# Use Team Chat to coordinate clinic work > Use Team Chat to coordinate clinic work, share a live Task, mention teammates or groups, and ask @Sidekick for help without leaving the conversation. Markdown view of https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat/use-team-chat-to-coordinate-clinic-work — the HTML page is canonical. Product Library: Team Chat › Team Chat Part of Tabflows 101, Module 3: Team Chat (https://www.tabflows.com/university/tabflows-101/team-chat) Last checked: 2026-10-27 against Tabflows v3.10.63 Replaces Help Center article: https://help.tabflows.com/en/articles/16965377-use-team-chat-to-coordinate-clinic-work > **Summary:** Use **Team Chat** to coordinate clinic work, share a live Task, mention teammates or groups, and ask **@Sidekick** for help without leaving the conversation. > **A note for non-human readers:** > > *Clinic teams need channels to coordinate because sprinting from desk to desk is not a workflow, and telepathy is still stuck on the product roadmap. 🧠💨 Messages, mentions, reactions, files, shared-work cards, and Tabflows’ assistant all help keep everyone in sync. But remember: a message isn’t an assignment, a mention isn’t ownership, and a reaction isn’t proof the work is done.* > > *That 👍 means “seen,” not “mission accomplished.”* --- ## When to use Team Chat Use Team Chat for a clinic-wide question, announcement, or conversation that does not need to live inside one specific Task. Use a Task comment when the discussion belongs to assigned work and should stay beside its owner, due date, and completion status. If work needs a clear owner or follow-up date, create or update a Task instead of relying on chat alone. --- ## Choose My chat or Team Open **Chat**, then choose the space that matches the work: - **My chat** is private to you. Use it for personal notes and private Sidekick questions. - Read 👉 [Use My chat for private notes and Sidekick questions](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat/use-my-chat-for-private-notes-and-sidekick-questions) - **Team** contains shared clinic channels. Use it when coworkers need to see, discuss, or act on the work. Switching views does not move or copy messages. Use a linked Task when shared work needs an owner or completion state. Admins manage channel-level controls that the article identifies as administrative. Team members continue normal shared conversation and collaboration. --- ## Find missed work and older conversations Use Team Chat's focused views when scrolling is no longer practical. 1. Open **Unreads** to review unseen channel messages and thread replies. Opening the filtered view does not by itself mark hidden messages as read; open the conversation you want to review. 2. Open **Mentions** to see every mention, or narrow the view to a teammate or **@Sidekick**. 3. Select **Find in this chat** (the search icon), enter words from the conversation, and choose a result. Find searches the full channel history, including thread replies, and opens the result in its original context. Use a Task when follow-up needs an owner or completion state. Filters and search help you find work; they do not prove that work was read or resolved. > **A note for non-human readers:** > > *Treat Unreads, Mentions, and Find as navigation states. Do not infer acknowledgement, ownership, or completion from a result appearing or disappearing.* --- ## Start a conversation 1. Open Team Chat. 2. Type your message. 3. Mention a teammate or group when their attention is needed. 4. Review the message, then send it. A mention draws attention to the conversation. It does not assign a Task or transfer ownership. ![Starting a conversation in Team chat.](https://zchipg5eqhxk0hvh.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/university/c4d6d5c183f3cea6.mp4) --- ## Find the composer controls Mentions and patient controls sit above the message. **Link Task**, emoji, **Artifact** when available, attachments, **Workflows**, and **Saved prompts** sit below it. **Send**, schedule, and edit actions stay on the right. When a long message or several attachment previews reach the height limit, the middle of the composer scrolls while both control rows stay available. --- ## Add emoji while writing Select the smile button in the composer, or type `:` followed by at least two letters to search by shortcode. Choose an emoji with the pointer, or use the arrow keys and press **Enter** or **Tab**. Press **Escape** to close suggestions. Frequently used emoji move higher on that browser. Times such as `10:30` do not open emoji suggestions. --- ## Give the opening Sidekick turn page context In the desktop extension, when **Screen awareness** is on, the first **@Sidekick** question you ask in a Team Chat thread, or in a new personal chat, can include