Logging communications

A communication log is a record of a single phone call or email exchange tied to a matter. Logging your client and counterparty contact keeps a complete, searchable history on the matter, so anyone on the case can see who was contacted, when, and about what. You can also record billable time directly against a log.

Communication logs live on the Communications tab inside a matter. This page explains how to create, view, edit, archive, and search them, how to record time off a log, and how email replies thread back in automatically.

Before you begin

• Communication logs are part of a matter. Open a matter first, then go to its Communications tab. (To find a matter, see Browsing matters.)
• Your access depends on your role:
  • To open the tab and read logs, your role needs View access for communications.
  • To add a log or send an email, you need Create access. If you do not, you will not see the New button.
  • To archive or restore logs, you need Update access. To permanently delete an archived log, you need Delete access.
  • To record time against a log, your role needs Create access for time entries (activities).
  • Firm owners can do all of the above.
• Logging a communication never actually sends an email or places a call. It only records that the contact happened. To send a real email through Gmail, use Send email (covered in Sending email).

What a communication log is and why to keep one

Each log captures one exchange with two main parts:

• A type, either Email or Phone, shown as a labeled badge on every row.
• The parties: who the message was From and who it went To.

Along with the parties, a log stores the date and time, a subject line, and a body (the message text for an email, or your notes for a call).

Keeping logs gives your firm:

• A single timeline of client and counterparty contact on each matter.
• A searchable record you can pull up during a call or before a deadline.
• A starting point for billing, since you can record time straight from a log.

Record an email communication log manually

Use a manual email log to capture an email exchange that happened outside Esqase, or any email you want on the matter record without sending anything.

1. On the matter, open the Communications tab. The Logs sub-tab is selected by default.
2. Click New in the top right, then choose Email log.
3. The New email log dialog opens. Fill in the fields:
   • Date and time (required). Defaults to the current date and time in your firm's time zone. Set the Date and the Time to when the email was sent or received.
   • From (required). The sender. Pick one party (see Add and pick parties below).
   • To (required). The recipients. You can add more than one.
   • Subject. The email subject line, up to 255 characters.
   • Body. The text of the email, entered in a rich text editor. Optional, but recommended so the record is complete.
4. Click Save log.

On save, the log appears in the table with an Email badge and a status of Active, and a confirmation message reads "Communication log created."

Record a phone communication log

Use a phone log to record a call you made or received on the matter.

1. On the matter's Communications tab, click New, then choose Phone log.
2. The New phone log dialog opens. It works the same as an email log, with two differences:
   • The From and To pickers work with phone numbers rather than email addresses. When you pick a contact, Esqase uses the phone number on their record. Firm members do not have a phone number on file, so members appear greyed out in a phone log and cannot be selected. To record a call with a colleague, type their number directly.
   • The message field is labeled Notes instead of Body. Use it for what was discussed on the call.
3. Set the Date and time of the call (defaults to now), choose the From and To parties, add a Subject, and type your call Notes.
4. Click Save log.

The new row shows a Phone badge. A confirmation reads "Communication log created."

Add and pick parties (members, contacts, free-typed)

Both the From and To fields use the same party picker. You can add three kinds of parties, and you can mix them freely. The picker knows whether you are working on an email or a phone log and shows the matching contact detail.

1. Click in the From or To field. A list opens with two groups:
   • Members: people at your firm. On an email log, each member shows their email address. Members do not have a phone number on file, so on a phone log members appear greyed out and cannot be selected.
   • Contacts: the contacts saved in your firm (clients, opposing parties, and so on). Each contact shows the email on their record for an email log, or the phone number on their record for a phone log.
2. Start typing to filter the list. The field's hint reads Pick a member, contact, or type an email on an email log, or Pick a member, contact, or type a phone number on a phone log.
3. Pick a party:
   • Member or contact. Click the name. It is added as a labeled chip, and Esqase fills in the matching email or phone from their record.
   • Free-typed address or number. If the person is not a member or contact, type the full email (for an email log) or phone number (for a phone log), then either press Enter or click the Use '…' option at the bottom of the list. Esqase checks that an email looks like a valid email, and that a phone number is valid, before adding it. If what you typed is not valid, the option shows a short hint such as Enter a valid email and nothing is added until you fix it.
4. To remove a party, click the small x on its chip, or press Backspace when the field's text box is empty.

A few rules to know:

• From accepts a single party. Picking a new one replaces the current one.
• To accepts multiple parties. At least one recipient is required; the form will warn "Add at least one recipient" if you leave it empty.

View a communication full detail

For read-only logs, a View button opens the full record without letting you change it. This applies to emails sent through Gmail and to replies synced back from Gmail.

1. In the table, find the row you want and click View in its Actions column.
2. The detail dialog opens, titled Email, showing the From, To, any Cc or Bcc, the Date, the Subject, and the full Body.
3. Click Close when you are done.

