A videoask is a great way to collect or present information using video, but if you'd like to start a new conversation with a contact you can send them a direct video message instead.
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Send a direct message to a contact
View and respond to a direct message
View conversations with contacts
When a respondent leaves their contact information in response to a videoask, they're added to your contacts directory and you have the option of replying to them with a video message. When you reply to them, your message will appear in the same conversation as their answers to your videoask.
Once someone has been added to your list of contacts, you can send them a direct message to start conversations on a new topic separate from previous responses to a videoask. Find out more about adding and editing contacts.
Send a direct message to a contact
From your VideoAsk account, click Contacts.
Select the contact you want to send a message to. You can also use the search bar instead of scrolling. If you want to send a message to somebody who hasn't yet been added to your contact list, click +Add to add their details.
Click the video icon to send a video message to your contact.
Click Record to start your video message.
If you're happy with your video message, click Yes. If you'd like to re-record, click No.
Give your new conversation a name. This will be used for the subject line of the email notification your contact will receive.
Choose whether to add any overlay text, the response answer type, the interface language, transcript language, and branding. When ready, click Send message.
💡 Tip: You can also send a direct message by clicking on a respondent's name in the interaction viewer. You'll then be taken to your contacts directory where you can view all of their responses and send them a direct message.
View and respond to a direct message
Once you send a direct message, your contact will receive an email notifying them of your video message. They can view your message by clicking the Show message button in the email notification.
💡Tip: You can easily track when respondents have viewed your direct message. After they've watched/listened to your direct message, you'll see a "Seen" status appear in the thumbnail of your message. When the respondent replies back to you, the "Seen" message will disappear.
When viewing your direct message, your contact will then be able to follow the call to action or reply to you, depending on the response answer type you have set.
See conversations with your contacts
When a contact replies to a direct message you have sent them, their response will appear in your interactions feed. You can also see conversations with contacts (and easily send a follow-up reply) from the Contacts Directory.
From your home page, click Contacts.
Select the contact you want to view.
Select the Direct Messages tab to view interactions that have been started with this contact via a direct message (as opposed to a videoask).
FAQ
I'm unable to reply to a direct message and keep receiving an error message. What's going on?
Direct messages expire after one week. This means that if a contact waits longer than a week to reply to a direct message, it won't work and they'll receive an error message saying "Oops, something went wrong."
If this happens, we recommend that the videoask creator sends a new message to the contact, who will then be able to see the message and reply.