Notifications

Overview

The notification system sends emails and SMS messages to customers at key moments: when a meeting is booked, before it starts, when details change, and if it’s cancelled. Each notification type is configured per template with its own email/SMS content, action buttons, and delivery channel.

Important

Manual sending by default. Notifications are not sent automatically when you save an event. You must click the send button to trigger each notification.

Notification Types

Confirmation

Sent when a meeting is first booked to inform the customer.

  • When to send: After saving the event and verifying details

  • Button: Send Confirmation

  • Effect: Event status changes to BOOKED

  • Typical content: Date, time, location, meeting description

  • Action buttons (optional): View details

Confirmation Request (RSVP)

Asks the customer to accept, decline, or request a reschedule.

  • When to send: When you need the customer to confirm attendance

  • Button: Request RSVP

  • Effect: Event status changes to INVITED

  • Typical content: Date, time, location, with accept/decline buttons

  • Action buttons: Accept, Decline, Reschedule

Tip

Use Confirmation for informational notifications (“your meeting is booked”) and Confirmation Request when you need a response from the customer.

Reminder

Sent at configured intervals before the meeting (e.g., 24 hours, 1 hour).

  • When to send: Automatically via cron job based on fixed reminder triggers

  • Effect: If reminder includes accept/decline buttons, status changes to INVITED

  • Typical content: Reminder of upcoming meeting with details

  • Action buttons (optional): Accept, Decline, Reschedule

Note

Reminders are configured via Fixed Reminder Triggers on the template. Each trigger specifies a notification config and how far in advance to send (e.g., “send the 24h reminder config 24 hours before the event”).

Update

Sent when significant meeting details change after the initial confirmation.

  • When to send: After changing date, time, or location on a confirmed event

  • Button: Send Update

  • Effect: Notification state returns to confirmed (in sync)

  • Typical content: Updated date, time, and/or location

The system tracks which fields changed since the last notification. When a significant field changes, the event’s notification state changes to update_due and the update button becomes available.

Cancellation

Sent when a meeting is cancelled.

  • Button: Send Cancellation

  • Effect: Cancellation notification sent, event can be archived

  • Typical content: Cancellation notice with apology

A confirmation wizard appears before sending to prevent accidental cancellations.

Warning

Cancellation notifications cannot be undone. Once sent, the customer receives a cancellation notice. If the meeting is rescheduled later, send a new confirmation.

Sending a Notification

  1. Open a calendar event that has a template applied

  2. Click the appropriate notification button:

    • Send Confirmation — for initial booking

    • Request RSVP — to request customer response

    • Send Update — after changing details

    • Send Cancellation — to cancel

  3. A confirmation dialog appears showing:

    • Recipient name and contact info

    • Channel (email, SMS, or both)

    • Preview of the notification content

  4. Click Send to deliver

Channel Selection

Each notification config has a channel mode that determines how it’s delivered:

Follow Preference

Uses the customer’s preferred confirmation method from the CRM lead (x_preferred_confirmation_method field). If the lead prefers SMS, the notification goes via SMS. If email, via email.

Email Only

Always sends via email regardless of preference.

SMS Only

Always sends via SMS regardless of preference.

Both

Sends via both email and SMS.

Tip

Follow Preference is the recommended channel mode for most templates. It respects the customer’s communication preference and avoids sending unwanted SMS messages to customers who prefer email.

Note

The preferred confirmation method comes from the progrid_lead_contact_prefs module. If no preference is set, email is the default.

Email Notifications

Email notifications use Progrid mail templates with:

  • Subject line from the email template

  • Body content rendered with event data (date, time, location, customer name)

  • Action buttons injected based on toggle settings:

    • Accept — Customer accepts the meeting

    • Decline — Customer declines

    • Reschedule — Customer requests reschedule

    • View Details — Opens the landing page

    • Add to Calendar — Downloads ICS file

  • Custom colors for buttons and calendar display block

Buttons are injected programmatically based on config toggles. Editing the template HTML does not affect button visibility — use the toggle switches instead.

Important

The notification sender email must match a verified domain on your mail server. If it doesn’t, emails may be rejected or land in spam. Configure the sender under Settings ‣ Calendar Meeting Templates.

SMS Notifications

SMS notifications send a text message with a link to the landing page:

Hi! Your Appointment with Progrid on Jan 15 at 2:00 PM is confirmed.
Details & respond: https://yoursite.com/meeting/landing?token=abc123

The landing page displays:

  • Meeting details (date, time, location, duration)

  • Action buttons (accept, decline, reschedule)

  • Contact information

  • Add-to-calendar links (Google, Outlook, ICS)

SMS Reply Codes

If enabled on the notification config, customers can respond by replying with a number instead of clicking a link:

Reply 1 to confirm, 2 to reschedule, 3 to decline

  • Reply 1 → Confirms the meeting

  • Reply 2 → Requests reschedule

  • Reply 3 → Declines the meeting

Only single-word replies are processed as codes. Regular messages like “Ok thanks” or “No problem” pass through to normal chatter handling.

Note

SMS reply codes require the progrid_sms_inbound module for processing inbound SMS messages.

Notification Log

Every notification sent is logged in the Notifications Console:

  1. Navigate to Calendar ‣ Configuration ‣ Notifications Console

  2. View all sent notifications with:

    • Notification type and channel

    • Recipient name, email, phone

    • Sent date and event date

    • Rendered email/SMS content

    • Delivery status (sent, failed, pending)

    • Customer responses (for inbound SMS/link actions)

The log also tracks customer responses — when a customer accepts via email link or SMS reply code, the response is logged with the action taken and any reason provided.

Tip

Use the Notifications Console to troubleshoot delivery issues. Filter by Status = Failed to find notifications that didn’t go through.

Notification Sender

By default, notifications are sent from a dedicated notification partner configured in system settings:

  1. Navigate to Settings

  2. Find the Calendar Meeting Templates section

  3. Configure:

    • Sender Name — Display name (e.g., “Progrid Notifications”)

    • Sender Email — Must match a verified sender/domain

    • Sender Image — Avatar shown in chatter

This separates notification emails from personal emails, so customers see a professional sender name instead of the salesperson’s personal address.

Next Steps