Key Terms
Key Terms
What do you mean when you say...
Business = Business/Law Firm who invested in Hona
Hona (Business) Org = Hona Org managed by the Business
Business User = An individual account within a Hona Business Org
Just like there are many employees at 1 Business, there are many Users in 1 Hona Org.
Client = General term for the end-user of the Hona Portal. Also used to differentiate between an active Client of the Business and a...
Lead = potential Client of the Business. This term is specifically used when necessary to separate end-users if utilizing Hona for both Clients and Leads. You can safely assume that features which are usable for Clients can also be utilized for Leads, unless stated otherwise.
Hona Portal = Digital interface where Clients interact with Hona features configured by Business
Good to know Hona terms:
"Project" is the Hona term used to define "case" or "matter"
CMS = Case Management Software (often used interchangeably with CRM)
Messages = Back and forth text messages between Business and Client, delivered through Hona's 2-Way Messaging feature
Client Notifications = Alerts sent to Clients to notify them of Hona features configured by Business.
Business Notifications = Alerts sent to Business Users to notify them of Clients engaging with the Hona features configured by the Business. Each Business User has their own Notification Settings.
Goal
Whether you're brand new to the Hona journey, or you're a long-time Hona expert, knowing how to disable Hona for an individual case or contact will likely be a question that comes up while using the software.
Yes, there technically is an "on/off" button, but it's important to understand the impact of this button before determining if it is the best course of action for your needs. To determine what you should do, begin by answering a few questions:
Has the case or contact already been synced into Hona as a correlating Project and Client?
Has the case or contact already been synced into Hona as a correlating Project and Client?
No = Solution 1
Yes = Solution 2 or 3
What exactly are you trying to disable and why? Is it a specific feature you want to disable access to, or do you want to turn off all automatic notifications going forward?
What exactly are you trying to disable and why? Is it a specific feature you want to disable access to, or do you want to turn off all automatic notifications going forward?
All automatic notifications = Solution 1, 2, or 3
Access to a specific feature = Solution 1, visit the support article for that feature, or reach out to [email protected] for feature-specific guidance.
Do you want to disable all automatic notifications or just change the type of notification they are receiving?
Do you want to disable all automatic notifications or just change the type of notification they are receiving?
Disable all notifications = Solution 1 or 2
Change notification preferences = Solution 3
Do you want to still be able to text the contact through Hona when needed?
Do you want to still be able to text the contact through Hona when needed?
No = Solution 1
Yes = Solution 2 or 3
Overview
Solution #1: Prevent Creation of Project
Scope: Prevents Hona from syncing with a case's details during the automated nightly sync. By doing so, you prevent the automatic creation of a correlating Project in Hona. This stops both the Business and Client from communicating through Hona, since it's as if Hona does not know the case or its contacts exist.
This solution is only effective if the Project does not already exist in Hona.
How to Prevent Creation of a Project:
How to Prevent Creation of a Project:
If your CMS is NOT SmartAdvocate, CASEpeer, Growpath, or Smokeball:
If your CMS is NOT SmartAdvocate, CASEpeer, Growpath, or Smokeball:
Open the case details in your CMS, edit the case, and make sure that the Hona Enabled custom field is set to No.
As long as this field remains a No, Hona will not create a correlating Project for the case, even if it meets the criteria outlined in your Project Type Mapping. Please keep in mind that once a Project is created in Hona, it cannot be deleted, so please take the time to mark this field appropriately during case creation to prevent unintentional Project creation and potential Client notifications. Changing this field to Yes will allow Hona to create a correlating Project during the following nightly sync.
If you have SmartAdvocate:
If you have SmartAdvocate:
Open the contact's details in SmartAdvocate and under Contact Type Details, find the checkbox titled No Auto-Communication. Make sure it is checked. If checked before a Project is created in Hona, this will prevent one from being automatically created.
If you have CASEpeer:
If you have CASEpeer:
Because CASEpeer does not have custom field capabilities, the only way to prevent automatic Project creation is by disconnecting the case from the Hona integration entirely. Because Hona does not know the case exists, it will not create a correlating Project automatically.
If you have Growpath or Smokeball:
If you have Growpath or Smokeball:
Neither Growpath or Smokeball have custom field capabilities. This means all cases which meet your Project Type Mapping criteria will be automatically pulled into Hona. Please reference Solution #3.
Solution #2: Disable Client Notifications in CMS
Scope: Prevents notifications from sending. This does not stop the syncing between the case and Project (since they are still technically connected through the integration), but any notifications queued during the nightly sync will be automatically cancelled prior to sending. This allows you to re-enable the case if you would like the notifications to begin sending again.
This solution is tailored specifically for Projects which already exist in Hona. Following these steps without an existing Project is the same as Solution #1.
