Configure notification templates, email and SMS channels, service reminders, and completion notifications.

Notification Settings

NextRoute sends automated notifications to customers via email and SMS. The Notifications settings page lets you configure templates, triggers, and channels.

Notification Channels

Channel	Description
Email	Sent via transactional email service. Supports HTML formatting, branding, and links.
SMS	Text messages sent to customer phone numbers. Plain text, concise.

Each notification template specifies which channel it uses. You can have both an email and SMS template for the same trigger.

Notification Triggers

Triggers determine when a notification is sent:

Trigger	Description
Service Reminder	Sent before the scheduled service date (e.g., "Your bin cleaning is tomorrow")
Service Completed	Sent after a stop is marked completed (e.g., "Your bins have been cleaned!")
Route Dispatched	Sent when a route is dispatched (e.g., "Your service is on the way")
Invoice Sent	Sent when an invoice is emailed to the customer
Payment Received	Sent after a payment is recorded
Welcome	Sent when a new customer is created
Service Skipped	Sent when a stop is skipped (with reason)

Notification Templates

Each template contains:

Field	Description
`trigger`	Which event fires this notification
`channel`	`email` or `sms`
`subject`	Email subject line (email only)
`body_template`	The message body with variable placeholders
`is_active`	Whether this template is active

Template Variables

Use double-brace placeholders in your templates:

Variable	Value
`{{customer_name}}`	Customer's full name
`{{customer_first_name}}`	Customer's first name
`{{service_date}}`	The scheduled service date
`{{service_plan}}`	Name of the service plan
`{{address}}`	Property address
`{{route_name}}`	Route name
`{{invoice_number}}`	Invoice number
`{{invoice_total}}`	Invoice total formatted as currency
`{{payment_link}}`	Link to pay the invoice online
`{{business_name}}`	Your business name

Example Templates

Service Reminder (SMS):

Hi {{customer_first_name}}! Your {{service_plan}} at {{address}} is scheduled for {{service_date}}. Please have bins at the curb by 7am. - {{business_name}}

Service Completed (Email):

Subject: Your service is complete!

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Great news — your {{service_plan}} at {{address}} has been completed today.

Thank you for choosing {{business_name}}!

Invoice Sent (Email):

Subject: Invoice {{invoice_number}} from {{business_name}}

Hi {{customer_name}},

Your invoice {{invoice_number}} for {{invoice_total}} is ready.

View and pay online: {{payment_link}}

Thank you!
{{business_name}}

Managing Templates

From the Dashboard

Go to Settings > Notifications
Click on a trigger to view its templates
Edit the template body, subject, and channel
Toggle is_active to enable/disable
Save

Default Templates

NextRoute provides default templates for each trigger. These are pre-configured when your account is created based on your business vertical. You can customize them at any time.

Communication Log

All sent notifications are logged in the communication_log table:

Field	Description
`channel`	`email` or `sms`
`trigger`	Which event fired the notification
`recipient`	Email address or phone number
`status`	`sent`, `delivered`, `failed`, `bounced`
`sent_at`	When the notification was sent
`delivered_at`	When delivery was confirmed
`error_message`	Error details if delivery failed

View the communication log from the customer detail page to see all notifications sent to a specific customer.

General Settings — business name and logo used in templates
Customer Portal — customer-facing communication
Auto-Billing — invoice-related notifications

Notification Settings

On this page