How do I send bulk notifications to my Customers?

Communicate efficiently with many Customers at once by sending bulk notifications in Checkfront. This guide shows you how to create and send group messages quickly and accurately.

Learn how to send bulk notifications to Customers using statuses and notifications, including creating a status, creating a notification, and sending a notification.

Accessing the features mentioned in this article

Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

• Manage Statuses: Manage > Layout > Statuses
• Manage Notifications: Manage > Notifications
• Send Notifications: Reports > Booking Index

What more do I need to use this feature?

• Admin permissions to manage Statuses and Notifications. 
   

Which Checkfront version supports this feature - classic items, classic products, or both?

• This feature is available in both our classic version using classic items (Inventory > Items) and our classic version using classic products (Inventory > Products).  → Learn more about products

Please follow these three steps. Details are provided below.

1. Create a Custom Status
2. Create a Notification
3. Send the Booking Notification
    

First, you need to create a new status. This helps you send notifications to a segment of Customers based on the status of their associated booking.

1.  Select Layout from the Manage menu and then select the Statuses tab.
2.  Find the quick +Add button at the bottom-left of your list of statuses. Clicking +Add opens the new Status modal.
3. Give the status a name that conveys its purpose, such as Health Policy Update.
4. The Status ID field automatically populates with an abbreviated version of the name, for example, HEAL. You can edit the Status ID or keep the suggested value.

Once you have saved the new status, it is added to the list of booking statuses.

The lock setting next to the status label can remain selected. This ensures that inventory is locked and the associated bookings consume booking availability.

Feel free to change the status colour if needed.

What is a booking status? A booking status acts as a visual label and functional state for each booking in your system.

Learn more about statuses For a detailed look at configuring booking statuses, check out the following article: Introduction to booking statuses

Next, you need to format the notification.

1. Go to Manage> Notifications in the top menu.
2. Choose to +Add Notification.
3. On the New Notification page, enter the communication's Subject, such as "Important Health Policy Update!" Please Read.
4. Ensure that the Notification Type is set to Booking Status.
5. Then, choose the Booking Status that triggers the notifications, e.g., Health Policy Update.
6. Determine whether the notification is sent Immediately or Scheduled. Scheduled notifications require that you specify the Schedule.
7. Change the From and Reply to email addresses as needed.
8. Choose the Recipient of your email. In this case, you need to select the Customer.
9. Determine if the Message Format should be HTML and/or Text.
10. Choose which products/items the message should Apply to. Only bookings with the selected categories or products/items are notified.
11. Add your message to the Email field provided.
12. Click the Create button to save your notification.

What is an email notification? A notification is an email message sent to your Customers to confirm booking actions, and may include a booking confirmation, notice of changes made to the booking, or a payment request.

Learn more about email notifications For a detailed look at configuring notifications, check out the following article: Introduction to email notifications

Finally, you can create a segment of Customers and send your notification to those Customers.

1. Go to the Booking Index (Reports > Booking Index).
2. Filter the Booking Index for the Customers segment you need to notify. For example, you can filter for all bookings that have a Start Date within the Next 30 days.
3. If your bookings have multiple statuses, for example, PAID vs DEPOSIT, you must send communications in batches by status. To accomplish this, you need to filter by Status to isolate bookings, for example, those with a status of DEPOSIT.
4. Next, select the bookings you need to bulk-update. Select the checkbox at the top-right of the bookings table to select all the bookings in focus.
5. Click Bulk Update to open the Bulk Update modal.
6. Note the number of bookings with notifications.
7. Select the status to trigger the notification, e.g., Health Policy Update.
8. Select the Deliver notifications checkbox.
9. Add a Booking Note as needed.
10. Click the Apply button to update the booking statuses and send the notification(s). 
11. Next, you need to revert the bookings' status to their original status, e.g., PAID or DEPOSIT. Repeat steps four through seven in preparation.
12. Please ensure that the Deliver notifications checkbox is NOT selected from the Bulk Update modal.
13. Select the previous status, for example, DEPOSIT.
14. Click the Confirm button to revert the status for all selected bookings.
15. Finally, repeat this process for each batch of bookings with a different status, e.g., PAID.

View the Booking Invoice (Reports > Booking Index > Booking > Booking Invoice) for any booking to confirm that the email has been sent and noted in the Log.

Enabling a system form field For the Customer email to be sent, the system form field with the ID of customer_email must be enabled. Learn more about system booking form fields here: Working with system booking form fields

Bulk email in small batches When bulk emailing, we recommend doing so in smaller batches, such as 100 emails each time.

Learn more about email notifications For a detailed look at email notifications, check out the following article: Introduction to email notifications