Office Chat is a real-time messaging tool built directly into Barti, allowing staff to communicate with teammates without leaving the platform. You can send messages to everyone in your practice or start a private one-on-one conversation with a specific team member.
1. Opening and Closing Office Chat
- Click the chat bubble icon in the top navigation bar to open the Office Chat panel.
- The panel opens in the lower-right corner of the screen.
- To close the panel, click the X icon in the panel header, or click the chat bubble icon again.
- The panel state (open or minimized) persists as you navigate between pages in Barti.
2. Sending a Message to All Staff
The All Staff conversation is a shared channel visible to all staff in your practice.
- Open Office Chat.
- Select All Staff from the conversation list.
- Type your message in the text field at the bottom of the panel.
- Press Enter or click the Send button.
3. Starting a Direct Message (DM)
Direct Messages are private, one-on-one conversations between two staff members.
- Open Office Chat.
- Click the + (New Chat) button in the panel header.
- In the To: field, type the name of the staff member you want to message.
- Select their name from the search results.
- Type your message and press Enter or click Send.
- If you have messaged this person before, selecting them from the directory opens your existing conversation thread.
4. Understanding Unread Indicators
- A red dot on the chat bubble icon in the navigation bar means you have unread messages.
- A red dot next to a conversation in the chat list means that conversation has unread messages.
- Opening a conversation automatically clears its unread indicator.
5. Seeing Who's Online
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A green dot on a staff member's avatar in the conversation list indicates they are currently active in Barti.
- No green dot means the staff member is offline or has been inactive for more than 5 minutes.
6. Muting Notification Sounds
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Open Office Chat.
- Click the volume icon in the panel header to mute incoming message sounds.
- Click it again to unmute.
- Muting silences the audio alert only — unread message indicators continue to appear as normal.
7. Sending a Link to a Page in Barti
- In a message, select the slash icon or type /here to create a link to your current page in Barti and send it in a message.
- It will display as a clickable link once the message is sent.
8. Adding Emojis
- Click the emoji icon in the message composer to open the emoji picker and add an emoji to your message.
FAQ
Can I edit or delete a message after sending?
No. Messages cannot be edited or deleted once sent.
Can I message a deactivated staff member?
You can view previous conversations with deactivated staff members, but you cannot send new messages to them.
Why don't I see the chat icon?
Office Chat may not be enabled for your practice. Contact Barti Support to request access.
Can I have the support chat and Office Chat open at the same time?
No. Office Chat and the Barti Support widget cannot be open at the same time. Opening one minimizes the other.
If you have any questions, please refer to Barti's Help Center or create a support ticket at support.barti.com.