We will be focusing specifically on your Schedule and dispatch communications. Getting these settings right is central to your strategy for scaling the business, as they directly drive operational efficiency and create a professional customer experience throughout your interactions.
As your service business grows, the cost of confusion grows with it. Every missed appointment, every "no-access" visit, and every phone call from a customer asking "When is your engineer arriving?" is a direct drain on your profit and your office team's time. This operational drag is what prevents a growing company from scaling effectively.
This is where your communication templates move from being a simple feature to a core business strategy. These templates, when set up correctly, are your automated front line. They ensure the right information gets to the right person at the right time, projecting a professional, reliable image that builds trust before your engineer even arrives.
These templates empower your team. Office staff can send confirmations quickly, ensuring consistency. Their real power is in automation. When booked online or triggered by reminders, the system confirms details and reduces manual workload.
With this strategic foundation in mind, it is time to move from theory to practice. In the following lessons, we will move into an article format. We will locate the settings in your account, establish best practices for writing, and then build each of your scheduling templates one by one.
This lesson covers the fundamentals of writing clear and effective messages. Your templates represent your brand, and every message you send should be professional and easy to understand.
Best Practices for Writing Templates
Clear and Concise: Get to the point. What does the customer need to know? Use simple language.
Professional: Check for spelling and grammar. Your tone should be helpful and authoritative, instilling confidence.
Action-Oriented: If you need the customer to do something (like clear a space, or call to reschedule), state it clearly.
Tag-Optimised: Use tags (like [customer_name] or [diary_date]) to personalise the message. This makes it relevant and professional.
Branded: Use tags like [company_name] to clearly identify your business. We will clook at how these tags and other system-wide branding features can be utilised in this lesson.
Important Tips & Considerations
These technical tips that will save you time and prevent common errors when building your templates.
Tip 1: How to Add Tags Correctly
In the following chapters, we will provide examples of templates that use tags like [customer_name]. You must not copy and paste these tags directly from this course.
Copying and pasting tags can cause them to fail to populate correctly.
Not all tags are available for all templates.
The only way to ensure your tags work is to use the 'Use tagging' button located within each template setting in your account. This button shows you the exact list of tags that are validated to work for that specific template.
Tip 2: How SMS Character Counts Work
SMS messages are billed based on their character count. It is crucial to understand that the data from your tags counts towards this total.
For example, a tag like [job_address_line_1] might be replaced by "123 Main Street" (15 characters) or "4521 Wisteria Gardens North" (28 characters). This can affect the final cost of the message. Always write your static text concisely to leave room for this variable data.
Communication Branding Settings
A key part of professional communication is ensuring your brand is consistent and instantly recognizable. While you are here to set up scheduling templates, these global settings feed into them.
Company Tags: ([company_name], [company_telephone]) You will see these tags available in your templates. It is important to understand that these tags automatically pull this information from your main 'Company details' settings.
Navigation: Profile icon → Settings → Your business details → Company details.
Expert Tip: This is a powerful way to ensure consistency. If you ever update your phone number in your company settings, it will be automatically updated in every template using that tag.
Related Article: Set up and manage your Company details
Email Signature Template: Instead of adding a signature to every single email template, you should use the global Email Signature Template.
Navigation: Profile icon → Settings → Communications → Email signature template.
Expert Tip: This setting allows you to create one signature that is automatically appended to all emails sent from your account. This is the best practice for managing your email branding.
Related Article: Set up and manage your email signature template
SMS Name: For text messages, you can set up an SMS name. This is a custom name (like your company's brand name) that appears as the sender on the recipient's phone.
Navigation: Profile icon → Settings → Communications → SMS name.
Expert Tip: This builds trust immediately and ensures your customers know the message is from you, rather than an unknown mobile number.
Related Article: Set up your SMS name
Finding Your Scheduling Communication Templates
Now, let's locate the main templates for this course.
Click your profile icon in the top right, then select Settings.
From the list on the left, select Schedule and dispatch.
You will now see the list of all templates we will be configuring in the following chapters.
Call to Action: Pause here and navigate to your settings. Familiarise yourself with the layout and the list of templates, then proceed to the next chapter.
This lesson covers the two most fundamental templates, used when a job is first booked. Getting these right sets the customer's expectation from the very beginning.
