Overview
Communications is one place to read and reply to your email, text messages (SMS), WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger conversations, and to review your call history. Each channel only works after you connect it. Email uses your own Gmail or Outlook account, and SMS and calls use your own Twilio number.
Also called: Communications.
Nothing in Communications is sent unless a person clicks Send. AI writing and sorting tools aren't available in Communications yet.
At a glance
Communications is the inbox for email, texts, social messages, and call history. Each channel needs its own connection.
Communications holds email, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and call history.
Email needs your Gmail or Outlook account. You can connect only one of the two.
SMS and calls need your own Twilio number. WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger need Social messaging.
Nothing sends until a person clicks Send.
Before you begin
Connect the channel you want to use before you open it in Communications.
Your workspace needs an active subscription.
Email: connect Gmail or Outlook in Settings > Integrations > Connections, under Email. You sign in with Google or Microsoft directly, and Broki never asks for your password. You can connect only one of the two. Connecting Gmail disconnects Outlook email, and the other way around.
SMS and calls: you need your own Twilio number, connected under SMS Platforms on the same Connections page. Only admins can manage the Twilio connection by default. Quo and RingCentral are listed as "Developing soon" and can't be connected.
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger: connect each one under Social messaging on the Connections page.
To view teammates' inboxes from the hub, you need to be an admin.
Step-by-step instructions
These steps cover switching channels, email, text messages, social replies, calls, and inbox sharing.
Open Communications and switch channels
Open Communications from the sidebar and pick the channel you want to work in.
In the sidebar, click Communications.
Pick a channel at the top: Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, or Calls.
Use the search box at the top to search the current channel.
Read and organize email
Read and organize email in the folders on the left, then use the buttons on an open email or on a selection.
In Email, pick a folder: Inbox, Unread, Starred, Sent, Drafts, Archived, Spam, or Trash.
Click an email to open the conversation.
Use the buttons at the top of the email to Archive, Report spam, Move to trash, or Snooze it.
To act on several emails, tick their checkboxes. Then use the bulk buttons to mark them read or unread, archive, snooze, report as spam, or trash them.
Click Refresh to pull new mail from Gmail or Outlook right away.
Marking an email read, unread, or starred is copied back to your Gmail or Outlook mailbox. Archive, Spam, and Trash only organize the email inside Broki. Snooze is cleared when you reload or leave the page.
Write, reply, or forward an email
Write, reply, or forward an email from Compose or from an open email. It sends from your connected mailbox when you click Send.
Click Compose, or open an email and choose Reply, Reply all, or Forward.
Add recipients and a subject. Send stays disabled until both are filled in.
You can choose a signature, insert a variable, attach files, and open Templates to insert a saved email template.
Before you continue: check the recipients. The email goes out from your own Gmail or Outlook address as soon as you click Send.
Click Send.
Drafts save automatically while you type and appear in Drafts. When you forward an email, its original attachments come with it. Wait until "Attaching files…" finishes before you send.
Link an email to a contact
Link an email to a contact so the conversation is tied to the right person.
In the email list, click Add or link contact next to the sender.
Create a new contact from the sender, or link the email to an existing contact.
Send and reply to text messages
Send a text message from an existing SMS conversation or from a new phone number. The text goes out from your Twilio number.
In SMS, pick a conversation, or start a new one and enter the Phone number.
Type your message.
Before you continue: texts go out immediately from your Twilio number and can't be recalled.
Click Send.
Use the filters on the left to see All Conversations, Unread, Pinned, Archived, Automation (texts sent by automations), and Muted conversations. To link a text conversation that isn't linked yet, click the avatar and create or link a contact.
Reply on WhatsApp, Instagram, or Messenger
Reply on WhatsApp, Instagram, or Messenger after that channel is connected under Social messaging.
Pick the channel.
If it isn't connected yet, you'll see a message such as "You have not connected WhatsApp yet. Connect it in Settings → Integrations." Click the button to go there.
Once connected, open a conversation, type your reply, and send it.
Review call history
Review call history to see incoming, outgoing, and missed calls, and to play or download a recording.
Click Calls to see your incoming, outgoing, and missed calls.
Search with Search call history.
If a call was recorded, click Play recording or Download recording.
Click Load older to see earlier calls.
Share your inbox with a teammate
Share your inbox so a teammate can read it, and optionally reply from your address or delete mail forever.
Go to Settings > My Account > Preferences and find Inbox sharing.
Select a teammate.
Choose what they can do. They can always read your inbox. Add Reply and organize to let them send from your mailbox, mark mail read, star, archive, trash, and restore. Add Delete forever to let them permanently remove mail that's already in Trash.
Before you continue: with Reply and organize, emails they send go out from your address.
Click Share.
To change access later, toggle Reply or Delete forever on their name, or click the X to revoke it. A shared inbox appears in the Mailbox dropdown on the teammate's Email toolbar.
View a teammate's channels
Admins can view a teammate's email and SMS from the avatars in Communications.
In Communications, click a teammate's avatar in the top row.
Their email opens read-only, unless they've shared their inbox with you using Reply and organize. Their SMS is read-only.
Click your own avatar to switch back.
Practical examples and other ways to use it
These examples cover linking a new sender, covering time off, and checking automation texts.
New sender. A borrower writes from a personal address you haven't seen before. Use Add or link contact to link the email to their existing contact, so the conversation is tied to the right person.
Vacation cover. Before you leave, share your inbox with a teammate using Reply and organize. Revoke it when you're back.
Quick text follow-up. After a call, open SMS, find the borrower, and send a reminder about the outstanding document.
Reviewing automations. Use the Automation filter in SMS to check which texts your automations sent.
