Wenmar Pro includes a two-way messaging inbox for SMS and email conversations with your customers. Send estimates, payment links, and follow-ups without leaving the app — and receive customer replies in the same thread.
The Messages Page
Go to Messages in the main navigation. The page has two panes on desktop: a conversation list on the left and the active thread on the right.
Conversation List
Conversations are organized into two tiers:
- Waiting for Reply — conversations where the customer sent the last message and you haven’t responded
- Replied — conversations where you sent the last message
The search bar searches across name, phone, vehicle, and message content.
💡 Pro Tip
The “Waiting for Reply” tier is your to-do list. Start here every morning — these are the customers waiting on you.
Thread Badges
- Red dot — unread message
- New (blue) — customer has no work orders yet
- Unknown (amber) — conversation isn’t linked to a customer yet
- Wait time indicator — gray (<15 min), yellow (<60 min), red (>60 min)
Starting a Conversation
- Click New Message
- Search for a customer or driver by name, phone, or email
- Select the recipient
- Type your message
- Choose the channel (SMS or email — based on what contact info the customer has)
- Click send
You can also start a conversation from a customer profile or work order — the context is automatically attached.
Message Composer
The composer at the bottom of each thread includes:
- Contact method dropdown — shows available phone numbers, emails, and driver contacts. Landlines and opted-out numbers are disabled with a reason label.
- Share dropdown — attach a portal link, estimate, or statement to the message
- Attach (paperclip) — attach up to 5 files (JPEG, PNG, GIF, PDF, max 10MB)
- Text area — type your message
- Send button (paper-plane icon)
Sharing Links in a Message
From the share dropdown, you can attach:
- Open work orders — shares a portal link to a work order
- Unpaid statements — shares a monthly statement link
The shared item appears as a chip above the text area: “Sharing [type] · WO #N” with a cancel (x) button.
Unknown Conversations
When a customer texts or emails your shop and their number/email isn’t in your database, the conversation appears with an Unknown badge. You can’t reply until you link it to a customer:
- Click Link Customer in the conversation
- Search for an existing customer by name, phone, or email
- Select the customer and click Link Customer
Or click New Customer to create a new customer record from the conversation.
AI-Suggested Replies
If your plan includes AI features, you’ll see an AI-suggested option when composing a reply:
- Click the suggest button (sparkle icon)
- Wenmar Pro generates a context-aware reply based on the customer, their work orders, and recent messages
- The suggestion appears in the text area with an “AI-suggested” indicator
- Edit it as needed, or click Clear to start over
SMS suggestions are kept short (under 160 characters). Email suggestions are 2-4 sentences. The suggestion matches the customer’s language.
Inbox
The Inbox is a unified “needs attention” feed that combines:
- Your Work — work orders assigned to you (in progress) and inspections in progress
- Waiting for Reply — conversations awaiting your response
Access it from the inbox icon in the top bar or the inbox drawer. Each item has quick actions: View Customer, View Work Order, No Response Needed.
Message Drawer
On work order pages, a message drawer is available showing the conversation thread for that work order’s customer. This lets you message without leaving the work order.
Work Order Context
When you open a conversation from a work order, the work order context is attached to your messages. The customer sees a normal SMS or email — the WO context is for your reference only.
Messages sent from a work order are tagged with “WO #N” in the thread so you can see which messages relate to which work orders.
Statement Messages
When viewing a conversation with a statement context, the message body pre-fills with: “Your monthly statement for [Month Year] is ready. Balance due: $X. [Shop name].”
Marking as Read
- Opening a conversation marks it as read automatically
- Click mark_all_read to mark all conversations as read at once
Ignoring a Conversation
If a conversation doesn’t need a response (e.g. a “thanks” text), click No response needed in the overflow menu. This moves the conversation to the “Replied” tier.
Channel Limitations
SMS is disabled when:
- SMS isn’t set up for your shop (go to Settings → Phone Numbers)
- No customer is attached to the conversation
- The customer has no phone number on file
- The primary phone isn’t a mobile number
- The customer has opted out of text messages
Email is disabled when:
- No customer is attached
- The customer has no email address on file
If neither SMS nor email is available, you can still send an in-app only message (the customer won’t receive it via SMS or email, but it’s logged in the conversation).
Booking Requests
When a customer books an appointment through your online booking page, the booking request appears as a message with a Booking Request card. The card shows the customer, vehicle, requested time, service, and wait/drop-off preference. You can Approve or Reject directly from the message.
Roles & Permissions
| Action | Who |
|---|---|
| View Messages | Advisors, managers, admins (technicians redirected unless they have can_message_customers) |
| Send messages | Advisors, managers, admins |
| Link unknown conversations | Advisors, managers, admins |
| Use AI suggestions | Depends on plan |
| Ignore conversations | Advisors, managers, admins |
Troubleshooting
“SMS is not set up. Go to Settings → Phone Numbers.”
Your shop hasn’t purchased or configured a texting number yet. An admin needs to go to Settings → Phone Numbers to set up SMS.
“Customer has opted out of text messages.”
The customer replied STOP or opted out of SMS. You can still email them if they have an email on file. To re-enable SMS, the customer needs to text START back to your shop number.
Can’t find a conversation?
Try searching by phone number (last 4 digits work) or vehicle info. The search covers name, phone, vehicle, and message content.
Related Topics
- Sending Estimates — Sharing estimate links in messages
- Collecting Payments — Sending payment links
- Customer Database — Managing customer contact info
- The Money Loop — How messaging fits into the full cycle
Questions? Contact us at help@wenmarpro.com