Introduction to In-Office Messaging
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What is In-Office Messaging?
In-Office Messaging is YAPI's in-app messaging system for communicating between workstations. Within YAPI, you can:
- Broadcast a message to every workstation
- Send a message to a single workstation
- Send a message to multiple workstations
- Broadcast a message to a staff member or provider in their selected color so they see it wherever they are
- Send messages privately when needed, keeping patient information HIPAA-protected
These messages appear as long as you have YAPI open on your computer - even if it's minimized - so you never miss an important communication. And because we know that everyone works differently, you can customize which types of messages your workstation receives.
Why Use In-Office Messaging?
YAPI's In-Office Messaging system helps you communicate with your team for a smoother workflow. When staff is able to share important information quickly, your practice moves faster and more efficiently.
Everyone's informed - Automatic message notifications let your staff know when a patient has checked in, when they're ready, and when the day's schedule has changed. This keeps everyone on the same page so there are no surprises.
Sharing details improves your patient experience - Little things can make a big difference when it comes to how patients view their visit. Communicating small details - like when a patient is nervous, that they mentioned they have a TMJ, or it's their child's birthday - helps your whole team treat each patient with individual, specialized care and shows them you're all in sync.
You can manage the noise - Instead of needing to talk about patients out loud or have a walkie talkie in your ear, you can calm the chatter by messaging instead. You can even change the sounds for your message notifications or turn them off altogether - whatever fits your workflow best.
What In-Office Messaging Looks Like
By default, in-office messages appear on your workstation's screen as long as YAPI is open or it's minimized and running in the background. All message notifications except Red Alerts appear in the top-right corner of your screen and disappear after 10 minutes, but you can change their location, color, text size and the length of time they stay on screen by following the instructions in Changing the Appearance of Message Notifications.
Provider Messages appear in the provider's selected color and include:
- Direct messages using the Message to Provider option under Communication
- Notifications that a patient is checked in or ready
- New appointment and cancellation notifications
- Summon Provider messages, sent by clicking the Provider icon at the bottom of a room in the Dashboard.
All Other In-Office Messages appear in white, unless you've changed the settings on your workstation. These include:
- Broadcast Messages
- Messages directly to a workstation
- Operatory Alerts
- Messages from the YAPI system
Note: This discussion of "In-Office Messaging" doesn't include patient texts, though they appear the same way, as a notification in the top right corner of your screen. For more information about patient communication, see our Email Blasts & Texting articles.
Message Notifications
Received Message
Message Reply
Pin | Message Contents | Reply Box | |||
Reply | Time Sent | Quick Replies | |||
Sender | Time Elapsed | Send |
Pin
Clicking the Pin icon attaches the message to your screen so it doesn't expire and stays on the screen until you click the red X to close it or clicking the Pin icon again to unpin it and let it disappear on its own.
Tip: If you need all messages to stay on your screen longer, you can adjust this on your workstation using the instructions in Changing the Appearance of Message Notifications.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Reply
Clicking the Reply icon opens a reply box where you can type in a response to the message.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Sender
The bar at the top of a message shows the workstation it was sent from.
Tip: Click and hold on this top bar to pick up and move a message if it's in your way.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Message Contents
Displays the text of the message.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Time Sent
Shows the time the message was sent.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Time Elapsed
Shows the amount of time that's passed since the message was sent.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Reply Box
This tan box is a space to enter a reply to the message. To open the Reply Box, click the Reply button.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Quick Replies
Clicking the Quick Replies icon opens a dropdown menu for you to select a reply from a pre-set list, saving your typing time for replies your team sends frequently.
Tip: To edit this list, check out our article Customizing Your Available Quick Messages.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Send
Clicking the Send icon or tapping the Enter key on your keyboard sends your reply. For Broadcast Messages and provider messages, the reply sends to all workstations. For messages directed to a specific room or workstation, replies go only to the original sender.
Back to Message Notification Picture
Messaging Options
There are several options for sending messages in YAPI depending on your needs, including sending messages from the Communication Tower, sending Quick Messages, summoning a provider to a room, and messaging a room directly.
Send a Message from the Communication Tower :
The Communication menu at the top of the Dashboard has the most options for sending messages to your team. These include messaging single or multiple workstations, sending a Broadcast Message to all workstations, and sending a message to a particular staff member (the Message to Provider option).
Use a YAPI Quick Message :
For messages that your team sends frequently, you can create Quick Messages, available by clicking the gold bullhorn icon in the Dashboard toolbar. YAPI already comes pre-loaded with several Quick Messages, but you can customize this list to fit the needs of your practice.
Click the Summon Provider icon on a Dashboard Room:
To summon a provider to a room, you can click the Summon Provider icon at the bottom of that Dashboard room, then select the provider from a pop-up list. This sends a message out to all workstations and is a great option to let providers know a patient has been seated, prepped, and is ready in an operatory.
Click the bullhorn icon on a Dashboard room:
To message a room quickly, you can click the bullhorn icon at the bottom of the room and enter your message in the window that pops up. This option saves clicks when you need to send a message directly to an operatory, the Check-In Area, or the Check-Out Area.
Tip: For full instructions on how to send each type of message, check out our article Sending Messages to Your Team.
Additional Messaging Features
Message Privacy
When sending Broadcast Messages, Provider messages, and messages to a specific room , you can also select the Private option:
This forces each recipient to click a lock icon to view the message's contents so patients nearby won't accidentally see the message:
Red Alerts
If you have an emergency, you can mark the Red Alert checkbox when sending messages to multiple workstations at a time (via Broadcast Message or Message to Workstation from the Communication Tower ):
Instead of sending it out as a regular notification, this forces the message to display prominently in red on the YAPI Dashboard itself so your team doesn't miss it:
Message Board (Message History)
While you can choose which types of messages show on each workstation, all messages appear on your practice's Message Board. This way, anyone on staff can see a history of your team's messages for the day and view any messages they may have accidentally closed or missed:
To access the Message Board from the YAPI Dashboard, click Communication and select Message Board:
Tip: The Message Board automatically saves messages for one day and clears YAPI clears your message board automatically when it performs housekeeping overnight. If you want YAPI to save your messages for longer than a day, follow the directions in Changing the How In-Office Long Messages Save to the Message Board.
Related Articles
- Sending Messages to Your Team
- Setting Which Types of Messages Show on Your Workstation
- Setting Up Provider & Staff Messaging to Phones & Smart Watches