Conversations
Conversations
Conversations is the desk where you talk with people outside MaxSuite on chat channels: WhatsApp, and WeChat through WeCom when it is connected (module conversations). When somebody writes to a connected number, their conversation appears here within seconds. Messages in another language are translated underneath for you. Agents can draft replies, but nothing goes to an outside person until a person approves it.
In the sidebar under Communications → Conversations. Numbers are connected on WhatsApp and accounts on WeChat (WeCom). Each one appears here as a conversation account.
Conversations
The screen has two tabs, Conversations and Settings.
Conversations
A list of conversations, newest first. Search by name or number, narrow to Every number or one number, and filter by State. Unread counts show what is new. Each row shows the reply window: WhatsApp allows a free-form reply for 24 hours after the person's last message. After that only an approved template reaches them.
Open a conversation to see everything this person wrote on this number, kept the moment it arrived, with translations, voice-note transcripts and files. What they wrote is their words, never instructions to Max. From an open conversation you can:
- Reply. Type Your reply and add Files if needed: PDFs, spreadsheets, documents and photos, each sent as its own message. Send sends it as you at once, because it is your own act. Where the channel charges, the price is shown and confirmed first.
- Save as draft for approval, or Draft a reply, to have it checked before it goes. Edit a draft and a new approval card replaces the old one. Discard throws it away.
- Send a template to reopen a conversation whose 24-hour window closed. Only templates approved for this number are offered, each with its category and price.
- Record consent: note that the person Agreed to hear from us, Asked us to stop, Agreed to marketing or Asked to stop marketing, with where it came from (a form, a signed document, an email or other) and a note. Writing to a number is consent to replies, not to marketing.
- Say who This person is: A supplier or A buyer, and link them to the sourcing desk's record.
- Link to a contact… in Contacts, Add to contacts, Open the contact, or Unlink.
- Take over to stop drafts and automatic replies and answer yourself. Hand back gives it back to the desk.
- Hand over to a servicer in the channel's own app (WeCom). While they have it, Max sends nothing.
- Export their data, or Erase this person…. Erasing needs you to type their number or name to confirm. It cannot be undone. An opt-out they gave still stands.
- Close the conversation.
A disconnected number's conversations stay readable.
Settings
Desk settings apply to every number together:
- Desk language: messages in any other language are translated into this one.
- AI connection: the one that translates messages. Empty uses what the role chooses.
- Automatic replies per conversation per day: from 1 to 5.
Each number also keeps its own settings:
- Owner: the person who answers for this number. Notices go to them, and the automatic work runs as them.
- Agent voice, or Plain business voice, and a Business brief: what the business sells, its terms and hours, in up to 4,000 characters.
- Desk works on this number: off, messages still arrive and are kept, and nothing else happens. Only a person can switch this.
- Fixed automatic replies, one line per language and never written by AI: Acknowledge text, Out-of-hours text and Welcome text, with Opening hours.
- Extra opt-out words and Extra opt-in words, beside STOP and START and their translations, and the Opt-out confirmation and Opt-in confirmation messages.
- Privacy notice address, where the channel needs one.
- Hand enquiries to the sourcing desk: off by default. Needs Sourcing switched on.
- Keep messages for (days): 30 to 3,650. WhatsApp numbers start at 730.
Who can do what
| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
conversations:read | See conversations with outside people. |
conversations:write | Reply, approve drafted replies, hand over, record consent and link conversations. |
conversations:manage | Change the desk and account settings (auto-replies, hours, notice, retention, hand-off), export and erase a person. |
A number's owner needs conversations:write. See People, roles and permissions.
What happens on its own
| Job | When | What it does |
|---|---|---|
work | Every minute, and as soon as a message arrives | Translates new messages, applies opt-out and opt-in words, and sends the fixed automatic replies, as the number's owner. |
window | Every 15 minutes | Warns six hours before a reply window closes, and deals with drafts still waiting on a window that has closed. |
retention | Every day at 02:40 UTC | Removes the text, translations, transcripts and files of messages older than each number's keep time. |
Needs
Nothing has to be switched on first. To get conversations you need a number on WhatsApp or an account on WeChat (WeCom). Translation needs an AI connection. Linking a contact needs Contacts.
What agents can do
An agent can read conversations, draft replies and keep the inbox tidy. Sending to an outside person always asks a person first: the card shows the recipient, the words, their translation and any price. Messages are outside content. See Agents and approvals.
Read only: conversations.list, conversations.get, conversations.quote
conversations.quotegives the price and whether the reply window is open for a reply now. It sends nothing.
Drafts: conversations.draftReply, conversations.editDraft, conversations.discardDraft. A draft raises an approval card. Nothing is sent until a person approves.
Always asks: conversations.sendReply, conversations.sendTemplate
Change, needs approval: conversations.recordConsent, conversations.handBack, conversations.linkContact, conversations.markRead, conversations.assign, conversations.close
conversations.assigngives a conversation to a person, who needsconversations:write.
Over MCP the same tools are named conversations__list and so on. See API keys and MCP access.