---
title: Turn On Team Chat
description: Turn on team chat in Settings › Workflow › Approvals & Alerts so staff and technicians can use direct messages, channels and the Tech Support channel.
---
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# Turn On Team Chat
## Switch on direct messages, channels and the Tech Support channel for your shop, and add the people who answer technicians' help requests.
**For:** Admins · **Time:** ~2 minutes
### Quick summary
1. Open **Settings › Workflow › Approvals & Alerts**.
2. On the **Service Order Settings** card, click **Edit**.
3. Under **Team Communication**, turn on **Enable internal direct messages, channels, and senior technician inquiries**.
4. Click **Save**.
5. Add the people who should answer technicians' help requests to the **Tech Support** channel.
### Before you start
- You need access to **Settings › Workflow**.
- Decide who will answer technicians' help requests, for example your most experienced technicians or service writers.
### Turn on team chat
1. Click **Settings**, then **Workflow**.
2. Stay on the **Approvals & Alerts** tab.
3. On the **Service Order Settings** card, click **Edit**.
4. Under **Team Communication**, switch on **Enable internal direct messages, channels, and senior technician inquiries**.
5. Click **Save**.
When you save, the card shows **Internal team chat is On**.
> This card also holds your approval switches. Change only the Team Communication switch unless you mean to change an approval. See [Configure Approval Options](https://support.metafleet.ai/configure-approval-options?hsLang=en).
### Find team chat
Once the switch is on, a **Team Chat** group appears in the left menu with a **Conversations** link. Technicians on a phone get a **Chat** tab in the bottom bar.
The chat list on the left has a **Direct messages** section and a **Channels** section. Each has a **+** button. Whether a person can start a direct message or a channel depends on their role.
The **Chat** link under Service is a separate page.
### Set up the Tech Support channel
Team chat includes one standing channel called **Tech Support**. When a technician raises a help request on a job, it posts to this channel with a link to the service order. People in the channel can open that order to help, even if they aren't assigned to it.
1. Open team chat and find **Tech Support** under **Channels**.
2. Add the people who should answer, the same way you add people to any channel. The channel starts with no members.
The Tech Support channel can't be archived or deleted. The switch still says "senior technician inquiries". Those requests go to this channel.
### Turn team chat off
1. Open **Settings › Workflow › Approvals & Alerts** and click **Edit** on the **Service Order Settings** card.
2. Switch off **Enable internal direct messages, channels, and senior technician inquiries**.
3. Click **Save**.
The **Team Chat** group leaves the left menu, and the **Chat** tab leaves the phone bottom bar. The card shows **Internal team chat is Off**.
### Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| There is no Team Chat in the left menu | The switch is off, or the page has not reloaded | Check that the card shows **Internal team chat is On**, then reload the page. |
| Technicians' help requests get no answer | Nobody has been added to the Tech Support channel | Add the people who should answer to **Tech Support**. |
### FAQs
**Who can use team chat once it is on?**
Staff and technicians who sign in to MetaFleet see it in their own menu. Starting direct messages and channels depends on the person's role.
**Do I need to turn on anything else?**
No. One switch covers direct messages, channels and the Tech Support channel. Then add people to Tech Support.
### Related articles
- [Turn a Chat Into a Service Order](https://support.metafleet.ai/turn-a-chat-into-a-service-order?hsLang=en)
- [Configure Approval Options](https://support.metafleet.ai/configure-approval-options?hsLang=en)
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