---
key: use-the-communications-overview
title: Use the Communications overview
audience: staff
section: communications
routes: ["/communications"]
features: ["communications.overview"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Open the Communications overview to look up a customer, start an email, text or call, and see how many messages need a reply or are waiting on you.
keywords: [hub, inbox, unread, missed calls, voicemail, what needs a reply, start a text, start an email, dialer]
related: [find-a-conversation-across-channels, work-your-communications-queue, send-a-text-message, send-an-email]
---

In the sidebar, open **Communications**, then **Overview**. The page address is `/communications`. The page title reads **Communications Hub**.

## Steps

1. Under **Global Search**, type a customer's name, email address or phone number in **Search by name, email, or phone**. Nova searches your accounts once you have typed at least two characters and shows up to eight matches.
2. On a result, press **Open Account** to go to the customer's account, or **Quick Text** to start a text to the account's primary contact.
3. Under **Quick Actions and Queues**, press **New Email** to open Email, **New Text** to start a new text message, or **Open Dialer** to open the **Calls Desk** and place a call.
4. Press a queue tile, such as **Needs Reply**, **Unread**, **Missed Calls**, **Voicemails** or **Assigned to Me**, to open the page it counts.
5. Under **Recent Activity**, press an item to open where it happened.

## What you see

- Each queue tile shows a count. Counts above 999 read 999+.
- **Needs Reply** counts text conversations assigned to you that have unread messages. **Unread** counts unread text conversations plus unread emails in the inboxes you belong to. **Assigned to Me** counts text conversations assigned to you.
- **Missed Calls** counts inbound calls that did not connect, and **Voicemails** counts voicemails left on your lines. Both count every one on record, not only new ones.
- **Missed Calls** and **Voicemails** open the **Calls Desk** with the matching filter already on. **Needs Reply**, **Unread** and **Assigned to Me** open **Conversations** with every switch off; turn on **Needs reply**, **Unread only** or **Assigned to me** there to narrow the list. See [[find-a-conversation-across-channels]].
- **Recent Activity** shows the 20 latest texts, calls, voicemails and emails. Each row carries a channel chip (Text, Email, Call or Voicemail), a status, a title, and how long ago it happened. A text opens its **Conversation Timeline**, a call opens the **Calls Desk**, a voicemail opens the **Calls Desk** filtered to voicemail, and an email opens Email.
- When nothing has happened yet, the page reads **No recent activity yet.**
- Before you type, the search box reads **Start typing to search accounts by contact name, email, or phone.** With one character it asks you to **Enter at least 2 characters to search.**

## If something looks different

- The page reads **Search is unavailable without CRM account read access.**: your role cannot read accounts. Ask your admin.
- **Quick Text** is missing on a result: the account's primary contact has no phone number, or your role cannot send texts.
- A queue tile or quick action is missing: your role does not have access to that channel, or the channel is turned off for your organization. The page reads **No quick actions are available for your current role.** or **No queues are visible for your current communications access.** when none are left.

[[route:/communications|Open the Communications overview]]