Before using email and SMS through the Shepherd Connect Communication Center, review your communication settings. SMS configuration from your existing Shepherd setup carries over automatically. Email must be enabled and configured before your practice can send and receive emails through Shepherd Connect.

Navigate to: Admin > Client Communication

SMS configuration carries over automatically — no additional setup is required if your practice already uses SMS in Shepherd.

Your existing SMS number and registration remain in place when you begin using the Communication Center.

Email must be enabled before your practice can send or receive email through Shepherd Connect.

Email does not activate automatically. Until it is enabled, the email channel will not be available in the Communication Center.

Your practice email address is auto-generated after enabling email and may take a few minutes to appear. Allow a few minutes for Shepherd to complete the setup in the background before the address appears.

The Messaging permission has been renamed Communications.

No reconfiguration is needed — existing permissions carry over automatically. Users who previously had Messaging access retain access to the Shepherd Connect Communication Center.
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No additional SMS setup is required for Shepherd Connect. Your practice's existing SMS configuration, including your registered SMS number, carries over automatically. See Text Messaging in Shepherd (SMS) for more information.

SMS notification defaults are located under Admin > Client Communication > SMS.

Email must be enabled before your practice can send and receive emails through the Communication Center.

When email is enabled, Shepherd automatically generates an email address for your practice based on your clinic name. Allow a few minutes for the address to appear while setup completes in the background.

The Display Name is the sender name recipients see when your practice sends an email. It defaults to your clinic name but can be edited if your practice prefers a different name.

You can customize the signature included with emails sent through Shepherd Connect. The email signature supports available variables and can include your practice logo. The logo is pulled from the logo currently configured for your practice in Shepherd. (To update the logo, navigate to Admin > Clinic Settings > Clinic & Profile Operations > General Information tab > Edit.)

Email notification defaults are located under Admin > Client Communication > Email.

Once Email and SMS setup is complete, your practice can begin using these channels within the Shepherd Connect Communication Center.

The Communication Center includes additional tools for sending and receiving email and SMS messages, filtering conversations, and managing conversation assignments. These workflows are covered separately.