Custom DesignerCustomDesignerDocumentation

Gmail & Voice extension

The Custom Designer Chrome extension puts a side panel next to Gmail and Google Voice. When you open a customer email or text thread, the panel looks up that person in your shop and lets you create or open an order from there.

This is for staff. Customers never see it. It is not the same as the order Messages tab (that tab is a record of linked email once a job exists). See Messages & email.

What you need

  • Google Chrome
  • A Custom Designer workspace you can sign into
  • A Developer API token (company admin) from Settings → Developer
  • The Custom Designer extension installed in Chrome

Ask your admin for the token if you do not see Developer. Treat it like a password. Do not paste it into a public page or a chat with a customer.

Install and set up

  1. Install Custom Designer from the Chrome Web Store (your admin may send a direct listing link while the listing is private or unlisted).
  2. Pin the extension from the Chrome puzzle-piece menu so the icon stays in the toolbar.
  3. Click the icon. Paste the API token and Save.
  4. Open Gmail or Google Voice messages.

You should see a Custom Designer panel on the right. If you only see a vertical Custom Designer tab on the edge of the page, click it to show the panel again.

The token stays in the extension on that Chrome profile. It is not put on the iframe URL.

Gmail

Open a conversation (not the inbox list).

The panel:

  1. Reads the open thread (participants, subject, message text)
  2. Matches those emails to clients in Custom Designer
  3. Shows orders for those clients

From there you can:

  • Search for a client if the lookup missed them
  • Create client for a participant who is not in the CRM yet
  • New order or link an existing order to this thread
  • Open Quick quote to ballpark pricing without leaving Gmail
  • Open the shop chat agent from the inbox view

When you switch to another email, the previous customer should clear and a new lookup should run. You should not need to refresh Gmail for that.

If you are looking at the inbox list (no thread open), the panel stays on Gmail tools (chat agent, quick quote) until you open a message.

Google Voice

Open Voice messages and select a text conversation.

The panel:

  1. Reads the contact phone number from the thread
  2. Matches that number to a client
  3. Shows that client’s orders

The same create-client, new-order, and link-order actions are available. You can also draft a reply into the Voice compose box from the panel.

While the panel is open, Voice shifts the messages pane left so the conversation is not hidden under the sidecar.

Hide and show the panel

  • × in the panel header hides it. Chrome remembers that choice.
  • The vertical Custom Designer tab on the right edge brings it back.
  • Open in tab opens the same sidecar in a full browser tab (useful if you want more room).

Tips

  • Use the same Chrome profile you signed into Gmail / Voice with.
  • After an extension update, reload the extension in chrome://extensions, then refresh the Gmail or Voice tab. An old tab can show a blank panel or stop updating threads.
  • Lookups use the API token’s company. If you work in more than one workspace, use the token for the shop you want to match against.
  • Matching is by email (Gmail) or phone (Voice). A client with no email or phone on file will not auto-match.
  • This does not send mail or texts for you, except when you choose to inject a draft into Voice. Approvals and invoices still go out from the order in Custom Designer.

If something looks wrong

What you see What to try
No panel on Gmail or Voice Confirm the extension is enabled. Refresh the tab. Check you are on mail.google.com or voice.google.com.
“API key required” Click the toolbar icon, paste the token from Settings → Developer, Save, then refresh the tab.
Inbox tools only, no customer Open a thread, not the message list.
“Looking up customer” that never finishes Wait a few seconds, or use Try again. Confirm the shop app is reachable and the token is for this company.
Previous customer still showing after you switched threads Refresh the Gmail or Voice tab once. If it keeps happening, reload the extension, then refresh the tab.
Client not found Search in the panel, or add the email/phone on the client record in Custom Designer.
Blank iframe Refresh the tab. If you just updated the extension, always refresh Gmail/Voice after reloading the unpacked or store version.