Notification Preferences
Control exactly what your contractor sends you — and how.
URL: portal.yourcompany.com/settings/notifications
What This Screen Is
Notification Preferences lets customers control every category of message the contractor's system sends them — by type and by channel. The contractor sets account-level defaults; customers override anything here for their own account. Changes take effect immediately.
Transactional notifications cannot be disabled. Payment confirmations and billing receipts are always sent — these are legally required records. Everything else is in the customer's control.
Notification Preferences — Full Controls
Each notification type shows toggle controls for SMS and Email. A locked toggle indicates a notification that cannot be disabled. At least one channel must stay on for any action-required notification (estimates, contracts).
Appointments
| Notification | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Appointment confirmed | SMS: On / Email: On | When your contractor books a new appointment |
| Appointment reminder | SMS: On / Email: On | 48 hours before + morning of your appointment |
| Technician on the way | SMS: On / Email: Off | Dispatch notification with live ETA and tracker link |
| Appointment cancelled or rescheduled | SMS: On / Email: On | When your contractor makes a change to a booked appointment |
Projects
| Notification | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project status updates | SMS: Off / Email: On | When work starts, a milestone is reached, or the job is complete |
| New photos added to your project | SMS: On / Email: Off | When your contractor posts progress photos |
Billing & Payments
| Notification | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice ready | SMS: On / Email: On (locked) | New invoice or upcoming payment due — includes pay link |
| Payment confirmation | SMS: On (locked) / Email: On (locked) | Receipt after a successful charge — always on, required by law |
| Payment failed | SMS: On (locked) / Email: On (locked) | If a charge is declined — always on so you can resolve it |
Action Required
| Notification | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate ready to review | SMS: On / Email: On | At least one channel must stay on — includes portal link |
| Contract needs your signature | SMS: On / Email: On | At least one channel must stay on — includes portal link |
Recurring Services
| Notification | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upcoming recurring visit reminder | SMS: On / Email: On | 48h before each scheduled visit on your service plan |
Marketing & Promos
| Notification | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Review request | SMS: On / Email: On | One-time message after job completion asking for a review |
| Newsletter & project examples | SMS: Off / Email: Off | Marketing emails — off by default, opt-in only |
[Save Preferences] — Changes take effect immediately
Quiet Hours
Set a do-not-disturb window. SMS and push notifications sent during quiet hours are held and delivered at the start of your next available window. Email is not affected by quiet hours. Emergency notifications (payment failure) always go through immediately regardless of quiet hours.
Quiet hours form:
- Quiet hours start: 10:00 PM (dropdown: 8 PM / 9 PM / 10 PM / 11 PM)
- Quiet hours end: 7:00 AM (dropdown: 6 AM / 7 AM / 8 AM / 9 AM)
Held messages are delivered when your quiet hours end. If the held message is time-sensitive (e.g., a same-day appointment reminder), it may be skipped rather than delivered late.
Daily Digest
Instead of individual notifications throughout the day, customers can opt into a single daily summary email. The digest collects project updates, new photos, and non-urgent messages and delivers them in one email each morning. Action-required notifications (estimates, contracts, invoices) still fire immediately regardless of digest mode.
Morning Digest — Daily Summary Email — Get one email each morning with project updates, new photos, and non-urgent messages — instead of individual notifications. Action-required items always fire immediately. [toggle: Off by default]
Legal & Compliance Rules
Some notification behaviors are governed by law or carrier requirements and cannot be changed by the customer or contractor.
| Rule | Applies To | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Payment confirmations are always sent | All billing receipts and charge notifications | Legal requirement — customers must receive records of charges |
| Payment failure notifications are always sent | Failed or declined charges | Customers have a right to know when their card was declined |
| SMS STOP is always honored | All SMS notifications | TCPA requirement — replying STOP immediately stops all SMS (including transactional) |
| Email unsubscribe link in every email | All marketing / non-transactional emails | CAN-SPAM compliance — one-click unsubscribe is required |
| Marketing SMS requires explicit opt-in | Promotional SMS messages | TCPA — customers must have opted in; cannot be enabled by contractor without consent |
| At least one channel must be on for action-required items | Estimates, contracts, invoices | Customers cannot disable both SMS and email for items requiring their action |
Bulk Opt-Out
Customers can stop all non-transactional communications with a single action. This immediately suppresses all marketing, reminder, and update messages. Transactional notifications (payment confirmations, payment failures) continue regardless of bulk opt-out status.
This cannot be undone from the portal. Bulk opt-out requires the contractor or customer support to re-enable individual notification preferences. If you just want to reduce volume, use quiet hours or the digest mode instead.
Stop All Non-Transactional Notifications — This immediately stops all appointment reminders, project updates, marketing emails, and review requests. Billing confirmations and payment failure alerts continue — those cannot be stopped. This action requires the contractor to re-enable your preferences. [Stop All Communications]
SMS STOP — What Happens
Replying STOP to any SMS from the contractor's system immediately stops all SMS messages to that phone number — including transactional messages like payment confirmations. This is a carrier-level block and cannot be overridden from the portal. To resume SMS, reply START to any message from the contractor's number. The portal notification preferences are not affected — only the SMS channel is suppressed.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Reply STOP to any SMS | All SMS from this contractor immediately stop — including transactional receipts |
| Reply START to any SMS | SMS restored to previous notification preferences |
| Click unsubscribe in a marketing email | Marketing emails stop; transactional emails (invoices, receipts) continue |
| Disable SMS in portal preferences | SMS notifications suppressed at the app level — not a carrier-level block |
Related Pages
- Customer Portal Overview — Full feature map of the customer portal — all sections and what they do
- My Schedule — Appointment schedule, past visits, and technician dispatch status
- Invoices & Payments — Pay invoices, view transaction history, and manage auto-pay
- Messages — Full communication history with your contractor — SMS, email, calls, and system events