“On My Way” Notifications
Let customers know you’re heading to their property with a single tap. Service Invoice Pro can send the arrival alert by email (included with Pro) and optionally by text message (requires the SMS add-on).
What the Customer Gets
The default message reads:
Your technician from {businessName} is on the way for your scheduled service: {jobName}.
You can customize the wording, and the email version also includes the service address (if set on the job), your business name and contact info, and an unsubscribe link.
Enabling On My Way
On My Way is off by default. To turn it on:
- Go to Settings → On My Way.
- Toggle Enable On My Way Notifications to on.
- Optionally edit the Custom Message text. Leave it blank to use the default.
- Click Save.
The settings page is owner-only — team members can send notifications once enabled but can’t change the message template or the on/off toggle.
Customizing the Message Template
The custom message field supports four placeholders that are replaced with real data each time a notification goes out:
| Placeholder | Replaced With |
|---|---|
{customerName} | The customer’s name (or “there” if no name is set) |
{businessName} | Your organization’s business name |
{jobName} | The job title |
{serviceAddress} | The job’s service address (or empty if not set) |
Example custom message:
Hi {customerName}, this is {businessName}. We're on the way for your {jobName} — see you in about 15-20 minutes!That would send as:
Hi Sarah, this is GreenTime Landscaping. We’re on the way for your Spring Cleanup — see you in about 15-20 minutes!
The custom message must be 500 characters or fewer.
Sending an On My Way Notification
Once enabled, you can send from two places:
From the Job Detail page
- Open the job.
- In the On My Way card, click Notify Customer — On My Way.
- The customer receives the email immediately. If you have the SMS add-on enabled and the customer has a phone number, you’ll also see a Text Customer button that sends the same message by SMS.
The card shows the last send date and recipient address so you can confirm it went out.
From the Daily Dispatch board
When you’re working from the Daily Dispatch board, each job card has a Send On My Way quick-action button right next to Start Timer and Call. Tapping it sends the email (and SMS, if enabled) without leaving the dispatch view.
A small “On My Way sent” badge appears on the job card after a successful send.
Email vs. SMS
| Email (included with Pro) | SMS (requires SMS add-on) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included | Counts against SMS credits — usually 1 segment per send |
| Re-send | Unlimited | 15-minute cooldown per job |
| Customer setup needed | Email address on customer profile | Phone number on customer profile |
| Customer unsubscribe | Click unsubscribe link in email footer | Reply STOP, or unsubscribe link in text |
| Settings toggle | Settings → On My Way | Both Settings → On My Way AND Settings → SMS Notifications → On My Way must be on |
When both are enabled, sending On My Way from the job page or dispatch board will send both the email and the SMS — that way customers get the message on whichever channel reaches them fastest.
If you only want SMS (no email), turn off the master Enable On My Way Notifications toggle in Settings → On My Way. The SMS toggle in Settings → SMS Notifications keeps SMS-only sending available from the Text Customer button.
What if the Customer Has Opted Out
Customers can unsubscribe from On My Way notifications without unsubscribing from everything else (their invoice receipts, payment reminders, and other emails still go through). When that happens:
- The Notify Customer — On My Way button shows: “Customer has unsubscribed from arrival notifications”
- The send is blocked and no email or SMS is sent
- This is a separate flag from the master email unsubscribe and the master SMS opt-out
To re-enable for a specific customer, you’d need to contact them and ask them to re-subscribe, or contact support for help clearing the flag with written customer consent.
When to Use It
On My Way is a high-leverage customer-experience touch. Common workflows:
- Right before leaving the shop — set the expectation, so customers know to be home or unlock the gate.
- Stuck in traffic — send a quick “still on my way” follow-up. SMS is great for this since you can resend the email anytime.
- First visit to a new customer — sets a professional tone and reduces “where are you?” calls.
Crews that send On My Way notifications consistently see fewer missed appointments, fewer surprise callbacks, and better reviews.
Common Issues
The Notify Customer button shows “Set up On My Way notifications in Settings.” The master toggle is off — go to Settings → On My Way and enable it.
The button shows “Customer has no email address.” Open the customer detail page and add an email, or use the SMS option instead if the customer has a phone.
SMS sends but email doesn’t, or vice versa. Verify both toggles are on:
- Settings → On My Way → master enable
- Settings → SMS Notifications → master + On My Way sub-toggle
Custom message isn’t being substituted with the customer name. Check that you used the correct placeholder spelling — {customerName} (camelCase, in curly braces), not {customer_name} or [customer].
Related
- Jobs — managing jobs and scheduling
- Daily Dispatch — sending On My Way from the dispatch board
- SMS Notifications — enabling the SMS add-on for text-based arrival alerts
- Schedule — planning your day before sending alerts