Customer Job Confirmation Template
What is it for? This template is used to confirm that a new job has been booked with the primary customer contact (the bill-payer).
When is it used? This can be sent manually by your office team when scheduling an appointment. It will be sent automatically if the job is created through an automated source, like the online booking portal.
Expert Configuration: This is your primary confirmation. Ensure it includes the address, date, time window, and job description. This is also the perfect place to set expectations, such as "Please ensure the area is clear" or to provide a link to reschedule.
Email example:
Subject: Appointment confirmation for [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Hello [job_contact_name],
Thank you for scheduling your job with us. You're all set for your [job_description] visit.
Address: [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Date: [diary_date]
Time: [diary_service_window]
Engineer attending: [diary_engineer]
Please make sure the area is cleared before your appointment time.
Change of plans? [rebooking_portal_url:Reschedule your appointment] up to 48 hours prior.
If you have any other queries, contact us at [company_telephone] or reply to this email.
SMS example:
Your [job_description] is scheduled for [diary_date] between [diary_service_window]. Our engineer will arrive at your address: [job_address_line_1]. Reschedule your appointment online: [rebooking_portal_url]
Work Address Job Confirmation Template
What is it for? This is similar to the customer confirmation but is designed to be sent to a different contact at the actual work address, such as a tenant, site manager, or letting agent.
When is it used? This can be sent manually by your team. It is critical for property maintenance workflows where the bill-payer (landlord) is not the person providing access (tenant).
Expert Configuration: The tone here may be slightly different. The tenant needs to know who booked the job ([customer_name]) and what is expected of them. Including any preparation instructions (e.g., "turn the appliance off") is vital.
Email example:
Subject: [customer_name] job confirmation for work(s) to be carried out at [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Hello [job_address_name],
[customer_name] has booked a [job_description] for you.
Address: [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Date: [diary_date]
Time: [diary_service_window]
Engineer attending: [diary_engineer]
Please make sure you've cleared the area and turned the appliance off at least 1 hour before your appointment time.
Change of plans? [rebooking_portal_url:Reschedule your appointment] up to 48 hours prior.
If you have any other queries, contact us at [company_telephone] or reply to this email.
SMS example:
A [job_description] is scheduled for [diary_date] between [diary_service_window]. Our engineer will arrive at your address: [job_address_line_1]. If you need to change your appointment, please reschedule using this link: [rebooking_portal_url]
Call to Action: Pause here and configure both the Customer Job Confirmation and Work Address Job Confirmation templates in your settings. Once you have saved your changes, continue to the next chapter.
This lesson focuses on automation. These templates are designed to run in the background, saving your team time, preventing missed appointments, and managing complex workflows like tenant access.
Job Address Reminder Template
What is it for? This template sends a reminder to the job contact before the scheduled appointment.
When is it used? This is sent automatically based on the schedule you define. From the 'Automatically send' dropdown, you can choose to send it 24 hours, 48 hours, the night before, or the morning of the job.
Expert Configuration: This is one of the single most effective ways to reduce "no-access" visits. We strongly recommend activating this. An SMS reminder 24 hours in advance is highly effective. Keep it short and to the point.
Email example:
Subject: [job_address_name], Appointment reminder for work(s) to be carried out at [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Hello [job_address_name],
Your [job_description] is coming up soon.
Address: [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Date: [diary_date]
Time: [diary_service_window]
Please make sure you've cleared the area and turned the appliance off at least 1 hour before your appointment time.
If you have any other queries, contact us at [company_telephone] or reply to this email.
SMS example:
Appointment reminder for [job_address_line_1]: [job_description] scheduled for [diary_date], [diary_service_window].
Work Address Job Access Template
What is it for? This template is used to request that a work address contact (like a tenant) book their own appointment for a job raised by the customer (like a landlord).
When is it used? It's sent manually or automatically when a job is created, and the access method ‘Communicate with work address’ is selected.
Expert Configuration: This is a crucial workflow for property maintenance. It puts the responsibility of booking on the tenant. Your message must be clear, state who requested the work ([customer_name]), and provide a very clear call to action, which is the [booking_portal_link].
