The Chat tab on a sourcing activity lets your team message invited suppliers, answer their questions and share files without leaving oboloo. You can talk to one supplier at a time or broadcast an announcement to all of them.

Before you start

Anyone who can view the sourcing activity can read its Chat tab, but only users who can edit the activity can send messages or mute conversations. Sending messages needs the Sourcing Plus plan; on the free plan, suppliers don't see the chat.
The Supplier Messaging panel on the Chat tab
The Supplier Messaging panel on the Chat tab

Message a supplier

Open the Chat tab

Go to Sourcing > eSourcing, open the activity and click the Chat tab. The Supplier Messaging panel lists each invited supplier, plus Broadcast to suppliers.

Choose the supplier

Click the supplier in the list on the left. Until you do, the panel shows Select a conversation.

Type your message

Type in Type your message.... To share a file, attach it before sending. Attachments can be up to 25 MB.

Click Send

Click Send or press Enter. The message appears in the conversation.

💡 Note: Each supplier has one conversation per activity, shared by your team. Any colleague who opens it sees the full history and can reply, and the same conversation continues if the activity is reopened.

Send an announcement to all suppliers

Select Broadcast to suppliers

At the top of the supplier list, click Broadcast to suppliers.

Write and send the announcement

Type your message, attach any file for everyone, and click Send. Every invited supplier receives it. They can't reply in this channel and won't see the other suppliers' names; any questions come back through their own conversation.

💡 Tip: Use broadcasts for clarifications every supplier should see, such as a corrected specification or an answer to a common question. That keeps the process fair.

Mute a conversation

Open the conversation menu

With the supplier's conversation open, click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to their name at the top. View Supplier opens their supplier record.

Click Mute Notifications

You'll stop getting notifications for that conversation. To turn them back on, choose Unmute Notifications.

What happens next

  • You're notified about unread messages: if a supplier's message is still unread after 10 minutes, the colleagues taking part in that conversation get one email and in-app notification for it. Muted conversations are skipped.

  • Suppliers are notified the same way: if your message is still unread after 10 minutes, the supplier's invited contacts are emailed.

  • Everything is kept on the record: messages and files stay on the Chat tab, and files can be opened or downloaded from the conversation.

  • After award: suppliers can no longer open the activity, so send any outcome messages before you award. See Award a Supplier Against a Sourcing Activity.

Troubleshooting

The Send button is greyed out

You can view the activity but not edit it. Ask a Sourcing Owner or your administrator for edit access.

I see an upgrade message when I send

Messaging suppliers needs the Sourcing Plus plan. See What's Included on the Free Plan and Plus Plans.

I'm not getting chat notifications

Check that the conversation isn't muted. You're only notified about messages that stay unread for 10 minutes, and only for conversations you've taken part in.

My file won't attach

Attachments are limited to 25 MB per file. Compress the file or share a smaller version.

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📌 Need Further Help?
If you need further assistance, please contact your internal platform administrator for support. Otherwise please reach out to oboloo's support team. If you are unable to view the above area in the oboloo platform, please check your user permissions and access rights.