Messaging in Referral Central lets you talk one-on-one with other Real agents, right inside Referral Central. Use it to check whether an agent is a good fit, confirm they cover your client's area, ask about their capacity, or follow up with agents who applied to your referral.
Messaging doesn't commit you to anything. Nothing is sent to an agent until you click Select Agent and complete the referral.
This article covers how to start a conversation, navigate Messages, what you can send, and why a conversation might become read-only.
Start a conversation
There are three ways to start a conversation, depending on where you are in the referral process.
| Where you start | How | Conversation type |
|---|---|---|
| Find an Agent | Open the agent's profile and click Message. | General — not tied to any referral |
| Your Referral Board applicants | Go to My Referrals > Created, open your referral, click View Applicants, choose an applicant and click Message. | Referral — tied to that referral |
| A referral you sent directly | Click the message icon on the referral card in your Created tab. | Referral — tied to that referral |
Conversations are always one-on-one. There's no way to message all of your applicants at once, and applicants can't see each other's messages.
Tip: If you start in a General conversation and decide to send that agent a referral, click Select Agent in the conversation's side panel. Your General conversation stays as it is, and the referral gets its own conversation.
Receiving a referral? If another agent refers a client to you or you apply to a referral on the Referral Board, the referring agent may message you. Those conversations appear on the Referrals tab of your Messages.
Your Messages
All of your conversations live in the Messages in the left-hand menu of Referral Central, split across two tabs:
- Referrals: conversations tied to a specific referral, labeled with the referral's nickname or location. If several applicants have messaged you about the same referral, they're grouped under that referral.
- General: conversations with other agents that aren't tied to a referral, labeled with the agent's name.
Unread conversations appear at the top. Use Search to find a conversation, or filter to Unread. The indicator at the top of Referral Central shows when you have new messages.
Open a conversation to see the messages alongside the referral details or the agent's profile. Click the info button in the top right corner to open the full referral or profile.
Note: You won't get an email when someone messages you yet, so check the unread indicator in Referral Central regularly.
What you can send
- Formatted text, emoji, GIFs and photos
- Reactions: hover over a message to react to it.
- Edits: you can edit your own messages. Edited messages show (Edited).
- Deletes: you can delete your own messages. Deleted messages are removed for everyone in the conversation.
Protect your client's privacy: Your client's name and contact details are shared only with the agent you select, on the Referral Agreement. Avoid sharing them in messages with agents you haven't selected.
When conversations become read-only
A read-only conversation stays visible in your Messages, but no one can send, react to, edit or delete messages in it.
| What happens | What changes | Can it become active again? |
|---|---|---|
| You send the agreement to one applicant | Your conversations with the other applicants become read-only | Yes, if the referral reopens |
| A referral is cancelled | All of its conversations become read-only | No |
| A direct referral expires | All of its conversations become read-only | No |
| An agent leaves Real or loses access | Your conversation with them becomes read-only | No |
Referral conversations are separate from General conversations. A referral closing or being cancelled doesn't affect your General conversations, so you can still reach those agents there, or start a new General conversation from their profile in Find an Agent.
Frequently asked questions
Does messaging an agent commit me to sending them a referral?
No. A General conversation is just a conversation. Nothing is sent until you click Select Agent and complete the referral.
Will I get an email when someone messages me?
Not yet. Watch for the unread indicator at the top of Referral Central and in your Messages.
Can I message all of my applicants at once?
No. Conversations are always one-on-one, so you'll need to message each applicant individually.
Can applicants see each other, or my conversations with other applicants?
No. Each applicant sees only their own application and their own conversation with you.
Why did my conversation with an applicant become read-only?
You sent the agreement to a different applicant, or the referral was cancelled. If the referral reopens, conversations with applicants become active again. You can also message the agent from their profile in Find an Agent.
Can I message applicants while my referral is paused?
Yes. While a Board referral is paused, you can still view your applicants and message them. No new agents can apply until you republish it.
Can I edit or delete a message after I send it?
Yes, for your own messages. Edited messages show (Edited), and deleted messages are removed for everyone.
Is there a mobile app?
Not yet. Referral Central is web-only for now. Open it from reZEN in your desktop browser.