Email example:
Subject: Access request for work to be carried out at [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Dear [job_address_name],
We have been tasked by your landlord, [customer_name], to complete a [job_description] at your property.
Address: [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Service type: [job_description]
We kindly ask you to book an appointment by [booking_portal_link:clicking this link] or by calling us on [company_telephone].
SMS example:
[job_address_name], [customer_name] has requested a [job_description] at your property, [job_address_line_1]. Please call [company_telephone] or book your appointment online: [booking_portal_link].
5. Work Address No Answer Template
What is it for? This is the automatic follow-up message sent to the work address contact (tenant) if they have not responded to the initial access request (Template 4).
When is it used? It's sent automatically after a defined period (e.g., 7 or 10 days) if no appointment has been scheduled from the initial access request.
Expert Configuration: This template creates a clear paper trail. It informs the tenant that since they haven't booked, you will now be informing the landlord. This protects you from "no-response" claims and prompts the landlord to follow up.
Email example:
Subject: No response for access request at [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode]
Dear [job_address_name],
We have been in touch recently to request access, as tasked by your landlord, at [job_address_line_1], [job_address_postcode] to carry out a [job_description].
This has not yet been scheduled, and the [job_description] cannot be carried out.
Your landlord, [customer_name], will be informed of this.
SMS example:
Hi [job_address_name]. We recently requested you book the [job_description] for [job_address_line_1]. As this is not yet scheduled, we will be informing your landlord, [customer_name].
Call to Action: Pause here to configure these three automation templates. Pay close attention to the 'Automatically send' settings for the reminder. When you are done, proceed to the final chapter.
This final lesson covers the messages that manage the day of service itself. These are crucial for managing customer expectations and handling exceptions like a "no-access" visit.
Job On Our Way SMS
What is it for? This is a quick SMS alert to let the job contact know the engineer is en route.
When is it used? This is sent automatically when an engineer taps 'Travel' in the mobile app to begin their journey to the job.
Expert Configuration: This is a customer-service winner and a key part of the premium experience. It dramatically reduces "where is my engineer?" calls. The most important tag here is the [engineer_profile_portal_url], which links to the engineer tracking map. This is a simple, powerful, and highly recommended feature.
SMS example:
Hello! Your engineer, [diary_engineer], is on the way for your appointment. You can track their progress here: [engineer_profile_portal_url]. For any queries, call [company_telephone]. See you soon!
Job No Access Message
What is it for? This informs the relevant contacts that the engineer could not gain access to the property for a scheduled job.
When is it used? It's sent automatically when an engineer marks a job as 'No access' from their mobile device.
Expert Configuration: This is your critical "exception handling" template. It creates an immediate, time-stamped record that you attended. You can (and should) create two different messages: one for the Customer and one for the Work Address Contact.
Customer Message: This should be direct, state what happened, and explain the next step (e.g., "Please call us to reschedule"). This is the place to politely mention that a no-access fee may apply, reinforcing the cost of the missed visit.
Work Address Message: This is purely informational, telling the tenant, "We attended, but you were not in. We have informed the bill-payer, [customer_name]."
Customer No Access Message - Email example:
Subject: We were unable to access your property at [job_address_line_1]
Hello [job_contact_name],
Our engineer, [diary_engineer], attended your property at [job_address_line_1] today for your scheduled [job_description], but was unable to gain access.
Please contact our office at [company_telephone] at your earliest convenience to reschedule your appointment. Please be aware that a no-access fee may apply.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Customer No Access Message - SMS example:
We were unable to access [job_address_line_1] for your [job_description] today. Please call [company_telephone] to reschedule. A no-access fee may apply.
Work Address No Access Message - Email example:
Subject: Unable to gain access for your appointment at [job_address_line_1]
Hello [job_address_name],
Unfortunately, our engineer was unable to gain access to the property at [job_address_line_1] today to undertake your scheduled [job_description].
We have informed the bill-payer, [customer_name], and they will be in touch to rearrange the appointment.
Work Address No Access Message - SMS example:
Unfortunately we could not access [job_address_line_1] for the [job_description] today. We have informed [customer_name]. Please contact them to reschedule.
Call to Action: Congratulations! You have now reviewed all the core scheduling communication templates. Please configure these final two templates in your account.