear in chronological order in the right panel.
  3. Each message shows the sender's name, the timestamp, and the message channel (Internal or SMS).
  4. When you open a conversation, all unread messages in that conversation are automatically marked as read.

Unread Indicators and Badges

AXITRAQ keeps you informed of new messages through several indicators:

  • Sidebar badge -- The Messaging link in the sidebar shows a count of your total unread messages. This badge updates automatically every 30 seconds.
  • Conversation badges -- Each conversation in the list shows its own unread count.
  • Bold text -- Conversations with unread messages appear in bold in the conversation list.

You do not need to refresh the page. The messaging system polls for new messages and conversations in the background so updates appear automatically.

Starting a New Conversation

Click the + New Message button at the top of the conversation list to start a new conversation. AXITRAQ supports several conversation types depending on your permissions.

Direct Messages

A direct (1:1) message is a private conversation between you and one other person.

  1. Click + New Message.
  2. Select the recipient type (Employee, Contractor, or Client).
  3. Choose the person from the list.
  4. Type your message and click Send.

If a conversation with that person already exists, AXITRAQ reopens the existing thread rather than creating a duplicate.

Job Broadcast Messages

Send a message to everyone assigned to a specific job. This requires the Broadcast to Job permission.

  1. Click + New Message.
  2. Select Job as the recipient type.
  3. Choose the job from the list of active jobs. The number of team members is shown next to each job name.
  4. Type your message and click Send.

All employees and contractors assigned to that job will receive the message. A group conversation is created (or reopened if one already exists for that job), and the participant list updates automatically to reflect the current job team.

Department Broadcast Messages

Send a message to all employees in a department or branch. This requires the Broadcast to Department permission.

  1. Click + New Message.
  2. Select Department as the recipient type.
  3. Choose the department. The employee count is shown next to each department name.
  4. Type your message and click Send.

Asset Broadcast Messages

Send a message to everyone associated with a specific asset, including the assigned operator and any current user. This requires the Broadcast to Asset Group permission.

  1. Click + New Message.
  2. Select Asset as the recipient type.
  3. Choose the asset from the list.
  4. Type your message and click Send.

Composing and Sending Messages

Writing a Message

Once you have a conversation open or have selected a recipient for a new message:

  1. The compose area appears at the bottom of the right panel.
  2. Type your message in the text field. The field expands as you type.
  3. Click Send or press Enter to send the message.

Messages are delivered instantly to the conversation. Other participants will see the message on their next poll refresh (within seconds) or immediately if they have the conversation open.

Choosing a Channel (Internal vs SMS)

If your company has SMS enabled and you have the Send SMS permission, a channel toggle appears above the compose area with two options:

  • Internal -- Sends the message within the AXITRAQ platform only. Recipients see the message in their messaging dashboard and receive in-app and push notifications.
  • SMS -- Sends the message as an SMS text message to the recipient's mobile phone number via Twilio. The message also appears in the AXITRAQ conversation thread. SMS messages are counted against your company's monthly SMS limit.

To switch channels, click the desired channel button before sending your message. The active channel is highlighted.

SMS Messaging

SMS messaging allows you to reach team members via text message on their mobile phones, even if they are not logged into AXITRAQ. SMS is powered by Twilio and must be configured by an administrator before use.

How SMS Works

When you send a message via the SMS channel:

  1. The message is saved to the AXITRAQ conversation thread.
  2. The message is sent as an SMS to each participant's mobile phone number.
  3. Delivery status is tracked (queued, sent, delivered, or failed).
  4. A record is created in the SMS delivery log for audit purposes.

The SMS is sent from your company's configured Twilio phone number. Internally, the message shows your name as the sender so other AXITRAQ users can see who sent it.

Receiving SMS Replies

When someone replies to an SMS:

  1. The reply is received by the Twilio webhook.
  2. AXITRAQ identifies the sender by matching the phone number against employee records.
  3. The reply is added to the most recent conversation with that sender.
  4. All conversation participants receive an in-app and push notification.

If the sender's phone number is not recognised, AXITRAQ creates a new conversation and labels it with the phone number.

SMS Usage and Limits

Your company has a configurable monthly SMS limit to help manage costs. You can view your current usage on the messaging dashboard:

  • The SMS status card at the top of the messaging page shows the number of messages sent this month against the monthly limit.
  • Administrators can view detailed delivery statistics on the SMS Settings page.

Configuring Twilio SMS (Admin)

Administrators can set up and manage SMS by navigating to the SMS Settings page.

  1. From the messaging dashboard, click SMS Settings (or Configure SMS if SMS is not yet set up).
  2. The settings page has three tabs: Twilio SMS Setup, User Permissions, and Delivery Log.