Inbox zero. Tick everything you've handled and archive it in bulk.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
These mistakes disconnect the wrong mailbox, lose a snooze, or send a text from the wrong place.
Connecting Gmail and then Outlook. Only one email account can be connected, so the second one disconnects the first. Reconnect the one you want in Settings > Integrations > Connections. Pick one mailbox per person.
Relying on Snooze across sessions. Snoozed emails come back if you reload or leave the page. Use Starred or a task in the Task Hub for anything you must follow up on.
Assuming a shared Twilio number. Each person sends from their own Twilio number. Without one, texts fail. Ask your admin to connect a number for you before you use SMS.
Texting from a teammate's view. When an admin views a teammate's SMS, it's read-only. Switch back to your own avatar to reply.
Clicking delete twice in Trash without meaning to. In Trash, the second click deletes forever ("Click again to delete forever"). Move mail you might need to Archived instead.
Troubleshooting
Use this section when email will not load or send, a text fails, or a social channel says it is not connected.
"No emails found — Sync your Gmail to get started"
This message appears when Communications has no mailbox to show, or mail has not been pulled yet.
Possible causes
No email account is connected.
No sync has happened yet.
Check first
Look at the toolbar. A Gmail or Outlook label shows when a mailbox is connected.
To fix
Connect Gmail or Outlook in Settings > Integrations > Connections.
Return to Communications > Email and click Refresh.
Confirm it worked
Your recent emails appear in Inbox.
Contact support if
The mailbox is connected and stays empty after a refresh. Send the provider name, the time, and a screenshot.
"The mailbox owner has no connected Gmail or Outlook account to send from."
This message appears when you try to send from a shared inbox whose owner has no mailbox connected.
Possible causes
You're viewing a shared inbox, and its owner disconnected their email.
To fix
Ask the owner to reconnect Gmail or Outlook.
Refresh the page.
Confirm it worked
Compose is enabled on their mailbox.
Contact support if
The owner is connected and the message stays.
"This mailbox was shared with you read-only."
This message appears when a shared inbox does not include permission to reply.
Possible causes
The owner shared their inbox without Reply and organize.
To fix
Ask the owner, or an admin, to turn on Reply for you in Settings > My Account > Preferences > Inbox sharing.
Confirm it worked
Compose appears for that mailbox.
Contact support if
Reply is on and you still can't send.
"Failed to send message"
This message appears when a text message did not send.
Possible causes
You don't have your own Twilio number connected.
The phone number is invalid.
Twilio rejected the message.
Check first
Make sure the number has at least 10 digits. You'll see "Enter a valid phone number" if it doesn't.
To fix
Ask your admin to connect your Twilio number under SMS Platforms in Settings > Integrations > Connections.
Send the message again.
Confirm it worked
Your message appears in the conversation. Always check the conversation itself: in an existing conversation, a success message can appear even when the text didn't go out.
Contact support if
Your number is connected and texts still fail. Send the borrower name (not the phone number), the time, and a screenshot.
"You have not connected Instagram yet. Connect it in Settings → Integrations."
This message appears when Instagram is not connected. The same message appears for WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Possible causes
The channel isn't connected for your workspace.
To fix
Click the button on the message, or go to Settings > Integrations > Connections > Social messaging.
Connect the channel.
Confirm it worked
Conversations load, or the screen shows "No Instagram conversations" until someone messages you.
Contact support if
You see "Could not check the Instagram connection. Reload to try again." after reloading.
"Could not update the mailbox; try again"
This message appears when a read or star change could not be saved to Gmail or Outlook.
Possible causes
Gmail or Outlook couldn't be reached, or your connection expired.
To fix
Click Refresh.
If it keeps happening, reconnect your email in Settings > Integrations > Connections.
Confirm it worked
The read or star change shows in both Broki and Gmail or Outlook.
Contact support if
It fails after you reconnect.
Tips and best practices
These tips keep conversations tied to contacts and keep coverage in place before you are away.
Link emails and texts to contacts as they come in, so each conversation is tied to the right person.
Use Templates in the composer for replies you send often.
Share your inbox before time off, not after.
Search the current channel with the top search box before you start a new conversation.
Limitations and important behavior
These limits cover which accounts send mail and texts, what syncs, and what admins can do in a teammate's channels.
Email works with Gmail or Outlook only, one per person.
SMS and calls work with Twilio only. Each person needs their own Twilio number.
Snooze is temporary and is cleared when you reload or leave the page.
Archive, Spam, and Trash are Broki folders. They don't move the email in Gmail or Outlook.
AI rewrite, "Polish with AI", and AI sorting aren't available. Nothing is drafted, scheduled, or sent automatically from Communications. Texts sent by your automations are labelled Automation.
Only admins see teammates' avatars in the hub. Viewing a teammate's email is read-only unless they shared it with Reply and organize, and SMS is always read-only.
The teammate view applies to Email and SMS. WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger always show the connected account's conversations.
Spam has no count badge.
The export menu isn't available.
Frequently asked questions
These are questions people ask about the sending address, AI replies, and shared inboxes.
Does Broki send emails from my own address? Yes. Emails go out through your connected Gmail or Outlook account.
Can the AI reply to clients for me? No. There's no AI drafting or auto-reply in Communications. A person must write the message and click Send.
Can two people share one inbox? Yes. The owner shares it from Settings > My Account > Preferences > Inbox sharing. An admin can also manage sharing for the organization there.
Why can't I reply to a teammate's text messages? Admin viewing is read-only for SMS. The teammate has to reply from their own account.
Where are conversations for a single mortgage file? Open the file and go to its Communications tab. See Communications tab.
Related articles
These articles cover the file Communications tab, mailbox connections, signatures, templates, and automations.