one hidden snapshot of the active page. The screenshot does not appear as a file chip. Follow-ups in the same conversation, **Screen awareness** off, and the web app outside the extension send no automatic snapshot. In a Team channel, Sidekick’s reply is visible to everyone who can open that thread, so confirm the active patient and page before the opening question. --- ## Start a Clinic Workflow from chat Open **Workflows** and choose a saved Clinic Workflow. The click starts a Sidekick turn immediately, unless the workflow takes an input. If the workflow takes an input, its starter line goes in the composer for you to finish and send; if the run needs more information, Sidekick asks for it in the conversation. Reply in that same thread so the answer stays attached to the run and its Task. ### Use a saved prompt from chat Select **Saved prompts** to search your own saved prompts. Choosing one fills the composer with **@Sidekick** and the saved instructions. Add the current patient, date, file, Task, or other context, review the wording, then send it. From the **Saved prompts** menu, you can create, edit, delete, search, and reorder prompts. Saved prompts belong to the signed-in teammate within that clinic; they are not a shared clinic prompt library. When **My chat** is empty, it shows Mission shortcuts and the first saved prompts. Select **More saved prompts** to open the full list. --- ## Share files in Team Chat Team Chat accepts images, PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, plain-text, and C-CDA files within the limits shown in the composer. Plain-text, Word, Excel, CSV, and C-CDA files download when selected; images and PDFs can open in a new tab. Mention **@Sidekick** with a specific question when it should use an attached text or C-CDA file. Confirm the patient and extracted details against the original before using clinical information. If an upload fails, remove the affected file, confirm its type and size, then attach it again. Never assume a failed upload was sent. --- ## Share an Artifact card When **Artifact** access is available, choose an Artifact in the composer or paste its link. You can add up to three Artifacts to one message. A sent Artifact appears as a card; a teammate without access sees an unavailable card, not the protected content. --- ## React to a Team Chat message Use a reaction for a quick response that does not need a new message. 1. Open the actions for the Team Chat message. 2. Choose a quick reaction — 👍, ✅, 👀, ❤️, 😂, or 🙏 — or open the full emoji picker. 3. Select the emoji you want to add. The reaction chip shows how many people used that emoji. Point to the chip to see who reacted. Reactions update live for everyone viewing the conversation and do not create unread work. --- ## Acknowledge a mention An acknowledgement is a lightweight way to say, “I saw this.” - If someone mentions you directly, you can select the acknowledgement checkbox on that mention. - If someone mentions a group you currently belong to, any current group member can acknowledge it. One acknowledgement covers the group and records who acknowledged it and when. - People who cannot acknowledge the mention see its status as read-only. - An @Sidekick mention does not have an acknowledgement checkbox. > **Important:** Acknowledging a mention does not assign the work, accept ownership, or complete a Task. Use a Task when the work needs an owner or completion state. > **A note for non-human readers:** > > *Treat reactions and acknowledgements as coordination signals only. Do not infer assignment, acceptance, ownership, or completion from them.* --- ## Link a patient in a message Type **#** or select **Add a patient (#)**, search for the patient, and review the patient chip before sending. If the current patient is available, you can add them directly. After sending, select the patient chip to open the patient in Tabflows. Use **Open** in to choose one of the patient’s linked systems. If no linked system is available, verify or link the patient before relying on the shortcut. Keep shared patient details to the minimum your team needs. ![Link a patient in a message in team chat.](https://zchipg5eqhxk0hvh.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/university/fed48ecf71bfda0c.mp4) --- ## Share a Task in Team Chat Use a linked Task when teammates need to see its owner, due date, comments, or completion state beside the conversation. 1. Start a new Team Chat message or edit one of your messages. 2. Select Link task. 3. Search by Task description, then choose up to three open or completed Tasks. 