# Sending a message to a client

> Email a client straight from CoreHue, use a saved template, fill in their first name automatically, and keep the whole conversation on their contact.

Source: https://help.corehue.co/docs/messages/sending-a-message/

Start a conversation with any contact without leaving CoreHue. Your client gets a normal email from your business name, and their reply comes back into the same thread, saved on their contact page.

> **Available on Plus and Pro**
Sending messages is included on the Plus and Pro plans. On Free you can read conversations but not send. See [CoreHue plans](/docs/plans-and-billing/corehue-plans).

## Starting a new message

1. Choose **New message**. You'll find it on the plus beside **Messages** in the sidebar, on the plus button at the bottom of your conversation list, or as **Send message** on a contact's page.
2. In **To**, search your contacts by name or email and pick one. If they aren't a contact yet, type their name or email and choose **Add "..."** to create them on the spot.
3. Write a **Subject**. It becomes the email subject your client sees and the thread's title in Messages.
4. Write your **Message**, attach anything you need, and choose **Send**.

You'll see "Message sent" and the new conversation opens in your list.

If the contact you pick has no email address, CoreHue asks you to add one before you can continue. There's nowhere to send it otherwise.

## Formatting your message

The bar above the message box covers what reads well in any inbox: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, bulleted and numbered lists, and links. On a phone the buttons fold into **Styles** and **Lists** menus. Anything fancier tends to look different in every mail app, so CoreHue keeps it simple.

## Using a saved template

If you send the same kind of message often, save it as a template once and reuse it.

1. In the message box, choose the template icon.
2. Pick a template from the **Templates** list.
3. Edit the text for this client, then send.

The template drops in after anything you've already written. If it has a subject and your subject line is empty, the subject fills in too. **Manage templates** at the bottom of the list takes you to your library. See [Email templates](/docs/templates/email-templates).

## Adding your client's name automatically

The **Variables** menu inserts details like your client's first name. Because you've already picked the recipient, the name shows in the box straight away, so what you see is what they'll get. Templates written with the first-name variable fill it in the moment you choose the template. See [Filling in client details automatically](/docs/getting-started/smart-fields).

## What your client sees

A normal email in their inbox, from your business name as set in [Business details](/docs/account/business-details-and-logo). If you haven't set a business name, CoreHue uses your own name. When they reply, the reply comes back to this thread in CoreHue. They never see an account screen or a login.

## Tips for messages that get answered

- **Answer every question they asked.** Inquiries often ask three things and get an answer to one.
- **Say what happens next**, so they know whether you need something from them.
- **Keep it short.** Most clients read on their phone.
- **Attach rather than describe.** If they asked about pricing, attach your price guide. See [Sending and receiving attachments](/docs/messages/attachments).

## Turning a conversation into work

Once you've agreed something, open the contact from the top of the thread and create the booking, proposal or invoice from there. If the conversation started as an inquiry, the inquiry itself can create them with the details carried across. See [Turning an inquiry into a booking](/docs/managing-bookings/turning-an-inquiry-into-a-booking).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I send one message to several clients at once?

No. Each message goes to one contact, so every conversation stays tied to the right person.

### Which email address do my clients see?

Your clients see your business name as the sender. When they hit reply, their answer comes back into the same conversation in CoreHue rather than landing loose in your inbox.

### Is there a keyboard shortcut to send?

Yes. In the **New message** window or an open thread, press Command+Enter on a Mac or Ctrl+Enter on Windows to send. Enter on its own starts a new line.

### What happens if I close the window halfway through?

CoreHue asks whether to discard the message first, so you won't lose a draft by accident.