diff --git a/client/src/components/chat-affix/chat-affix.container.jsx b/client/src/components/chat-affix/chat-affix.container.jsx
index af99d4719..21a4ede7e 100644
--- a/client/src/components/chat-affix/chat-affix.container.jsx
+++ b/client/src/components/chat-affix/chat-affix.container.jsx
@@ -12,11 +12,16 @@ export function ChatAffixContainer({ bodyshop, chatVisible, currentUser }) {
   const client = useApolloClient();
   const { socket } = useSocket();
 
-  // 1) FCM subscription (independent of socket handler registration)
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!bodyshop?.messagingservicesid) return;
+  const messagingServicesId = bodyshop?.messagingservicesid;
+  const bodyshopId = bodyshop?.id;
+  const imexshopid = bodyshop?.imexshopid;
 
-    async function subscribeToTopicForFCMNotification() {
+  const messagingEnabled = Boolean(messagingServicesId);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!messagingEnabled) return;
+
+    (async () => {
       try {
         await requestForToken();
         await axios.post("/notifications/subscribe", {
@@ -24,23 +29,19 @@ export function ChatAffixContainer({ bodyshop, chatVisible, currentUser }) {
             vapidKey: import.meta.env.VITE_APP_FIREBASE_PUBLIC_VAPID_KEY
           }),
           type: "messaging",
-          imexshopid: bodyshop.imexshopid
+          imexshopid
         });
       } catch (error) {
         console.log("Error attempting to subscribe to messaging topic: ", error);
       }
-    }
+    })();
+  }, [messagingEnabled, imexshopid]);
 
-    subscribeToTopicForFCMNotification();
-  }, [bodyshop?.messagingservicesid, bodyshop?.imexshopid]);
-
-  // 2) Register socket handlers as soon as socket is connected (regardless of chatVisible)
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!socket) return;
-    if (!bodyshop?.messagingservicesid) return;
-    if (!bodyshop?.id) return;
+    if (!messagingEnabled) return;
+    if (!bodyshopId) return;
 
-    // If socket isn't connected yet, ensure no stale handlers remain.
     if (!socket.connected) {
       unregisterMessagingHandlers({ socket });
       return;
@@ -56,16 +57,14 @@ export function ChatAffixContainer({ bodyshop, chatVisible, currentUser }) {
       bodyshop
     });
 
-    return () => {
-      unregisterMessagingHandlers({ socket });
-    };
-  }, [socket, socket?.connected, bodyshop?.id, bodyshop?.messagingservicesid, client, currentUser?.email]);
+    return () => unregisterMessagingHandlers({ socket });
+  }, [socket, messagingEnabled, bodyshopId, client, currentUser?.email, bodyshop]);
 
-  if (!bodyshop?.messagingservicesid) return <></>;
+  if (!messagingEnabled) return null;
 
   return (
     <div className={`chat-affix ${chatVisible ? "chat-affix-open" : ""}`}>
-      {bodyshop?.messagingservicesid ? <ChatPopupComponent /> : null}
+      {messagingEnabled ? <ChatPopupComponent /> : null}
     </div>
   );
 }
diff --git a/client/src/components/chat-open-button/chat-open-button.component.jsx b/client/src/components/chat-open-button/chat-open-button.component.jsx
index 5c6781edd..4d58f7a58 100644
--- a/client/src/components/chat-open-button/chat-open-button.component.jsx
+++ b/client/src/components/chat-open-button/chat-open-button.component.jsx
@@ -1,22 +1,23 @@
+import { Button } from "antd";
 import parsePhoneNumber from "libphonenumber-js";
+import { useCallback, useMemo } from "react";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { connect } from "react-redux";
-import { openChatByPhone } from "../../redux/messaging/messaging.actions";
-import PhoneNumberFormatter from "../../utils/PhoneFormatter";
-
 import { createStructuredSelector } from "reselect";
+import { openChatByPhone } from "../../redux/messaging/messaging.actions";
 import { selectBodyshop } from "../../redux/user/user.selectors";
 import { searchingForConversation } from "../../redux/messaging/messaging.selectors";
 import { useSocket } from "../../contexts/SocketIO/useSocket.js";
 import { useNotification } from "../../contexts/Notifications/notificationContext.jsx";
+import PhoneNumberFormatter from "../../utils/PhoneFormatter";
 
 const mapStateToProps = createStructuredSelector({
   bodyshop: selectBodyshop,
-  searchingForConversation: searchingForConversation
+  searchingForConversation
 });
 
 const mapDispatchToProps = (dispatch) => ({
-  openChatByPhone: (phone) => dispatch(openChatByPhone(phone))
+  openChatByPhone: (payload) => dispatch(openChatByPhone(payload))
 });
 
 export function ChatOpenButton({ bodyshop, searchingForConversation, phone, type, jobid, openChatByPhone }) {
@@ -24,31 +25,59 @@ export function ChatOpenButton({ bodyshop, searchingForConversation, phone, type
   const { socket } = useSocket();
   const notification = useNotification();
 