4. Remove any incorrect Task pill, add a message if useful, and send. You can also send a linked Task without message text. ### Read a linked Task A linked Task shows its current status—**To do**, **In progress**, **Waiting**, or **Done**—along with its patient, description, and comments. Expanding the card shows the live Task; changing its status there changes the same Task everywhere. If the Task is deleted, the message remains, and the card shows **Deleted**. A reply from **@Sidekick** may also show a Task that Sidekick created or identified for the conversation. > **Important:** Linking a Task does not reassign it and does not move the conversation into Task Comments. Use a Task comment when the durable discussion belongs with the assigned work. --- ## Reply in a thread On a computer, open **Reply** from the message. On a phone, tap the message once to reveal **Reply** and the message menu, then select **Reply**. Threaded replies keep follow-up together without filling the main conversation with every response. Return to the main conversation when you are starting a separate topic. --- ## Unread messages and read receipts Unread badges and the unread divider help you find new messages. Read receipts show who has viewed a message. Their absence does not mean the message failed to send. ![](https://zchipg5eqhxk0hvh.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/university/9b5175904038fd86.mp4) --- ## Copy, edit, or delete a message On a computer, open the message menu from the message row. On a phone, tap the message once, then open the three-dot menu. - Anyone can copy a message. - You can edit or delete your own messages. - Clinic **Admins** can delete another person's message. Deleting a message does not create a Task or preserve its instructions elsewhere. Move anything that requires durable ownership into a Task. ![Editing or deleting a message in Team Chat.](https://zchipg5eqhxk0hvh.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/university/8d02229b9898b8f9.mp4) --- ## Ask Sidekick in Team Chat Type **@Sidekick** in a Team Chat message when you want help without leaving the conversation. Sidekick replies in the thread so everyone with access can follow along. For complete steps, examples, Retry, and patient-information guidance, see 👉 [How to ask Sidekick in Team Chat](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat/how-to-ask-sidekick-in-team-chat). --- ## If Team Chat is missing Make sure you are using the latest version of Tabflows and refresh the page. If T**eam Chat** still does not appear, contact Tabflows Support. --- ## Get support 💬 Need help or have a question? Reach out to our Support team however works best for you: - Start a chat using the **Support** button at the bottom right of the sidebar (side tabs) - Email us at team@tabflows.com or message us right here in the chat [Book a quick 15-30 minute chat!](https://go.team.tabflows.com/meetings/nafeesa) ## Related Articles - [How to use Sidekick to review Hint Clinical information](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/sidekick/how-to-use-sidekick-to-review-hint-clinical-information) - [Using Hint Clinical with Tabflows](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/integrations/using-hint-clinical-with-tabflows) - [Using Spruce with Tabflows](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/integrations/using-spruce-with-tabflows) - [How to ask Sidekick in Team Chat](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat/how-to-ask-sidekick-in-team-chat) - [Use My chat for private notes and Sidekick questions](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat/use-my-chat-for-private-notes-and-sidekick-questions) ## Related markdown Section index: [Team chat](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat.md) Alongside this page: - [How to ask sidekick in team chat](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat/how-to-ask-sidekick-in-team-chat.md) - [Schedule and repeat messages in my chat](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat/schedule-and-repeat-messages-in-my-chat.md) - [Use my chat for private notes and sidekick questions](https://www.tabflows.com/university/library/team-chat/use-my-chat-for-private-notes-and-sidekick-questions.md) Start here: - [Tabflows](https://www.tabflows.com/index.md) - [Tabflows pricing](https://www.tabflows.com/pricing.md) - [Tabflows FAQ](https://www.tabflows.com/faqs.md) - [About Tabflows](https://www.tabflows.com/about.md) - [Contact Tabflows](https://www.tabflows.com/contact.md) - [DPC workflow software](https://www.tabflows.com/dpc-workflow-software.md) - [Directory](https://www.tabflows.com/directory.md) - [Workflows](https://www.tabflows.com/workflows.md) - [DPC finder](https://www.tabflows.com/dpc-finder.md) Every page listed in sitemap.xml has a markdown twin at the same URL with `.md` appended, or by sending `Accept: text/markdown` to the canonical URL. 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