Chat Overview

This feature is only available in SmarterMail Enterprise.

SmarterMail's live chat allows users on the same domain to chat with each other, instantly and securely, right within the webmail interface. SmarterMail also supports a variety of desktop and/or mobile chat clients, such as Pidgin, Adium, IM+ and others. Users can interact via chat, or use real-time voice and video. Video chat links appear in the chay area when a chat is started with another user, but that link can be shared with anyone. If you don't want to use the web interface, most third-party chat clients that support the XMPP (Jabber) protocol can be used for text chat, and things like user "presence" - Online, Offline, or Away - carry over from clients to the webmail interface, so you'll always know someone's status, regardless of how you're chatting. Using the web client, you can even stylize your text chats.

There's no doubt email is a great communications mechanism, but there are times when real-time voice, video and text communication is crucial.

NOTE: In order to use chat, your SmarterMail installation MUST be secured with an SSL certificate. This is because the audio, video and live chat connections require HTTPs connections in order to work properly and securely.

The Chat icon is in the top, right corner of the web interface. When a new chat is received, the icon will display an unread flag.

Clicking on the icon will pop out the chat window, allowing you to respond to the chat request or start your own.

Navigating Chat

Layout

The chat window is divided into two main areas:

The Chat Users/Aliases view - This area displays the contacts on your domain. If aliases are set up so that multiple people can chat at the same time, those show at the top of the view with individual users showing below, separated by a horizontal line. A user's status is also displayed. (The status for an alias is not displayed because aliases contain multiple individuals, so tracking the status of an alias won't work since each individual in the alias can have a different status.)
The actual chat area. This is where your text chat occurs. Previous conversations are listed, in order, beginning with the most recent session you've had with that user. The 75 most recent lines are displayed OR the chats you've had with that user in the last 30 days are displayed, if the total lines don't add up to 75. Scrolling up in this area will display older threads.

Chat With... - This area allows you to type in the username of an individual. The Chat With area is especially helpful in cases where a domain has a large number of users. Typing in a username allows you to find the person you want to chat, quickly and easily, versus having to scroll through a large list of users.

Modifying Your Status

In order to set your chat status you'll need to right-click on your user avatar, then select your status from the dropdown menu.

As for the status definitions:

Available - You are available to receive and respond to chats via the webmail interface. When a user is marked as Available, they will see other members of their domain who are also active and available.
Away - You are logged in but are away from your computer and may not respond right away.
Do Not Disturb - You are logged in, but busy. Therefore, you're not available at the moment and may not respond for an extended period of time.
Offline - When this setting is checked, any user that is offline will appear in the users list, but the username and availability will be greyed out. Deselecting this will hide all offline users from the list.

Starting an Audio or Video Chat

Put simply, to start a chat with an individual, or people within an alias, simply click on the name and start typing.

SmarterMail's chat includes real-time audio and video chat for user-to-user interaction. To start either an audio or video chat with another user, use the Actions (⋮) button and choose the type of chat you want to start, and that call will be started with the user. The video window will overlay on top of the group chat window.

Sharing Files and Links

To share a file, you can simply drag files into the chat area or use Actions (⋮) button and select "Upload to Chat". Alternatively, you can use the paperclip icon under the text box to upload files.

Depending on the file type, when a file is shared a thumbnail will display for image files such as .JPG and .PNG file types and/or a link to the file is displayed. When someone clicks on the thumbnail or link, a preview of the file will be displayed in a new browser window so that the recipient can look at the file before they download it. Shared links can just be pasted in the live chat box and links open in a new window.

Interacting with Individuals or Aliases

When chatting with users or aliases, there are a few different actions that are available to you.

When chatting a user, if you click on their username in the chat window, you have the following options:

Send Email - Selecting this action opens a new Compose window, allowing you to email that user.
Invite to Appointment - Selecting this action opens a New Appointment window, allowing you to create an invitation that can be sent to the user, and anyone else, for an appointment, meeting, etc.

When chatting with an alias, if you click the aliasn name, you also have a few different options:

View Members - Selecting this opens a modal that displays the usernames and addresses of every user included in the alias. You can then click on any user and you have the ability to send an email to them.
Send Email - Selecting this action opens a new Compose window, allowing you to email the alias directly.