The rule
When a customer messages you in the app Inbox, reply — aim for 1–2 hours, whether the message just came in or has been sitting for a while. A message after you're done for the day can wait until morning. You're notified by push, SMS, and email, but only an actual reply in the Inbox counts as a response.
What you need to know
- The app Inbox is where messages arrive and where you reply.
- Menu, then Settings, then Notifications — under "Customer Messages," turn on Email, Text Message, or Push Notification.
- "Response Needed" is a label right on the Inbox conversation for a message you haven't replied to yet — any reply clears it.
Why it matters
An unresponsive Pro is one of the most common reasons customers contact Support — a fast, genuine reply is what keeps that relationship solid before a missed message turns into a complaint. The 1–2 hour standard doesn't get stricter for an older message — it's one standard either way.
What counts as a violation
None of these carry a tier or job-distribution penalty — they're patterns to avoid because they read as no response at all, to the customer and to Support:
- Leaving a message unanswered past 1–2 hours with no acknowledgment at all (next-morning is fine for a message that came in after you're done for the day).
- Replying anywhere other than the app Inbox — a reply to the text doesn't reach your customer. Tap the link in the text, or open your Inbox in the app, and reply there.
- Treating opening or reading a message as the same as responding to it — only an actual reply counts.
Consequences
Response time has no tier or job-distribution effect. Customers rate a completed job, never a message — but a slow reply can still leave them unhappy with the service.
What to do instead
- When you're notified of a new message, open the menu (three lines, top left), then tap "Inbox," then the customer's conversation. From a job, you can also tap "View Job Details," then the message icon at the top right.
- Read the full message before replying.
- Reply within 1–2 hours if you can, or by the next morning if it came in after you're done for the day.
- If you can't send a full reply yet, send a brief acknowledgment, then follow up with more detail as soon as you can.
If something goes wrong
Missing messages, or notifications not showing up? Check Menu → Settings → Notifications → Customer Messages, and check the Inbox directly — don't rely only on alerts arriving.
Customer says you never responded, but you did? Make sure your reply was sent from the app Inbox. A reply to the text doesn't reach your customer. Tap the link in the text, or open your Inbox in the app, and reply there. Also, some messages are held for a quick review before delivery — if that happened to yours, it exists on your end but hasn't reached the customer. Contact Pro Support in the app to check on it.
"It won't let me reply to my customer" Sometimes the conversation says "You do not have an active conversation with this customer. This is an archive of your conversation." That means you no longer have this customer in the app. You can still read it, but you can't send new messages. If you still need to reach them about a job you did, contact Pro Support in the app. Have the customer's name, the address, and the job date ready.
Your outcome
Replying promptly and from the Inbox keeps you and the customer on the same page and helps you avoid one of the most common reasons customers contact Support. Response time doesn't affect your tier or which jobs you're offered.
What to tell the customer
If a customer says your reply is late, you can tell them: Pros aim to reply within 1–2 hours, and messages sent outside daylight hours may not get a reply until the next day. If it's been longer than that with no response, point them to customer support.
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