Twilio SMS Setup Tab

To configure SMS for your company:

  1. Create a Twilio account if you do not already have one.
  2. Purchase a phone number with SMS capability for your region.
  3. In AXITRAQ, enter the following from your Twilio dashboard:
Field Description
Account SID Your Twilio Account SID (starts with AC)
Auth Token Your Twilio Auth Token
Twilio Phone Number Your purchased number in E.164 format (e.g. +61412345678)
Monthly Message Limit Maximum SMS messages allowed per month (default: 5000)
SMS Active Checkbox to enable or disable SMS sending
  1. Click Save Configuration.
  2. In your Twilio Console, set the inbound SMS webhook URL to: https://axitraq.app/api/twilio_webhook.php using the HTTP POST method.

Delivery Log Tab

The delivery log shows a history of all outbound and inbound SMS messages for the past 30 days, including:

  • Date and time
  • Direction (inbound or outbound)
  • From and To phone numbers
  • Delivery status (delivered, failed, queued)
  • Sender name
  • Message preview

Use this log to troubleshoot delivery issues or audit SMS activity.

Messaging Permissions

Messaging permissions control who each user can communicate with and which channels they can use. Administrators configure these on a per-user basis.

Permission Types

Permission Description
Message Employees Send direct messages to employees
Message Contractors Send direct messages to contractors
Message Clients Send messages to client contacts
Message Suppliers Send messages to supplier contacts
Broadcast to Job Message all people assigned to a job
Broadcast to Department Message all people in a department or branch
Broadcast to Asset Group Message people associated with an asset
Broadcast All Send company-wide broadcast messages
Send SMS Allow sending messages via SMS (Twilio)

Owner and Admin users automatically have all messaging permissions. These cannot be restricted.

Managing Permissions (Admin)

  1. Navigate to Messaging in the sidebar.
  2. Click SMS Settings.
  3. Select the User Permissions tab.
  4. Choose a user from the dropdown list.
  5. The user's current permissions are loaded. Check or uncheck each permission as needed.
  6. Click Save Permissions.

Dashboard Messaging Widgets

Two optional messaging widgets are available for your customisable dashboard:

Widget Description
Messages (Internal) Shows your most recent internal messages with an unread count
Messages (SMS) Shows your most recent SMS messages with an unread count

Both widgets are clickable. Clicking on a message opens the full messaging interface directly from the dashboard, allowing you to read and reply without navigating away.

To add these widgets to your dashboard, use the dashboard customisation controls to select and position the messaging widgets.

Notification Preferences

AXITRAQ lets you control which notifications you receive and how they are delivered. Each notification type can be independently enabled or disabled for each delivery channel.

Notification Types

Notification Type Description
Maintenance Requests New maintenance requests and status updates
Maintenance Overdue Maintenance requests that are past their due date
Timesheet Submitted When an employee submits a timesheet for approval
Timesheet Approved/Rejected When a timesheet is approved or rejected
Inspection Due Upcoming scheduled inspections
Inspection Failed When an inspection result is a fail
Registration Expiry Asset registrations approaching their expiry date
Qualification Expiry Employee qualifications approaching their expiry date
Checklist Submitted Pre-start checklist submissions
Asset Status Change When an asset's status is changed

Delivery Channels

Notifications can be delivered through up to three channels:

Channel Description
Email A branded HTML email is sent to your registered email address
In-App A notification appears in your notification feed within AXITRAQ
SMS A text message is sent to your mobile number (only available if your company has SMS configured)

Configuring Your Preferences

  1. Navigate to Notifications in the sidebar (or access it via Settings).
  2. On the Preferences tab, you will see a table listing all notification types.
  3. For each notification type, toggle the delivery channels on or off:
  4. Use the Email toggle to enable or disable email notifications.
  5. Use the In-App toggle to enable or disable in-app notifications.
  6. Use the SMS toggle to enable or disable SMS notifications (this column only appears if your company has SMS configured).
  7. Click Save Preferences.

By default, Email and In-App notifications are enabled for all types. SMS notifications are disabled by default and must be opted into.

In-App Notifications

In-app notifications keep you informed about important events as they happen within AXITRAQ, without needing to check your email.

Viewing Notifications

  1. Navigate to Notifications in the sidebar.
  2. Select the Recent Notifications tab.
  3. Your notifications are listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent at the top.
  4. Unread notifications are highlighted with a subtle background colour and bold title text.
  5. The tab header shows a badge with your unread count.

Each notification displays:

  • Title -- a brief description of the event (e.g. "Inspection Failed" or a sender's name)
  • Message -- additional detail about the event
  • Timestamp -- when the notification was created
  • Read status -- whether you have already viewed it

Marking Notifications as Read

To mark a single notification as read:

  1. Click the Mark Read button next to the notification.

To mark all notifications as read:

  1. Click the Mark All Read button in the top-right corner of the notification list.

Notifications are also marked as read when you interact with the related item (for example, opening a conversation that triggered a message notification).

