The Heart of the Pondo — Your Communication Hub
Why You Need the Communication Hub
One of the hardest parts of running a business is "The Scatter." You have clients texting your personal phone, others emailing the office, and some messaging your Facebook page. It’s exhausting to keep up, and important messages often fall through the cracks.
We built The Pondo to solve this. The Communication Hub takes every single message from every different channel—SMS, Email, Facebook, and Web Chat— and puts them into one single, organized stream. No more jumping between apps; just one clear conversation with the people who matter most.
How to Get There
Accessing your Hub is simple:
On your Desktop: Look at the left-hand sidebar menu and click on Communication Hub (the speech bubble icon).
On your Phone: Open the Lead Connector app and tap the Message Bubble at the very bottom.
Managing Your "To-Do" List
When you enter the Hub, you are looking at your digital desk. To keep you from feeling overwhelmed, the system defaults to the Unread tab.
The Blue Dot: If you see a blue dot next to a name, it means that person is waiting for a response from you.
The "All" Tab: If you need to find an old conversation or review a history, just click the All tab at the top to see every interaction you’ve ever had.
Reading and Replying
When you click a person's name, their entire history appears in a Unified Thread. This is powerful because even if you text them today and email them tomorrow, it all stays in one continuous chat.
Choosing Your Channel: Before you type, look at the bottom of the screen. You can toggle between SMS (Text) and Email.
The System Remembers: If you choose Email, the system sends an email. If you choose SMS, it sends a text. You never have to leave the screen to switch methods.
Staff "Whispers" (Internal Notes)
Sometimes you need to discuss a client with your team before you reply to the client. This is where Internal Notes come in.
The Yellow Box: Click the Internal Note tab above the typing area. The box will turn Yellow.
The Rule: If the box is White, the client sees it. If the box is Yellow, it is a "whisper" that only your staff can see.
Tagging: Type the @ symbol and a teammate's name to send them a direct notification about that specific conversation.
Templates: Saving Your Time
If you find yourself answering the same questions every day (like "What are your hours?" or "How do I book?"), use a Template.
How to use: Click the small icon that looks like a Sheet of Paper in the message bar. Select your pre-written response, and it will pop into the box instantly.
Clearing Your Desk (Marking as Read)
Once you have finished helping a client, you don't want them cluttering your "Unread" list.
The Checkmark: Click the Checkmark or Opened Envelope icon at the top right.
The Result: The conversation stays saved in their profile forever, but it disappears from your "To-Do" list so you can focus on the next person.
A Simple Summary for the "Non-Techie"
Communication Hub = Your Inbox.
Blue Dot = Someone is waiting for you.
White Box = Message to the client.
Yellow Box = Private note for your team.
Checkmark = Task finished!
