Calendar: Email, In-App, SMS & WhatsApp Appointment Notifications

What are Calendar Notifications?

Calendar notifications allow you to automatically send messages to contacts, staff, and guests when appointment events occur. You can configure tailored emails, in-app alerts, SMS, and WhatsApp messages for events like new bookings, cancellations, reschedules, reminders, and follow-ups. This helps maintain clear communication and ensures everyone stays informed.

Available Notification Types

You can set up notifications for the following appointment actions:

• Appointment Booked (Unconfirmed Status): Sent as soon as an appointment is booked but remains unconfirmed.
• Appointment Booked (Confirmed Status): Sent when an appointment is booked as confirmed or when its status is changed to confirmed.
• Cancellation Notification: Sent when an appointment is canceled, marked as a no-show, or invalidated.
• Reschedule Notification: Sent when the date or time of an appointment is modified.
• Reminder: Sent a specified amount of time before an appointment is scheduled to begin.
• Follow-Up: Sent a specified amount of time after an appointment has concluded.

Note: Staff members can also enable internal alerts to be notified when an appointment is booked without a meeting link or location. This setting is managed in the staff member's individual notification settings.

How to Set Up Appointment Notifications

Notification settings are managed on a per-calendar basis.

Accessing Notification Settings

1. Navigate to the main Calendar section in your CRM.
2. Go to Calendar Settings.
3. Select the specific calendar you want to configure.
4. Click on the Notifications tab.

Configuring Notifications

For each notification type, you can customize the content and choose who receives the alert. Recipients can include the Contact, Guest, assigned User, or any additional email addresses or phone numbers you specify. You also have the option to disable a notification for specific recipient types if needed.

Email Notifications

1. From the list of notification types, click on the one you wish to set up.
2. Go to the Email tab.
3. Ensure the toggle is switched on to enable the notification.
4. Select an existing email template from the dropdown or customize the subject line and body directly.
5. To remove a selected template, choose the None option from the dropdown.
6. You can send a test email to preview the final result.
7. For Reminder and Follow-Up notifications, configure the timing:
   • For Reminders, set how long before the appointment the email is sent.
   • For Follow-Ups, set how long after the appointment the email is sent.
   • You can add multiple timing triggers for a single notification type.
8. Click Save to apply your changes.

Using Custom Values

You can personalize your notification messages by inserting custom data. When editing the content of an email, SMS, or WhatsApp message, click the merge field icon ({ }) and select a value from the Custom Values section. This allows you to dynamically add information like custom links or internal notes without manual entry.

In-App Notifications

1. Select a notification type and go to the In-App tab.
2. Turn the toggle on to enable the notification.
3. Choose which users should receive the in-app alert.
4. For Reminder and Follow-Up notifications, configure the trigger timing, specifying how long before or after the appointment the alert should be sent.
5. Save your settings.

SMS Notifications

1. Select a notification type and go to the SMS tab.
2. Turn the toggle on to enable SMS notifications.
3. Choose the recipients: Contact, Assigned User, or Additional Phone Numbers.
4. Select an existing SMS template, edit it, or create a new one.
5. Optionally, send a test SMS to preview the message.
6. For Reminder and Follow-Up SMS, configure the timing triggers as needed.
7. Click Save to activate the settings.

WhatsApp Notifications

1. Select a notification type and go to the WhatsApp tab.
2. Switch the toggle on to enable the notification.
3. Select the recipients: Contact, Assigned User, or Additional Numbers.
4. Choose or create an approved message template for the specific notification type.
5. Use the Send Test WhatsApp Notification option to see a preview.
6. Click Save to finalize the configuration.

Important Notes

In-App notifications are alerts that appear within the CRM platform for your users. Ensure that your WhatsApp templates are approved by the relevant platform before they can be used for sending notifications.