Automations are template-driven messages that fire automatically on shop events (appointment booked, work order closed, payment recorded, etc.).
Go to Settings > Automations. Each automation has its own card with an enable/disable toggle in the top right.
Built-in automations
- Appointment Reminder 📅: send a reminder before a scheduled appointment
- Vehicle Ready (QC Complete) 🔧: notify the customer when their vehicle is ready for pickup
- Review Request ⭐: request a review after a work order is closed
- Payment Received 💳: confirm when a payment is recorded
- Post-Purchase Follow-up 👋: follow up after an installation is complete
Per card
- Channel: SMS, Email, or Both. All three options always appear; picking a channel you have not connected means no message goes out for that trigger. Connect channels at Settings > Messaging Channels.
- Timing: Appointment Reminder uses a multi-select set of fixed options (48 hours before, 24 hours before, 2 hours before, Morning of at 9:00 AM; pick one or several). The other four automations use a number plus unit (hours or days) for delay after the trigger event.
- Send mode: Automatic (sends without staff action) or Confirm before sending (queues the message for staff approval first).
- Email Subject: visible when Channel is Email or Both.
- Message Template: the body, with the same variable chips as Message Templates (see that article).
Save each card independently. Toggle the switch off to suspend without losing settings.
Automation History (table at the bottom of the page)
Every automation message the system has produced is listed with Date / Template / Customer / Channel / Status / Approved By. Status values: Sent, Cancelled, Failed, Pending, Awaiting Approval (Confirm-before-sending queues), and Approved. Channel icons: 💬 SMS, 📧 Email.
For aggregate metrics, see the Automation Performance report.