Student messages: answer questions from the chat and by email
Students write to your academy from the chat in their area; you get an email and reply from one inbox, with a filter for conversations still waiting for an answer. Your reply also reaches them by email.
On this page
In this guide
- How a student writes to you and what they see.
- Get an email for every new message.
- Reply from the inbox and keep track of what's not answered.
- The auto-reply, deleted students and sending announcements.
Example: Ava, a Grade 10 student, writes on Sunday night: "I can't find the answer key for Problem Set 2.3, is it posted yet?". You get an email, reply from the panel on Monday morning and Ava gets your answer in the chat and in her inbox.
How students write to you
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From "Questions?" in their area
In the student menu, Questions? opens your FAQs and, below them, "Can't find what you're looking for?" with the Open support chat button.
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They write in the chat
The chat page (Contact channel) has a box "Write your question here..." and a Send button. Messages are text only, up to 5,000 characters. Students without paid access can use it too, so they can ask before buying.
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They get an automatic confirmation
If it's their first message, or their previous one was more than 7 days ago, the chat adds an automatic reply: "We have received your message. We will get back to you as soon as possible."
Tip: answer the same question once
If several students ask the same thing ("When is the next SAT exam?"), add it in Courses → FAQs. It shows up on their Questions? page, right above the chat button.
Private subject messages
At the top of their chat, students choose who they write to: Academy or one of their subjects that has a teacher (they see the teacher's name). Each teacher sees and answers only the conversations of their subjects in Student messages, with a counter and the bell, and gets the email notice. You, as admin, see messages to the academy and those of subjects with no teacher assigned; a teacher's private chats stay private.
Get an email for every message
Each new message is emailed to your academy's Support email, with the subject "New message from Ava - Your Academy", the text of the message and a Reply button that opens the conversation in the panel.
Set that address in My academy → Designer → Appearance → Brand identity, under Support email ("It receives contact and support notices from your students."). See Design your student area.
No support email, no notices
If Support email is empty, messages still arrive in the panel, but nobody is notified by email. Check the inbox regularly or fill in the address.
Reply from the inbox
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Open Student messages
Go to Communication → Student messages, or click Open inbox on the panel's home page. On the left you have all conversations, newest first, with the last message and its time; a dot marks the ones Not answered.
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Filter and search
Switch between All and Not answered (each with its count), or type in Search student or message to find a name, an email or a word in the last message. The auto-reply doesn't count as an answer: the conversation stays in Not answered until you write.
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Write your reply
Pick a conversation, write in "Write your reply..." and press Enter (or Submit response). Shift + Enter adds a new line. Up to 5,000 characters.
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The student gets it twice
Your reply appears in their chat and is also emailed to them ("Reply from Your Academy") with a View conversation button. Use View profile at the top of the conversation to open the student's record.
Who can answer
Teachers have Student messages with only their subjects' conversations. The chat isn't live: new messages show when you open or reload the page, so keep the email notices on.
Deleted students
If you remove a student from your academy, their conversation is kept as Deleted student, without name or email, and becomes read-only: "This student is no longer in your academy: the conversation is read-only." It's kept for 3 years and then deleted automatically. See Privacy, cookies and student data.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start a conversation with a student?
No. A conversation starts when the student writes from their area. To reach students who haven't written, use email.
Can I send an announcement to all students?
Messages are one-to-one. For announcements to many students (a schedule change, the date of the next exam), use Email marketing and automations.
Can students attach files?
No, the chat is text only. For homework with files, use Assignments.
Which plan includes Messages?
All plans, including Free.
Follow this guide in your own academy
Create it free in a couple of minutes and keep your admin panel open next to this guide.
Open a ticket from Help → Support in your panel: we reply within 24–48 h depending on your plan.