# Reply to a Flow chat from Circle: read who sent what, answer, make a task

> In SkedX CRM, a customer chat from SkedX Flow opens in Circle's chat window (the dock) and is drawn by Flow's own conversation pane — the same bubbles, cards and states as the Flow inbox and the CRM Inbox. Each message your side sent says who sent it: a teammate, the AI, an automation and its step, a campaign, or the phone, Facebook or Instagram app. A team note shows as a note, not as a message the customer got. A message WhatsApp held back is grey with why (no Retry, you are not charged); a message that failed is marked Not delivered with its next step. Type in the box at the bottom to reply; the window strip says whether a free reply is allowed or a template is needed. Type / to pick a quick reply, with its details filled in, and use the note switch to write a note only your team sees. Hover a message for Make a task (a task with the message's words), Make a decision, Make an enquiry (the new-enquiry form for this person, with the message as its description), Start a project, or Remove for me (hides it from your own view, with Undo; the customer still has it).

Product: SkedX CRM · Topic: Inbox · Draft — steps not yet re-verified in the live product

Circle's window shows a customer chat exactly as the Flow inbox does, so you can read and answer it without leaving what you are doing.

## Step 1: Open the chat

Click the **Skode Circle** pill at the bottom right, open the **Flow** tab and click a customer. The chat opens in its own window beside the list.

## Step 2: Read who sent what

Above each message your side sent, a line says who sent it — a teammate, **AI**, an automation and its step, an integration such as the **API** or **Zapier**, a **Campaign**, or the **Phone app**, **Facebook app** or **Instagram app**. A team note is a note only your team sees. Cards — products, forms, bookings, orders, shared posts — show as cards.

## Step 3: Reply

Type in the box at the bottom and press **Enter**. Your reply shows at once and gets its ticks when the channel confirms it. Type **/** to pick a quick reply; its details fill in before you send. The note switch turns the box into a team note that only your team sees, and you can write one after the 24-hour window has closed. When the window has closed, the strip above the box says so and **Send a template** is the way to reach the customer.

## Step 4: Turn a message into work, or remove it for you

Hover a message. **Make a task** adds a task with its words, for you. **Make a decision** asks for a decision on it; while it waits, the message offers **Mark decided** and it is listed in Actions. **Make an enquiry** opens the new-enquiry form for this person, with the message as its description. **Start a project** starts a project from it. **Remove for me** hides it from your own view, with **Undo**; the customer still has it.

## Common questions

### Is this the same as the Inbox and the Flow inbox?

Yes. All three draw the same pane from Flow, so a message reads the same in each.

### Does the customer see a note, task or decision I make here?

No. Notes, tasks, decisions, enquiries and projects stay inside SkedX. Only what you send from the reply box reaches the customer.

### A message says Held back by WhatsApp

WhatsApp decided not to deliver it; nothing is wrong with your message and you are not charged. See [Why WhatsApp held back some of your messages](https://skode.ai/help/flow/templates/why-whatsapp-held-back-some-messages/).

### Can I send a reaction or quote a message from Circle?

Not yet — reactions a customer sends show here, and sending them and quoting are in the Flow inbox for now.

Videos and screenshots © 2026 SkedX, with sample data only. Share and link to them freely; copying the SkedX product or its design is not allowed. Terms: https://skode.ai/terms/

## Related guides
- Set up your Inbox in SkedX CRM: channels, who becomes a record, the side panel, templates: https://skode.ai/help/crm/inbox/connect-your-inbox-in-skode-crm/
- What you see in a Flow conversation: every message as your customer saw it: https://skode.ai/help/flow/inbox/what-you-see-in-a-flow-conversation/
- Why WhatsApp held back some of your messages: https://skode.ai/help/flow/templates/why-whatsapp-held-back-some-messages/

Source: https://skode.ai/help/crm/inbox/reply-to-a-flow-chat-from-circle/