Follow a platform request: journal and status suggestions
What the platform says about a request is filed in a journal, and Joinways suggests the status change without ever applying it on its own.
Updated
A request that comes through a booking platform keeps living on that platform. The client writes there, the proposal is sent there, the request is accepted, closed or cancelled there. The platform tells you by email, one message at a time, mixed with the rest of your inbox.
Joinways reads those emails and files each fact in a journal attached to the request. When the platform and Joinways no longer agree, Joinways suggests the status change. It never applies it on its own: your click decides.
What you will learn
- Read the "On the platform" block of a request.
- Understand the types of facts recorded.
- Handle a status suggestion.
- Find the journal in the event.
Before you start
The platform's emails must reach Joinways: through the mailbox that receives your requests, or through the mailbox you connected for your conversations. No extra setting is needed.
The "On the platform" block
Open a request that came from a platform in "Inquiries". In the request panel, the "On the platform" block lists the six latest facts, newest first, with their date. A long message expands with "Show more".
When the client has written and you have not answered yet, the block says so at the top: "Awaiting your reply since" followed by the time. The line disappears as soon as a reply, a proposal or a contract goes to the client through the platform.
The facts recorded
The list is fixed, whatever the platform:
- "Request received", "Client message", "Brief changed".
- "Proposal sent", "Proposal opened", "Contract sent".
- "Request accepted", "Request closed", "Booking cancelled", "Request expired".
- "Payment", "Request transferred", "Platform reminder".
- "You answered": a reply sent from the platform page, recorded by the Chrome extension.
- "Platform message": a platform email that fits no other type.
When the platform gives an amount, for instance for a proposal sent, it shows on the line, excluding or including tax.
When the platform and Joinways disagree
A line then appears at the top of the request, and at the top of the event page if there is one. It sets both versions side by side, for instance "Kactus: closed by the client 3 days ago" against "Joinways: hold", then offers the action that reconciles them.
- "Confirm the event": the platform reports the request as accepted, the event is not confirmed yet.
- "Mark as lost": the request is closed, cancelled or expired on the platform, the event is still open.
- "Reject the request": same situation, but the request has not been turned into an event yet.
- "Fetch the proposal": a proposal was sent on the platform, the event has none sent. The button opens the proposal import in the "Proposals" tab.
- "Ignore": the suggestion does not apply. It disappears and does not come back for that fact.
Nothing changes on its own. The journal records, Joinways suggests, you click. Until you click, the status of the request and of the event stays yours.
In the event
Once the request is converted, the event's "Conversations" tab mixes the platform facts with your emails, in chronological order. One tab per platform request shows that conversation alone. Older facts load on demand.
Recognised platforms
Joinways has no fixed list of platforms. A never-seen platform is understood from its first email, thanks to AI. With enough examples, Joinways learns its wording and recognises it without AI. Your clicks on suggestions also teach it: applying confirms the reading, ignoring corrects it.
Example
A seminar request comes through a platform. Two days later, the platform writes that the client chose another venue. In Joinways, the line "Kactus: closed by the client · Joinways: hold" appears on the event. One click on "Mark as lost" frees the date and your pipeline stays accurate, without reading the email again.
Troubleshooting
The "On the platform" block does not appear
Cause: no fact has been recorded for this request yet, or the request did not come from a platform. Fix: check that the platform's emails reach a mailbox connected to Joinways.
The suggestion is wrong
Cause: the platform's email was misclassified. Fix: click "Ignore". Joinways takes it into account for that platform's next emails.
Frequently asked questions
Can Joinways change a status without me?
No. The journal never changes a status. Only your click on a suggestion applies it.
Does the journal replace the platform's emails?
No. The emails stay in your conversations. The journal summarises them, one fact per line.
See also
Bring every event inquiry into one queue.