Find and connect with external contacts
Use Search to find and connect with people outside of your organization. Tap on the magnifying glass at the top right of your screen, then type in the name of the person you would like to connect with. When you find the contact’s name, tap Connect (Figure 1):
Figure 1 Connect
You must wait for this request to be approved before a chat can be created with the user. You can view outgoing and incoming connection requests under the Notifications icon at the top of your chat screen.
Note: If you’re not able to see anyone externally, then you are not enabled for external communication and should speak to your internal IT team.
Note: If you can see other people externally but not the specific individual you're looking for, they may not be enabled to communicate externally on Symphony.
Identifying external contacts and chats
External contacts are indicated with orange avatar outlines and an orange EXT badge next to their name (Figure 2):
Figure 2 External chats
Note: External chats will often have a company disclaimer too.
Internal contacts who work for your firm will not have this color.
Start a chat with external contacts
External chat rooms can host up to 300 members from up to 25 different companies.
Tap + in the bottom right of the screen and select New Chat. Enter the names of the contacts you want to chat with and pressing Start. Or, start a chat room by tapping + then select Create Room. Tap Allow external members in Preferences and tap Save (Figure 3):
Figure 3 Allow external members
Note: The external contacts must be enabled for external communications.
Note: If you are chatting with more than one external company in a chat, all parties must be enabled for multi-company external chat as well.
Once saved, enter the names of the internal and external contacts you want to add to your chat room.
Add external contacts to a chat
Add external contacts to existing chat rooms by tapping the menu in the top right of your chat room. Tap Add and type the name of the contact you would like to add to your chat room. Tap Save to apply your changes.
Note: Chats must be external and you must be a room owner to add external contacts to a chat room.
Send and receive files from external contacts
Send a file by tapping the paperclip, selecting the desired file and pressing send (Figure 4):
Figure 4 Files
Note: To remove a file from the message, tap the x in the top right hand corner of the attachment.
Note: The external companies must be enabled for both external communications and external file sharing to send or receive files.
Depending on your company settings, you may not be able to send to or receive files from external contacts. If you cannot send files externally but would like to, please contact your internal IT team.
Full details on the mobile app can be found below:
If you require further assistance on mobile, please contact the Symphony Support team at support@symphony.com