Africa Conglomerate ← All Guides
Guides /Communications /Communication & Notifications

💬 Communication & Notifications

⏱ 10 min read 📋 7 steps 🎯 Beginner 👥 All Users

Learn how to send and receive messages, manage conversations with buyers and sellers, configure your notification preferences, and set quiet hours so you stay informed without being overwhelmed.

Before you begin
  • A verified Africa Conglomerate account
  • At least one active order or catalog listing to message about (recommended)

Part 1 — Sending & Receiving Messages

The Africa Conglomerate messaging system lets buyers and sellers communicate directly within the platform — no external email or phone calls needed. All messages are linked to the relevant order or product for context.

1

Access the Communications Centre

Click the Messages icon (speech bubble) in the top navigation bar. The Communications Centre lists all your active conversations, sorted by most recent activity.

📸 Screenshot: Communications Centre — Conversation List Shows the messaging panel with a list of conversations on the left (each showing counterparty name, last message preview, and timestamp) and the message thread on the right. /static/guides/images/comms/01-comms-centre.png
2

Start a New Conversation

You can start a conversation from two places:

  • From an Order — open the order detail page and click Message Seller (buyers) or Message Buyer (sellers). The conversation is automatically linked to that order.
  • From a Product Page — click Ask a Question to send a pre-sale inquiry to the seller.
📸 Screenshot: "Message Seller" Button on Order Detail Shows the order detail page with the "Message Seller" button highlighted in the action panel on the right side. /static/guides/images/comms/02-message-seller-button.png
3

Write and Send a Message

In the conversation thread, type your message in the text box at the bottom. You can also:

  • Attach files (PDF, images) up to 10 MB per attachment
  • Reference a specific order line item using the @ mention
  • Use the template picker for common messages (e.g. "Please confirm shipment date")

Press Enter or click Send to send the message.

📸 Screenshot: Message Composer Shows the conversation thread with previous messages and the message composer at the bottom, including the attach file icon and send button. /static/guides/images/comms/03-message-composer.png
Tip All messages are permanently stored and can be reviewed by platform administrators in the event of a dispute. Keep communications professional and on-topic.

Part 2 — Managing Notification Preferences

Africa Conglomerate sends notifications for key events — new messages, order updates, approval requests, payment reminders, and more. You can control exactly which notifications you receive and how.

4

Open Notification Settings

Go to Account → Settings → Notifications. You will see a list of notification categories, each with toggles for Email, In-App, and SMS (where supported).

📸 Screenshot: Notification Settings Page Shows the notification settings page with categories (Messages, Orders, Approvals, Payments, System) and three toggle columns (Email, In-App, SMS) for each. /static/guides/images/comms/04-notification-settings.png
5

Configure Per-Category Preferences

For each notification category, enable or disable each channel:

  • Messages — new messages in your conversations
  • Order Updates — status changes on your orders
  • Approvals — pending approval requests (approvers) or decision notifications (buyers)
  • Payments — payment confirmations, invoices due, refund updates
  • Catalog — low stock alerts (sellers)
  • System — platform announcements and maintenance notices
📸 Screenshot: Notification Toggles Configured Shows the same settings page with some toggles turned on and some off, demonstrating a typical configuration for a B2B buyer. /static/guides/images/comms/05-notification-toggles.png
6

Set Quiet Hours

Scroll to the Quiet Hours section. Enable quiet hours and set a time window during which in-app and SMS notifications are suppressed. Email notifications are batched and sent when quiet hours end.

  • Quiet Hours Start — e.g. 9:00 PM
  • Quiet Hours End — e.g. 7:00 AM
  • Timezone — auto-detected from your browser; adjust if needed
📸 Screenshot: Quiet Hours Configuration Shows the Quiet Hours section with a toggle to enable it, start/end time pickers, and a timezone selector. /static/guides/images/comms/06-quiet-hours.png
Note Urgent notifications (e.g. payment failures, security alerts) are always delivered immediately, regardless of quiet hours settings.
7

View Your Notification History

Click the Bell icon in the top navigation to open the in-app notification panel. All recent notifications are listed here. Unread notifications are highlighted. Click any notification to navigate directly to the relevant order, message, or approval.

📸 Screenshot: In-App Notification Panel Shows the notification dropdown with a list of recent notifications — some unread (bold, highlighted background) and some read (grey). Each has an icon, title, and timestamp. /static/guides/images/comms/07-notification-panel.png
Tip Click Mark All as Read at the top of the notification panel to clear your unread count without having to open each notification individually.

What's Next?

👤 Account Setup 🛒 Orders & Checkout 💳 Payments & Invoicing