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Client conversations
A client may have a rough idea, a reference they love or a question they haven't found the words for yet. Keep that conversation beside the brief as you work out the tattoo together. They can read and reply through a private emailed link without creating an InkWell account.
Open the booking conversation
Choose Message client in the booking header. Bookings created from an enquiry keep their original conversation; phone, walk-in and imported appointments have a private conversation on the booking itself. No duplicate enquiry is created. If the client has no saved email, add one in Client contact before messaging.
For an enquiry, the enquiry owner sends messages. For standalone bookings, authorised staff managing that artist’s bookings can reply. Other staff access follows their role and assigned work; changing the owner does not change the tattoo artist or book a session.
Existing client emails remain in Email history. A private conversation and the history of earlier emails are separate records.
Send a message or quote
Keep the next step easy to answer. If the brief is still broad, ask one useful question before moving to a quote. For example, you might write:
Thanks for sharing your idea. Which part of the reference do you like most: the linework, the shading or the overall shape?
- Choose Message client to ask a question, or save the price and deposit in Payments → Quote & deposit first.
- In Payments → Quotes & receipts, choose Share saved quote. This remains available after the appointment is booked; the message keeps its existing session unchanged.
- Review the saved amounts, client email and exact message, then choose Confirm and send. For a typed message, use Review message first. Before booking an enquiry, Draft reply with saved quote also opens an editable draft guarded by the saved quote version. Quotes & receipts controls are available to payment managers.
- Check that the message appears in the thread. InkWell emails the client a private link to read and reply.
Saving a quote, preparing a draft or saving a session plan does not send a message. A quote message does not collect money, agree booking terms or book the appointment. Share terms and request payment through their separate controls.
Read client replies
Read the reply in the context of the whole idea. If the client changes direction, agree what that means for the design, price or time before updating the booking.
The client opens their private link, reads the conversation and submits a reply. It appears in the same conversation in Studio. Enquiry replies enter Needs attention, including after the appointment is booked. For a phone or walk-in booking, reopen Message client on the appointment; the responsible studio operator is notified when email delivery is available.
Where email reply capture is enabled, text replies sent from the client's original email address can join the same thread. Otherwise, ask the client to use the private reply page. Do not assume every message in your studio email inbox has been copied into InkWell.
Use the conversation to agree the artist, price and time, then book the session in Session. Read Enquiries and appointments for booking and timed holds.
Manage private access
The enquiry owner, or an authorised operator on a standalone booking, opens Conversation → Manage access. Send access link queues a fresh private-link email. Revoke customer links revokes previous customer links and sessions; it does not erase saved messages.
Share a private link only with the intended client. If access expires or is revoked, send a fresh link after checking the client's address and enquiry ownership. Changing a standalone booking’s saved email revokes its previous conversation links and sessions. Archive and Spam stop further enquiry conversation activity; restore the enquiry before continuing where permitted.
Check the result
A message saved in the conversation is separate from email delivery. Email queued means waiting to send; provider acceptance does not prove that the email reached the inbox or that the client read it.
If a reply is missing, confirm the client submitted it through the correct private page, refresh the conversation and check any error shown. For a direct email reply, check whether capture is enabled and whether it came from the original client address. Contact Support with the enquiry reference if the result remains unclear.