Pop Dispatch sends a message by itself when a job changes. You will be able to choose which changes send one, change the words in each of the six customer languages, preview the result, and see every message in an outbox list.
Before you start #
- You need the owner or manager role.
- Set the public address under Settings > Business so links in messages open from outside the office. See "Public address and trusted proxies".
- Email goes through the mail server you set up under Settings > Mail. Browser notifications need nothing else. Text messages need your own Twilio or Telnyx account (see "Connect Twilio" and "Connect Telnyx").
What sends a message #
| Job | Message |
|---|---|
| Towing | Driver assigned, driver on the way, driver 5 minutes away, driver arrived, vehicle delivered |
| Repair shop | Vehicle checked in, estimate needs approval, vehicle ready |
| Taxi | Driver assigned, driver arriving, trip ended |
| After the job | Review request |
"Driver 5 minutes away" goes out once, when the live arrival estimate on the tracking page falls to 5 minutes or less. The vehicle counts as checked in the first time a repair order is approved or work starts. When you email an approval link yourself from the order, the email you asked for carries the link and no second message is sent.
Choose and word your messages #
- Open Settings > Customer messages.
- Under "What sends a message", clear the box for any message you do not want. The change applies to the next job change.
- Under "Wording", pick a message and a language. The box shows the built-in wording or your own.
- Change the words. Put
{business},{number},{driver},{eta},{link}or{review_link}where the details go. Any other name in braces is refused when you save. - Select "Preview" to see the message with sample details. Arabic previews read right to left.
- Select "Save". Select "Back to the built-in wording" to drop your changes.
A customer receives the message in the language on their record when you switched that language on under Customer languages, otherwise in your default language. Wording in languages other than English is a first draft; have a native speaker read it first.
Review requests #
- In Settings > Customer messages, paste the link where customers leave reviews into "Review link".
- Select "Save". Two hours after a job ends (tow completed, repair order completed, trip ended) the customer gets the review request. With no link saved, none is sent.
Customers can stop messages #
Every email and text ends with a link. Opening it and confirming stops automatic messages to that email address or phone number on every channel, and drops any message still waiting for them.
The outbox #
The outbox lists each message with its channel, recipient and status: Waiting, Sent, Gave up or Not sent. A failed send is tried again after 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours and 12 hours. After the fifth try the message shows "Gave up" and you can select "Send again".
Technical details
- Each message is a row in a durable outbox, written in the same transaction as the job change. A repeated change adds nothing.
- Each channel has a circuit breaker. Three failures in a row pause that channel for two minutes, then one message is tried. Other channels keep sending.
- Browser notifications are signed with a key pair made on your server (VAPID) and encrypted for the browser. No outside service holds your key. The browser's own push service only relays the sealed message.
- Text message keys are sealed in the server vault and are never shown again.
If something goes wrong #
- Messages stay "Waiting" for a long time: the channel's breaker is open or the provider is down. Use "Test connection" under Settings > Connections.
- A message marked "Not sent" with the note about the mail server: add the mail server under Settings > Mail, then select "Send again".
- No text messages: switch on a text-message connection under Settings > Connections.