Free messaging should be used when no payments happens on the platform during a transaction. The process is simple: customers send an inquiry to the provider to start a transaction. Providers can respond to the inquiry on the order details page with a message. The customer and provider can message as much or as little as needed through your marketplace.
Free messaging transaction settings are configured when you create your Listing type. Learn more about how to configure a Listing type to enable messages between users without online payment.
The rest of this article details how Free messaging transactions happen for customers, providers, and operators (admins).
Inquiring about a listing as a customer
Customers initiate transactions from the listing page. Pressing the call to action button takes them to a detail page with the listing and message input field (1). The message field cannot be left blank, customers must send a message when starting an inquiry (2). The inquiry is finalized and sent to the provider by pressing the call to action again (3). After sending the inquiry, they are transferred to the order details page where the inquiry message is shown alongside the listing and transaction timeline (4). Customers have the option to write more message (5).
The initial inquiry message triggers a notification to the provider that they received a new inquiry on your marketplace. Subsequent messages from the customer trigger a notification to the provider that they received a new message.
You can see screenshots of the process below.
Step 1: Customer starts inquiry
Steps 2-3: Customer completes inquiry
Step 4-5: Order details page, customer view
Reacting to inquiries as a provider
Providers are notified by email when a new inquiry is created on their listing. They can find the the inquiry in their Inbox. A provider's order details page includes information about the inquired listing, the inquiry message and any subsequent messages from the customer, and a timeline of the transaction (6). Providers can write back to the message (7).
Each new message triggers an email notification to the customer that they received a new message in your marketplace.
Steps 6-7: Order details page, provider view
Operator actions
There are no actions for an operator to take during this transaction. Operators can view the transaction and messages exchanged during it in Manage>Transactions in Console.
Test the transaction
You can see how Free messaging transactions work by testing in your marketplace. Follow the testing tutorial to learn how to create your test user, listing, and transaction to learn more about how your marketplace works.