Using Chatter to Communicate

This document discusses how to use Salesforce's Chatter functionality to communicate with office colleagues.

Chatter is Salesforce's internal communication tool - it helps us communicate to one another as we manage our recruitment and student inquiries.

Sending Chatter Messages

You may have noticed that Chatter has its own app, located on the menu bar of the Recruiting App or in the App Launcher menu. Some organizations use Chatter as their primary means of instant messaging. Because we don’t use Chatter as a means of communication outside of a specific object, we usually do not use the Chatter app to send messages. Instead, we send Chatter messages within a specific object. Chatter is embedded in all our Account, Contact, and Campaign object records, located on the right side of each record.
An image of Chatter and Activity functions in Contact, Campaign, and Account records

Chatter usually comes with three tabs - Post, Poll, and Question. We only use the Post tab, even when we’re asking questions. This is because you cannot @ people in the question tab. In the image below you can see an example of the team members using the Chatter Post feature to discuss a college fair. When you want a teammate to see your Chatter message, you need to @ them in the body of the post, as the example below demonstrates. 
An image of the Chatter widget of a campagin with a post from Thomas Fizgerald (hyperlined to account) on February 21, 2025 at 1:08pm. Post reads: @Malik Farr (hyperlink to account) recommend we attend this 3rd expo day. @Benjamin Chapman (hyperlined to account) recommended counselor

Cases also have the Post function, within the communication widget located just under Details in the right-center pane.
An image of the top of the Details tab of a Case with the Email, Quick Internaction, Post, and Quick Case Update tabs. The Post tab is displayed with a text box that has the words "Share an update..."

Receiving and Responding to Chatter Messages

How do you know if you’re received a Chatter message? An easy way to see recent notifications is the little bell icon in the upper right of your Salesforce screen. It will show a red number when you have one or more new notifications and when you click on the bell then open below, as the image below demonstrates.
Image of the upper right corner of the Salesforce screen. The bell icon has the number one on it and is circled in red. Below the bell is a small Notifications popup window displaying a test message.

Another way to see your messages is through the Chatter app, found on the Recruiting App’s menu bar, or in the App Launcher menu. Because Salesforce wants organizations to use Chatter as their dominate instant messaging tool, Chatter is literally all around us in Salesforce.
A screenshot of the upper left corner of Salesforce showing the first three items on the Recruiting menu, with Chatter boxed in red. The nine dots of the App Launcher are also boxed in red, as is Salesforce Chatter in the dropdown App Launcher menu.

Because Chatter is not OAR's main instant messaging tool, most of us are not actively checking for Chatter messages in Salesforce. Instead, we rely on emails telling us we have new Chatter messages. Please see How to Modify Chatter Email Settings to ensure you are receiving Chatter messages through email. Chatter messages arrive in your Outlook inbox from "Chatter Notification". 
An image of the upper left corner of an Outlook inbox with one message in the preview pane. The message is from Chatter Notification.

Opening the message, you will see a number of hyperlinks. The hyperlinks of the name of the person who sent you the Chatter and of your name are not useful, as they take you to the person's account. The other two hyperlinks are more useful. One will take you to the case or object that is the subject of the Chatter message and the other will take you directly to the Chatter post in Salesforce. Here are a couple examples, with the applicable hyperlinks circled.
A screenshot of and Outlook message that contains a Salesforce Chatter message. The message concerns a case, with the case number hyperlinked and the name of the person who sent the Chatter hyperlinked. The message reads: "@Emilie Dickson Here's a special case for you - let me know if you would like me to respond". Below the message is a blue box that says View/Comment, and the words "or reply to this email".

A screenshot of and Outlook message that contains a Salesforce Chatter message. The message concerns a campaign, with the campaign name hyperlinked and the name of the person who sent the Chatter hyperlinked. The message reads: "@Emilie Dickson this event conflicts with app review training. It is on our campus and would consider it highly important that we attend. Do you have a suggestion about how to proceed?". Below the message is a blue box that says View/Comment, and the words "or reply to this email".

Fun fact, you can also reply to the Chatter Notification email in Outlook and your response will be posted in the applicable Salesforce Chatter.

Using Chatter in Campaigns

All Campaigns, regardless of type, have a Chatter and Activity pane on the right side of the screen. This area enables us to communicate with our teammates. Chatter comes by default with three tabs - Post, Poll, and Question. We only use the Post tab. In the image below you can see that I’ve posted twice - the first time to document my work on RepVisits and the second time to ask a teammate a question (yes, we use the Post tab to ask questions, even though there’s a Question tab, it’s cool). When you want a teammate to see your Chatter, you need to @ them in the body of the post, as the example below demonstrates. This will usually result in your teammate receiving an email with the Chatter message, depending on their Chatter settings. See the Chatter section in this guide for more information about Chatter.
A screenshot of a the right Chatter pane of a Campaign. The Chatter Post area is circled. The name of the person chatted is circled. Below chatter, the Files area is circled.

The image above also highlights the Files area that is included in the right pane of all campaigns. Files are also included in the Related tab, but having it along the right side enables easy access to things like school visit confirmation correspondence or fair arrival and setup instructions.



Keywords:
email, e-mail, IM, instant message, messaging, post, Outlook,
Doc ID:
151444
Owned by:
Emilie D. in Office of Admissions and Recruitment
Created:
2025-06-03
Updated:
2025-07-16
Sites:
AdmissionsRecruitment-internal