SMS templates
TL;DR: Functions and settings of the SMS templates
- Shift plan - Employee invitation - SMS -> To use the SMS template when creating a shift plan
- Shift plan - employee planned shifts - SMS -> To use the SMS template for sending a completed shift plan
- Order confirmation -> For use with portal orders. SMS can be sent to portal customers.
- Order cancellation -> For use with portal orders. SMS is sent to customers after order cancellation
In the Admin, SMS templates can be created for various purposes. These include SMS and Whatsapp messages for employees, primarily regarding the shift schedule, and for customers regarding orders.
However, for some types of messages there are also basic templates that are already active in the background. In this case, their functions can also be used without having to create a template manually first.
Whatsapp messages require the use of the app and performing/going through an opt-in procedure before they can be sent and received.
These notifications, e.g. for scheduled work shifts of employees or order confirmations, order cancellations and soon also order delays for customers, are triggered automatically when certain actions are performed.
However, of course, only employees or customers whose mobile/cell phone numbers are stored in the system can receive messages. The numbers must be entered for employees in the Admin at "Personnel" --> "Employees" when editing an employee in the list in the appropriate tab. For customers the same can be done in the Admin at "Customers" --> in the "Customer list" or in the POS at "Customers" --> "Customers", but additionally also when creating a delivery or pickup in the "Order overview" in Admin and POS after the customer selection via the "pencil icon" button in the upper right corner in the first step and in the checkout in the last step or when adding a new customer in the corresponding field. Furthermore, customers can also specify their number in the web store in the profile or when creating an order there in the checkout. It is also possible to make the number field mandatory for different order input channels=sources and order output channels=order types (portal orders are not one of them).
In order for the messages to be sent from anywhere/via any service at all, however, the function must first be set up in the cross-store settings, which can currently only be done by SIDES employees and is only available with the "BerlinSMS" service. However, different order entry channels (and order exit channels) can be activated or deactivated for the function (soon). Likewise, the sending of the basic templates of the customer SMS can be stopped there by deactivating the functions associated with them there.
More information about this can be found in the manual article "Global store settings" at the section of the "External services and portals" tab.
In the main view, a list of already potentially created SMS templates can be seen. Templates can also be searched for specifically or generally filtered by status. Normally, however, templates can only be created once per type and while all templates can also be deleted again directly here, deactivation (and reactivation) is currently only possible in the following view below.
Via the dark green button "( + ) ADD TEMPLATE" in the upper left corner, new templates can be added and via the light green "pencil icon" button on the right side of each SMS template list entry, already existing templates can be edited afterwards. If you click on one of the mentioned buttons, you will get to the creation/editing view, where templates for different languages can be stored, either in standard form with "default values" or individually written. Depending on the type, there are also various placeholders available, which are helpful or even necessary for reasonable functioning - these can be seen below (probably more will be available in the future). It should be noted, however, that the maximum sendable or displayable message length/character count is limited to about 120-180 characters or similar, according to the current status with the available service/provider. A too long SMS, e.g. by a URL may not be read completely.
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(e.g.:)
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After a template has been written and saved and thus successfully created, it can optionally be checked again in the "View View" by clicking on the light green "magnifying glass icon" button to the right of each SMS template list entry, as an alternative to the "Edit View", depending on how user rights are configured:
In order to be able to see a little better how placeholders look like or have an effect in real use, it is (according to the current status) necessary to let actual SMS be sent on a test basis by performing the normal corresponding actions (similar applies to mails). If this has been done, the sent messages can also be viewed afterwards in the Admin --> in the category "Hardware & System" --> at the category sub-item "Communication Log" by opening or expanding the entries - details can be found in the corresponding manual article.
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