Learn how to create an SMS notification in your Checkfront account, including choosing a booking status, setting up a delivery schedule, choosing the recipient, applying to inventory, naming the notification, and adding a message.
New to Twilio? Read the first article in this series for an introduction to the Twilio SMS notification feature.
Which plans include this feature?
Legacy: Soho, Pro, Plus, Enterprise, Flex
New: Growth (Subscription), Growth (Online Booking Fee), Managed
→ Learn more about our new plans or how to change your plan.
Where can I find this feature using the top menu?
Manage > Integrations > Communication
What more do I need to use this feature?
- Admin permissions to manage Integrations.
- You must have a Twilio account before enabling this integration.
Which Checkfront version supports this feature - classic, new or both?
- This feature is available in both our classic version using items (Inventory > Items) and our newest version using products (Inventory > Products). → Learn more about products
Creating SMS Notifications
Back to topNotifications are managed in the Notifications area (Manage > Notifications) in your Checkfront account.
To create a new Twilio notification, navigate to the SMS tab and click the + New Notification button in the left sidebar.
You now see the edit screen for your notification. This is where you choose the options to define how your notification functions, how it is scheduled, and what it says.
Choosing a booking status
Back to topSpecify the status that triggers the notification. You can create multiple notifications for a single status.
Notifications are based on the booking status, for example, Paid or Cancelled.
When a status is changed on an invoice, the appropriate notification is triggered.
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Learn more about booking statuses here: |
Delivering immediately or as per a schedule
Back to topBy default, notifications are sent as soon as the status event is triggered.
If you'd like to schedule the notification later, select Scheduled and choose a timeframe of X number of days, weeks, or months. Then, specify whether this notification is triggered before the booking start date or after the booking end date.
The above example configures the SMS to send one day after the booking ends.
Scheduled SMS are delivered at the same hour the booking was created. For instance, if a booking is created at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and the scheduled notification is two days before the booking, it is sent at 11 a.m. on the scheduled day.
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Occasionally, mail can be delayed due to volume (including unscheduled mail), but generally adheres to the above time frame. |
Setting the notification recipient
Back to topDetermine the recipient of the email notification.
To send the notification to the Customer, select Customer. To deliver the message to your Staff, select one of the available accounts or All Staff.
Applying the notification to specify item(s)/product(s)
Back to topThe Apply to field lets you create notifications for specific item(s)/product(s). This is particularly handy for businesses that need to send out different information depending on the item(s)/product(s) the Customer has booked.
For example, when a tour booking has been completed and updated to Paid status, you may wish to send out a notification with details on the tour and its meeting location, etc.
You may have a different SMS for a hotel room booking updated to Paid. You don't need any information about tour meeting places, etc., but rather directions to the hotel and information about the check-in process.
You can select an entire category or click on the arrow to the right of each category to slide out a list of individual items or products, as shown above.
These items/products can be chosen individually, allowing you to create notifications per-item/per-product basis.
Naming the notification
Back to topEnter the notification name. The Customer does not see this but is simply a way for you to identify your notification when making any changes later on.
Adding the notification message
Back to topType the notification message here. You can use any of the variables in the next article to dynamically include particular booking details.
In the next article, we examine what notification variables you can use.
< Setting up Twilio to send notifications using Messenger Services | Working with SMS notification variables >