-  if (!phone) return <></>;
+  if (!phone) return null;
 
-  if (!bodyshop.messagingservicesid) {
-    return <PhoneNumberFormatter type={type}>{phone}</PhoneNumberFormatter>;
-  }
+  const messagingEnabled = Boolean(bodyshop?.messagingservicesid);
 
+  const parsed = useMemo(() => {
+    if (!messagingEnabled) return null;
+    try {
+      return parsePhoneNumber(phone, "CA") || null;
+    } catch {
+      return null;
+    }
+  }, [messagingEnabled, phone]);
+
+  const isValid = Boolean(parsed?.isValid?.() && parsed.isValid());
+  const clickable = messagingEnabled && !searchingForConversation && isValid;
+
+  const onClick = useCallback(
+    (e) => {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      e.stopPropagation();
+
+      if (!messagingEnabled) return;
+      if (searchingForConversation) return;
+
+      if (!isValid) {
+        notification.error({ title: t("messaging.error.invalidphone") });
+        return;
+      }
+
+      openChatByPhone({
+        phone_num: parsed.formatInternational(),
+        jobid,
+        socket
+      });
+    },
+    [messagingEnabled, searchingForConversation, isValid, parsed, jobid, socket, openChatByPhone, notification, t]
+  );
+
+  const content = <PhoneNumberFormatter type={type}>{phone}</PhoneNumberFormatter>;
+
+  // If not clickable, render plain formatted text (no link styling)
+  if (!clickable) return content;
+
+  // Clickable: render as a link-styled button (best for a “command”)
   return (
-    <a
-      href="# "
-      onClick={(e) => {
-        e.preventDefault();
-        e.stopPropagation();
-
-        if (searchingForConversation) return; // Prevent finding the same thing twice.
-
-        const p = parsePhoneNumber(phone, "CA");
-        if (p && p.isValid()) {
-          openChatByPhone({ phone_num: p.formatInternational(), jobid, socket });
-        } else {
-          notification.error({ title: t("messaging.error.invalidphone") });
-        }
-      }}
+    <Button
+      type="link"
+      onClick={onClick}
+      className="chat-open-button-link"
+      aria-label={t("messaging.actions.openchat") || "Open chat"}
     >
-      <PhoneNumberFormatter type={type}>{phone}</PhoneNumberFormatter>
-    </a>
+      {content}
+    </Button>
   );
 }
 
diff --git a/client/src/translations/en_us/common.json b/client/src/translations/en_us/common.json
index f08c77f21..363c53308 100644
--- a/client/src/translations/en_us/common.json
+++ b/client/src/translations/en_us/common.json
@@ -2431,7 +2431,8 @@
     "messaging": {
       "actions": {
         "link": "Link to Job",
-        "new": "New Conversation"
+        "new": "New Conversation",
+        "openchat": "Open Chat"
       },
       "errors": {
         "invalidphone": "The phone number is invalid.  Unable to open conversation. ",
diff --git a/client/src/translations/es/common.json b/client/src/translations/es/common.json
index a8441a160..287f76346 100644
--- a/client/src/translations/es/common.json
+++ b/client/src/translations/es/common.json
@@ -2428,7 +2428,8 @@
     "messaging": {
       "actions": {
         "link": "",
-        "new": ""
+        "new": "",
+        "openchat": ""
       },
       "errors": {
         "invalidphone": "",
diff --git a/client/src/translations/fr/common.json b/client/src/translations/fr/common.json
index 97a04bf3b..0a56716bf 100644
--- a/client/src/translations/fr/common.json
+++ b/client/src/translations/fr/common.json
@@ -2428,7 +2428,9 @@
     "messaging": {
       "actions": {
         "link": "",
-        "new": ""
+        "new": "",
+
+        "openchat": ""
       },
       "errors": {
         "invalidphone": "",
diff --git a/client/src/utils/PhoneFormatter.jsx b/client/src/utils/PhoneFormatter.jsx
index 90fc49e50..cfd63b786 100644
--- a/client/src/utils/PhoneFormatter.jsx
+++ b/client/src/utils/PhoneFormatter.jsx
@@ -11,13 +11,8 @@ export default function PhoneNumberFormatter({ children, type }) {
 
   return (
     <span>
-      <Text>{phone}</Text>
-      {type ? (
-        <>
-          {" "}
-          <Text type="secondary">({type})</Text>
-        </>
-      ) : null}
+      <span>{phone}</span>
+      {type ? <Text type="secondary"> ({type})</Text> : null}
     </span>
   );
 }