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10. Chat & Notifications

This page covers two communication features of the Tour Guide app: Chat for messaging travel agents and providers, and Notifications for receiving real-time alerts about your jobs.

Chat​

Chat lets you communicate with travel agents and providers without making a phone call. Messages are logged, so there is always a record of what was discussed.

tip

Message the travel agent through Chat before filing a no-show — guests are sometimes running late due to traffic, customs delays, or other issues. Checking first prevents an unnecessary no-show report and keeps the relationship with the guest positive.

Opening Chat​

  1. Look for the message icon (speech bubble) in the top navigation bar of the app. A badge with a number appears if you have unread messages.
  2. Tap the message icon.
  3. Your Chat inbox opens.

Chat inbox showing recent conversations with travel agents and providers

Reading the inbox​

The inbox lists all your conversations. Each row shows:

  • The contact's profile photo and name.
  • A preview of the last message sent or received.
  • A blue unread badge if there are new messages in that conversation.

The most recently active conversations appear at the top.

Opening a conversation​

  1. In the Chat inbox, tap the conversation you want to open.
  2. The full message history for that conversation loads.
  3. Scroll up to see older messages.

Sending a message​

  1. Open the conversation you want to reply to.
  2. Tap the text input box at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Your phone's keyboard appears.
  4. Type your message.
  5. Tap the send button (the arrow or paper-plane icon next to the text box).
  6. Your message is sent and appears in the thread.

Starting a new conversation​

  1. In the Chat inbox, tap the compose icon (pencil or + icon) in the top-right corner.
  2. A search box appears.
  3. Type the name of the person you want to message (for example, the travel agent's or provider's name).
  4. Tap the correct name in the search results.
  5. A new conversation opens.
  6. Type your message and tap Send.

Searching conversations​

  1. In the Chat inbox, tap the search icon.
  2. Type a keyword or contact name.
  3. Matching conversations appear below the search bar.
  4. Tap a result to open it.

Notifications​

Notifications keep you informed about changes to your jobs, new assignments, and guest updates — even when the app is in the background.

note

You receive notifications when a new job is assigned to you, when a job is updated (such as a change in pick-up time or location), or when a guest's details change. Always check notifications promptly so you have the latest information before a job starts.

Opening Notifications​

  1. Look for the bell icon in the top navigation bar. A red badge appears if you have unread notifications.
  2. Tap the bell icon.
  3. The Notifications screen opens, showing all recent notifications in a list.

Notifications screen showing job assignment and update alerts

Reading the notification list​

Each notification card displays:

  • A title describing what happened (for example, "Job Assigned" or "Pick-up Time Updated").
  • A message with more detail about the event.
  • The time the notification arrived (for example, "10 min ago").
  • A type chip colour-coded by category (job, guest, system, etc.).

Unread notifications have a blue left border and a bold title. Tapping a notification marks it as read.

Tapping a notification to navigate​

  1. Tap any notification card.
  2. The app takes you directly to the relevant screen — for example, the Job Today Detail screen for a new job assignment, or the guest detail screen for a guest update.
  3. Tap the back arrow to return to the Notifications list.

Deleting a notification​

  1. On the Notifications list, find the notification you want to remove.
  2. Swipe left on the notification card.
  3. A red bin (trash) icon appears.
  4. Tap the bin icon to delete the notification.
note

When you delete a notification, a "Notification deleted — tap to undo" toast appears at the bottom of the screen. Tap it to restore the notification before the toast disappears. The job itself remains accessible from the Calendar and Offers tabs regardless.