Email Notifications

When email notifications are enabled for a notification type in your preferences, AXITRAQ sends a branded HTML email to your registered email address. These emails include:

  • A clear subject line describing the event
  • The notification title and full message
  • A call-to-action button linking directly to the relevant page in AXITRAQ (where applicable)
  • Branded AXITRAQ formatting with a professional layout

Emails are sent from system_messages@axitraq.com.au. They are automated system messages and should not be replied to directly.

Registration Expiry Alerts

Registration expiry notifications have additional behaviour:

  • A daily check runs at 7:00 AM AEST.
  • The system looks for asset registrations expiring within your configured alert windows (e.g. 7, 14, or 30 days before expiry).
  • Alerts are sent to the designated managers via email.
  • In-app notifications are also created.
  • Each alert is tracked so you only receive one notification per registration per alert window, preventing duplicate alerts.

Push Notifications (Mobile App)

If you use the AXITRAQ mobile app on iOS or Android, you can receive push notifications on your device for time-sensitive events.

Enabling Push Notifications

Push notifications are enabled automatically when you log in to the AXITRAQ mobile app:

  1. Download and open the AXITRAQ mobile app.
  2. Log in with your AXITRAQ credentials.
  3. When prompted, allow notifications from the AXITRAQ app in your device settings.
  4. Your device is automatically registered for push notifications.

When you log out of the mobile app, your device is automatically unregistered and will no longer receive push notifications until you log in again.

Supported Events

Push notifications are sent for the following events:

Event Description
New message When someone sends you an internal message
Inbound SMS When an SMS reply is received in a conversation you are part of
Signature request When you are required to sign a form or document
Signature completion When all required signatures have been collected on a form

Push notifications include a title and a brief preview of the message content. Tapping a push notification opens the AXITRAQ mobile app to the relevant screen.

Dash AI Assistant

Dash is AXITRAQ's built-in AI support assistant. Dash is available on every page of the platform and can answer questions about how to use AXITRAQ, help you find features, and provide contextual guidance based on the page you are currently viewing.

Accessing Dash

  1. Click the Help button available on any page in AXITRAQ.
  2. The Dash chat window opens as an overlay.
  3. Type your question in the message field and press Enter or click Send.
  4. Dash will respond with helpful information tailored to your query and your current page context.

Dash is aware of which page you are on and what tab you have selected, so you can ask questions like "How do I add a new column?" or "What does this field do?" and receive relevant answers.

What Dash Can Help With

Dash can assist with questions about:

  • Asset management, inspections, and checklists
  • Job scheduling and employee management
  • Timesheets and approvals
  • Maintenance requests
  • Messaging and notifications
  • General platform navigation and features

Dash provides immediate answers and is available 24/7. Your conversation history is retained so you can refer back to previous answers.

Escalation to Human Support

If Dash detects that your question requires human assistance, it will automatically escalate the conversation. Escalation is triggered for topics such as:

  • Billing, payment, or refund questions
  • Account cancellation or deletion requests
  • Bug reports or error descriptions
  • Requests to speak with a person

When escalated, a support team member will follow up with you directly.

Troubleshooting

I am not receiving notifications

  1. Check your notification preferences under Notifications > Preferences. Make sure the relevant notification type has the desired channel (Email, In-App, or SMS) toggled on.
  2. For email notifications, verify that your user account has a valid email address.
  3. For SMS notifications, confirm that your company has SMS configured and active, and that your employee record has a mobile number.

My unread badge is not updating

The sidebar message badge polls every 30 seconds. If it seems stuck, try refreshing the page. If the issue persists, check your browser's network connectivity.

SMS messages are not being delivered

  1. Ask your administrator to check the Delivery Log on the SMS Settings page for error details.
  2. Verify the recipient's phone number is correct and in a valid format.
  3. Confirm your company has not exceeded its monthly SMS limit.
  4. Ensure the Twilio account is active and has sufficient credit.

I cannot see the SMS channel option

The SMS channel toggle only appears if: - Your company has Twilio SMS configured and active. - Your user account has the Send SMS permission enabled.

Contact your administrator to enable SMS access.

I am not receiving push notifications on my mobile device

  1. Ensure you are logged into the AXITRAQ mobile app.
  2. Check that notifications are enabled for AXITRAQ in your device's system settings.
  3. Verify your internet connection is active.
  4. Try logging out and back in to the mobile app to re-register your device.

Dash is not responding

  1. Try refreshing the page and reopening the Help chat.
  2. If Dash is temporarily unavailable, a message will inform you. Try again in a few moments.
  3. You are limited to 10 messages per minute. If you have sent many messages in quick succession, wait briefly before trying again.

This manual is maintained as part of the AXITRAQ platform documentation. For additional help, use the Dash AI assistant from any page in AXITRAQ or contact your system administrator.