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Must know
  • Every conversation uses one channel at a time; you choose it when you start the chat and can change it later.
  • Web & SMS requires a plan that includes SMS. The option always appears, but if your club isn’t set up for texting, a Web & SMS message won’t send — check with your Uplifter contact.
  • Whatever the channel, the family’s replies always come back inside the thread — they aren’t relayed back out as texts or emails.
A conversation’s channel decides how each message you send reaches the family. There are three:
  • Web Only. The message posts in the family’s portal and nowhere else — no text, no email, no push. The family sees it the next time they open Uplifter. Use this for low-urgency notes when you don’t need to interrupt them.
  • Web & SMS. The message also goes out as a real text message to the family’s phone, and it counts toward your club’s SMS usage. Best when you need a fast reply. This channel requires a verified phone number on file.
  • Web & Email. The message also goes out as a branded email from your club that the family can reply to directly — their reply threads straight back into the conversation. This channel requires an email address on file.
Whichever channel you pick, the full history lives in the one thread in your inbox. And no matter how a message went out, when the family replies from their portal it simply appears in the thread — an in-portal reply to an “SMS” chat never costs a text, and a reply to an “Email” chat isn’t re-sent as email. Related: Why can’t I pick a family for an SMS or email chat?, How do I switch a chat to a different channel?, Why doesn’t a family get notified of a Web Only message?, What are the chat channels and their limits (admin)