SMS Notifications
Keep customers informed and reduce no-shows with automatic SMS notifications. Available on Pro and Unlimited plans with dedicated business phone numbers.
SMS Plan Requirements
Pro Plan (£99/month)
- ✅ 50 free SMS per month
- ✅ Dedicated UK phone number
- ✅ All notification types
- 💰 £0.05 per extra SMS
Unlimited Plan (£199/month)
- ✅ 200 free SMS per month
- ✅ Multiple phone numbers
- ✅ All notification types
- 💰 £0.04 per extra SMS
Note: Starter plan (£49/month) does not include SMS capability.
Set Up SMS Notifications
1. Upgrade to Pro or Unlimited
SMS requires Pro (£99/month with 50 free SMS) or Unlimited (£199/month with 200 free SMS)
Go to Settings → Billing → Upgrade Plan
2. Get your business phone number
Automatically provisioned when you upgrade - appears within 60 seconds
Check Settings → Communications → Phone Numbers
3. Create SMS templates
Set up message templates for different notification types
Settings → Communications → SMS Templates
4. Enable automatic notifications
Turn on auto-SMS for job reminders, payments, etc.
Settings → Automations → SMS Notifications
Types of SMS Notifications
Job Reminders
Remind customers about upcoming appointments
Sent: 24 hours before scheduled job
Example Message:
Invoice Sent
Notify customers when invoices are emailed
Sent: Immediately after invoice is sent
Example Message:
Payment Received
Confirm payment was processed successfully
Sent: Immediately after payment clears
Example Message:
Job Status Updates
Keep customers informed about job progress
Sent: When technician updates job status
Example Message:
Team Notifications
Alert team members about job assignments
Sent: When jobs are assigned or changed
Example Message:
Message Template Variables
Use these variables in your SMS templates to automatically insert customer and job information:
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {'{'} customer_name {'}'} | Customer's first name | John |
| {'{'} business_name {'}'} | Your business name | ABC Heating |
| {'{'} job_date {'}'} | Job date in friendly format | tomorrow |
| {'{'} job_time {'}'} | Job time | 2 PM |
| {'{'} service {'}'} | Service description | Boiler service |
| {'{'} amount {'}'} | Invoice amount | £175 |
| {'{'} invoice_number {'}'} | Invoice number | #1234 |
| {'{'} payment_link {'}'} | Online payment URL | Short URL |
Automation Settings
Configure when automatic SMS notifications are sent:
Job Reminders
24 hours before appointment
Invoice Notifications
Immediately when invoice sent
Payment Confirmations
When payment clears
Team Assignments
When job assigned/changed
Review Requests
24 hours after job completion
SMS Best Practices
Keep messages under 160 characters
SMS longer than 160 characters count as multiple messages and cost more
Include your business name
Customers need to know who's texting them
Send at appropriate times
9 AM - 8 PM is generally acceptable for business messages
Include opt-out instructions
Required by law for marketing messages: 'Reply STOP to unsubscribe'
Use clear call-to-actions
Tell customers exactly what to do: 'Reply N to cancel' or 'Click link to pay'
Test your templates
Send test messages to yourself to check formatting and variables
Monitor SMS Usage
Track Your Usage:
- • Go to Settings → Communications
- • View "SMS Usage This Month"
- • See free allowance remaining
- • Monitor additional charges
Usage Tips:
- • Free allowance resets monthly
- • Unused messages don't roll over
- • Long messages count as multiple SMS
- • Failed messages still count toward usage
Troubleshooting SMS Issues
Messages Not Sending
- • Check you're on Pro or Unlimited plan
- • Verify customer has valid UK mobile number
- • Ensure you haven't exceeded monthly limits
- • Check phone number format (07xxx xxx xxx)
Customer Not Receiving
- • Ask customer to check blocked messages
- • Some networks delay messages up to 5 minutes
- • Customer may have opted out previously
- • Verify number is active and correct
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