Case Management Lite: Messaging on Consignments

Case Management Lite: Messaging on Consignments
This is an Add-on feature. It can be enabled by your MachShip Owner. If you're unsure who this is, please contact our Support team for help and we'll point you in the right direction.

If the add-on is disabled, the Activity panel reverts to Notes, and any existing messages remain visible in read-only format.

Messaging on Consignments

The Messaging on Consignments feature in Case Management Lite lets brokers and their customers exchange messages directly on a consignment, with Watchers notified whenever a new message is posted.


Accessing the Activity panel

  1. Messaging is housed within the Activity panel on a consignment
  2. The Activity panel is located under the Integration Files section under the core consignment details 

Understanding the Activity panel

Posting and replying to messages

Anyone with permission to edit the consignment can post a message. To enable this capability, ensure the user's role has at least Edit permission on the Consignments component. To configure this: Go to Admin > Other Options > View Roles, find the role, locate the Consignments component, and set the permission to Edit (or Create/Delete for full access). The change takes effect immediately.
  1. In the Activity panel, click into the Leave a comment box and type your message.
  2. (Brokers) Can use the 'Visible To Client' toggle as appropriate
  3. (Optional) Attach files using the paperclip icon.
  4. Then click Send message 

Visible to client vs. Internal only

Brokers can choose who sees each message, using the eye icon in the composer:
  1. Visible to client — 'Visible To Client' toggle on to allow your clients to see the message.
  2. Internal only — 'Visible To Client' toggle off, if you only  want your team to see the message.
Important: a broker's message defaults to Internal only — if needed, click the 'Visible To Client' toggle on before sending. Clients don't see this toggle; their messages are always visible to the broker, and clients only ever see messages marked as Visible to client.

Replying to a message

Replies keep related messages grouped together in a thread.
  1. Find the message you want to reply to.
  2. Click the Leave a reply… box beneath it.
  3. Type your reply — you can set visibility and attach files just like a new message.
  4. Click Send reply (or press Ctrl + Enter).

Editing and deleting messages

You can edit or delete the messages you posted yourself.

Editing a message

  1. On a message you posted, click the pencil icon (top-right of the message).
  2. Update the text, change its visibility and add/remove attachments.
  3. Click Save.
Edited messages show "edited" next to the time. Click Cancel to discard your changes.

Deleting a message

  1. On a message you posted, click the ✕ icon (top-right of the message).
  2. Confirm in the dialog.
The message is replaced with "Message deleted." in the timeline. Deleting a message also removes its replies.

Good to know

  1. Messages can be up to 5,000 characters.
  2. You can attach multiple files, up to 10 MB each.
  3. A message must have text or at least one attachment — blank messages can't be sent.
  4. Replies go one level deep — you can reply to a message, but not to a reply.

Filtering the timeline

The filter in the top-right of the Activity panel controls what the timeline shows. Switching tabs only changes the view — nothing is hidden or deleted.
Timeline filters
  1. All — messages and system activity together (the default).
  2. Messages — only the messages people have posted (the conversation and its replies).
  3. Activity — only the system-generated history MachShip records automatically, such as edits and status changes (for example, "Consignment edited by John Doe").
As always, if you need help or have any queries regarding this, please reach out to our Support team.