Edit a log

You can edit any log you created by hand, as well as drafts of emails you started but have not sent.

1. In the table, click Edit in the row's Actions column. (If the row shows View instead of Edit, it is a read-only Gmail log and cannot be changed.)
2. The Edit email log or Edit phone log dialog opens with the current values filled in.
3. Change any field: Date and time, From, To, Subject, or Body / Notes. The same required-field rules apply (date, one From, at least one To).
4. Click Save changes.

A confirmation reads "Communication log updated," and the row refreshes.

Archive, restore, and delete a log

Archiving keeps a log out of your default view without deleting it. Deleting is permanent and is only available after a log has been archived.

Archive a single log

1. In the row's Actions column, click the More actions menu (the ... button).
2. Choose Archive.

The log's status changes to Archived and it drops out of the default list (which shows only Active logs). A confirmation reads "'<subject>' archived."

Restore an archived log

1. Show archived logs first: in the toolbar, open the Status filter and select Archived.
2. Find the log, open its More actions menu, and choose Restore.

The log returns to Active status. A confirmation reads "'<subject>' restored."

Delete an archived log

You can only delete a log that is already archived.

1. With the Status filter showing Archived, find the log.
2. Open its More actions menu and choose Delete.
3. A confirmation dialog, Delete communication log?, warns that the log "will be permanently removed. This can't be undone."
4. Click Delete log to confirm.

A confirmation reads "'<subject>' deleted."

Do several at once (bulk actions)

To archive, restore, or delete more than one log together:

1. Select the rows using the checkboxes on the left of the table.
2. A batch-actions control appears in the toolbar. Choose Archive, Restore, or Delete.
   • Archive is offered for logs that are not already archived.
   • Restore and Delete are offered for archived logs.
3. For Archive and Delete, confirm in the dialog ("Archive selected logs?" or "Delete selected logs?").

Search communications

The toolbar above the table lets you find and narrow down logs.

1. Type into the Search communications box to find logs by their subject, body, or the parties involved.
2. Use the date range filter to limit results to communications within a span of dates.
3. Use the Type filter to show only Email or only Phone logs.
4. Use the Status filter to choose which statuses appear. By default the list shows Active logs only; add Archived (or Draft) to see those too.
5. Click a column header (such as Date, Type, Subject, or Last updated) to sort by it.
6. To reset everything back to the default view, click Clear filters.

Record time or start a timer from a log, and unlink an activity from it

Each log row has a Record time column so you can bill the time you spent on that call or email without leaving the page.

Start a timer

1. Find the log's row and look at the Record time column.
2. Click Record time. A timer starts immediately and the button turns into a running clock showing elapsed time. A confirmation reads "Timer started."

This creates a time entry (an activity) linked to the matter, using the log's subject as a starting label. The timer also appears in your firm-wide running-timer indicator.

Pause, resume, and edit the entry

Once a timer exists on a log, the Record time cell shows the running time plus a small menu:

• Click the running time (the Pause button) to pause. The time entry's edit dialog opens so you can review and adjust it. A confirmation reads "Timer paused."
• Click the time again (now a Play button) to resume. A confirmation reads "Timer resumed."
• Open the cell's options menu and choose Edit manually to open the time entry and adjust its details by hand (for example, to set a duration without using the stopwatch).

Unlink (remove) the time entry from a log

If you started a timer by mistake or want to detach the activity:

1. In the log's Record time cell, open the options menu (the ... button).
2. Choose Remove.

The time entry is unlinked from the log and the cell returns to showing a Record time button. A confirmation reads "Timer removed."

Receive and view inbound Gmail replies threaded back into a log

When you send an email from Esqase through your connected Gmail account, Esqase watches that email thread. If the recipient replies, the reply is pulled back in and added to the matter's Communications tab automatically, so the back-and-forth stays in one place.

What you will see:

• New reply rows appear in the table on their own, typically within a short delay after the reply lands in Gmail. You do not have to do anything to import them.
• Each synced reply shows the sender in From, your address in To, the reply's Subject, and its date.
• Synced replies are read-only. Their Actions column shows a View button (not Edit), and opening one uses the same read-only detail dialog described in View a communication full detail.

Common questions

• Why does a row show View instead of Edit? That log came from Gmail (an email you sent through Esqase, or a synced reply). Gmail-originated logs are read-only to keep them faithful to what was actually sent and received. Logs you create by hand can always be edited.
• A reply I expected is not showing. What now? Confirm the original email was sent from Esqase through Gmail (not just logged), that the sending member's Google account is still connected, and allow a little time for the sync to run. You can also check the thread directly in Gmail.
• I do not see the New button. Your role does not include Create access for communications. Ask a firm owner or administrator to adjust your role. See Roles and permissions.

Related

• Sending email
• Notes
• Time and expense tracking
• The matter workspace
• Working with contacts
• Connecting Google (Gmail, Calendar, Meet)