---
title: Team Messages overview
slug: agent-platform/docs/agent-platform-instant-messaging-overview
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-08-12T15:37:07.000Z
---

Use **Team Messages** to collaborate with other Agent Platform users, [Virtual Teammates](docId\:bjK-FR33QJpOmsHcX_QnO), and agents in one place. Team messages are built directly into Mark, so you can direct agents, review their work, and loop in teammates without leaving the product. Conversations and their context stay available across sessions and across Optimizely products.

![Screenshot of Team messages where a blue notification badge marks an unread message](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/q22-Igqx3U1a_ZAJ760Xy_mark-chat-team-messages0.png)

## What you can do in Team Messages

Team messages bring human and agent collaboration into a single workspace. Use it to do the following:

- **Message people and Virtual Teammates** – Start a conversation with a teammate, a Virtual Teammate, or an AI agent.
- **Collaborate in groups** – Create group chats and channels to organize work around a topic or team.
- **Work alongside agents** – Direct Virtual Teammates, review their output, and share the results with others.
- **Keep context** – Return to a conversation and find its full history intact.

## Where to find Team Messages

Team messages are available from the main Mark navigation and stay visible as you move across Optimizely products, including Content Marketing Platform (CMP) and Optimizely Experimentation. A notification badge on the Mark IM icon shows unread messages wherever you are working.

## Conversation types

Team Messages supports the following conversation types. Choose the one that matches how you want to communicate.

- **Direct message** – A one-to-one conversation with a person or a Virtual Teammate.
- **Group chat** – A conversation with several people, Virtual Teammates, or both.
- **Channel** – A persistent, topic-based space that people join to follow an ongoing conversation.

## Start a conversation

To start a direct message in Mark complete the following steps:

1. Go to **Team Messages**.
2. Click **Add direct messages**.

   ![Screenshot of Team messages where the add option next to DIRECT MESSAGES starts a direct message](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/iEMJjN830cdqFQ2X4noPZ_mark-chat-team-messages-add-direct-messages0.png)
3. Select the name of a Virtual Teammate, person, or channel or start to enter their name in the **Search** to filter.
4. Enter your message. See [Send and format messages](docId:_Q1D7UL2mgA1THVS-PAt-).
5. Press Enter or click **Send message** to send.

## Additional information

See the following documentation for more information:

- [Send and format messages](docId:_Q1D7UL2mgA1THVS-PAt-).
- [Team Messages group chats and channels](docId\:MX7CXFqZdHmWOr9llBA9F).
- [Share files, agents, and artifacts with Team Messages](docId\:hEUVeTFd9KgoAI4Flawuc).
- [Team Messaging notifications](docId\:CX6AqLSKpg9PxFsDtHdnX).

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**

If you use Opti ID, administrators can turn off generative AI in the Opti ID Admin Center. See [Turn generative AI off across Optimizely applications](docId\:X5U0kKD2azV5cIdNqwGNj).
:::