How to Disable Client Notifications in CMS:
How to Disable Client Notifications in CMS:
If your CMS is NOT SmartAdvocate, CASEpeer, Growpath, or Smokeball:
If your CMS is NOT SmartAdvocate, CASEpeer, Growpath, or Smokeball:
Open the case in your CMS and make sure that the Hona Enabled custom field is set to No.
Hona will continue to sync with the case details during the automatic nightly sync and update Project details accordingly in Hona. However, as long as this field remains a No, any notifications queued during the nightly sync will be automatically canceled prior to sending. You can always change this field back to Yes if you would like the notifications to start sending again.
If you have SmartAdvocate:
If you have SmartAdvocate:
Open the contact's details in SmartAdvocate and under Contact Type Details, find the checkbox titled No Auto-Communication. Make sure it is checked.
If you have CASEpeer:
If you have CASEpeer:
Because CASEpeer does not have custom field capabilities, the only way to prevent Client notifications within CASEpeer is by disconnecting the Client's case from Hona. The correlating Project in Hona will no longer update during the nightly sync since Hona will not know its correlating case exists in CASEpeer. Because the Project is no longer updating, future automatic notifications will not be triggered.
That being said, if the Project in Hona remains in a Phase with a continuous automation (like a drip notification), that notification will continue to send on its designated interval. If you aren't sure whether this will be a risk, it is a smart idea to follow Solution #3 below to ensure the Client contact does not receive future notifications.
If you have Growpath or Smokeball:
If you have Growpath or Smokeball:
Neither Growpath or Smokeball have custom field capabilities or a default setting for preventing automatic communications. This means all cases which meet your Project Type Mapping criteria will be automatically pulled into Hona. For these integrations, it is best to follow Solution #3.
Solution #3: Change Client Notification Preferences in Hona
Scope: Hona will continue to sync with case information nightly and trigger automatic notifications to send, but the method by which the Client receives their notification from Hona is different than before.
You will not be able to use this solution without an existing Project in Hona.
How to Change Client Notification Preferences in Hona:
How to Change Client Notification Preferences in Hona:
Open the contact details in Hona, either by finding them in your Contacts tab of your Hona Org, or by opening the contact's correlating Project. Open the drop-down next to Notifications to change the contact's personal Notification Preferences. This will only change notification delivery method for this one contact going forward.
FAQs
Why can't I delete Projects out of Hona?
Why can't I delete Projects out of Hona?
To prevent erroneous notifications to your Clients due to Business User error. Once a Project is created in Hona, it is synced daily with its correlating case in your CMS, to ensure the information displayed in Hona is timely and accurate. Because Projects are generated automatically, and which cases from your CMS become Projects in Hona is determined by your Project Type Mapping, being able to delete Projects post-creation would put you at greater risk for duplicative notifications by giving you the illusion that the Project "will not be in Hona anymore" after you've deleted it from Hona-only. The reason this belief is flawed is because the Project was more than likely automatically created in Hona due to your Project Type Mapping, and without editing the case details in your CMS or your entire Project Type Mapping in Hona, that case will just be synced into Hona again during the next nightly sync and a new Project will be created (triggering another Client notification). The ability to delete Projects has led Businesses in the past down a rabbit hole of triggering the same Client notification over and over because they believe the Project is "deleted" and aren't sure why it keeps showing up again everyday and triggering notifications when they keep "deleting" it.
If I can't delete, how do I get a Project out of my Hona Org then?
If I can't delete, how do I get a Project out of my Hona Org then?
It is important to identify why you want to get the Project out of Hona to understand your best course of action. If it's because you are worried about a specific Client's notifications, this support article you currently have open can enable you to resolve those concerns. If you would like to delete a Project so that it doesn't count towards your Active Case Count, there is the option to Archive a Project. This will ensure that the case data stays stored on the back-end of your Hona Org, so if the case is synced from your integration again, Hona will open the pre-existing Project instead of creating a new one and triggering a new notification. While that case's data is "technically' being stored, an Archived or Completed Project will not count towards your Active Case Count.
How do I get a Project completely wiped from my Hona Org's data storage if I need to?
How do I get a Project completely wiped from my Hona Org's data storage if I need to?
We understand that there are sensitive situations where data needs to be removed entirely from your Hona Org. Please reach out to our support team at [email protected] and we will be more than happy to assist you in doing this quickly and with confidentiality.
Please keep in mind that Hona has likely already pushed data into your CMS, and we will only have the power to delete the data being stored in Hona. It will be up to you to delete data in your CMS and anywhere else that is not Hona.
Why This Matters
Understanding how to properly disable Hona for a case or contact ensures that your team maintains full control over client communications and data visibility. Each solution impacts your workflows, notifications, and client experience differently—so knowing which method to use prevents confusion, unnecessary client outreach, or data inconsistencies across your systems. By following the right approach for your situation, you protect your client relationships, keep your Hona data clean, and ensure your internal processes stay efficient and intentional.