Can I set up separate organizations for departments within my company?

Yes, but each department becomes its own organization and members count toward that organization's own seat limit. Use this pattern only when departments genuinely need separate admin control.

Chat with other organizations

Invite people at other organizations to BloomText. External collaboration is free and unlimited; external users don't count against your seat limit.

Overview

BloomText lets you invite people at other organizations (referring providers, specialists, partner clinics) into a secure conversation. Cross-organization messaging is free and unlimited — external users do not count against your seat limit.

Watch a short overview: Vimeo — How to chat with other organizations.

Prerequisites

Your organization can initiate outbound conversations with external contacts (default for all plans).
The external contact has a working email address.

Steps

1. Invite an external collaborator

Start a new conversation. In the To field, type the external contact's email address. Send them at least one message.

Invite an external collaborator by typing their email in the To field and sending a message.

2. They accept

The external contact gets an email from BloomText. They click Get started. BloomText walks them through a short setup. Once they're in, the conversation continues.

What the external collaborator sees in their inbox.

Edge cases / gotchas

External users still have to be HIPAA-aware. Sending PHI to a partner clinic through BloomText is a covered disclosure — same rules as any other patient data sharing.
First message is mandatory. Adding the external email to the To field is not enough on its own. You have to send at least one message to trigger the invitation email.
Your org's policies don't apply to external users. If your organization has a "no screenshots" policy, for example, external participants in a conversation are not bound by it. Treat cross-organization conversations with that understanding.
External users can initiate too. Once one conversation is open, the external user can start new conversations with you and other collaborators at their organization. They still cannot see or change your settings.

Common questions

Do external users have access to my organization's settings?

No. External users cannot see your settings, policies, member list, or any content outside the conversations they're invited to.

Do external users count toward my organization's seat limit?

No. External collaboration is free and unlimited on every plan, including the free plan.

What triggers the invitation email?

You must send at least one message after entering the external contact email. Adding the email to the To field alone does not send the invitation.

Can external collaborators start new conversations later?

Yes. Once a conversation exists, external collaborators can start new conversations with you and other collaborators at their organization.

Should departments use separate BloomText organizations?

Use separate organizations only when departments genuinely need separate administration. Members count toward each organization separately.