This article explains how to enable and manage automated invoice messages in MyTime.
Things to know:
- The ability to view and customize automated messages is governed by the "Accessing Automated Messages" access control setting.
- The invoicing feature is controlled by the "Enable Invoicing Clients" company setting. Learn more about invoicing here
- Notification Requirements
- SMS Notifications: Clients must have a valid phone number on file and be single-opted in to receive transactional SMS.
- Email Notifications: Clients must have a valid email address on file and be opted in to receive transactional emails.
- SMS Segments & Billing
- SMS billing is calculated per segment, not per message.
- Encoding Types
- GSM Encoding
- Up to 160 characters per segment
- Long messages split into 153-character segments
- UCS-2 Encoding
- Used when messages include emojis or special characters
- Up to 70 characters per segment
- Long messages split into 67-character segments
- Note: Even a single emoji forces UCS-2 encoding.
- Billing Rules
- Each segment is billed individually
- Each recipient receives their own copy of the message
- Total cost = segments × recipients × rate. Example: 2-segment message sent to 50 recipients = 100 billable segments
- Learn more about SMS Segments & Billing here.
- Automated text messages cannot be sent from the dedicated phone number because these are two-way messages. Since SMS messages don’t carry any metadata, MyTime needs to rotate phone numbers in order to determine which message someone is replying to
- Curly braces {} are reserved characters in MyTime’s email template system and are used as variable placeholders. If a client’s pet name contains curly braces (for example, {Bella}), any automated message or notification that references the pet’s name may fail to send.
- Clients associated with a specific location under a multi-location account will receive automated messages customized for that location. The From field and Reply-To name in these emails display the location’s nickname by default, as defined in Business Setup > Business Profile > Edit Location. For example, a business named Urban Spa has two locations: Downtown and Westside. If a client is associated only with the Westside location, any automated appointment reminders they receive will appear with the Westside location nickname. The name displayed in the "Sender Label" is determined based on the following hierarchy (order of priority):
- Location Nickname: If a nickname is configured for a specific location, this will always be the primary sender name.
- Reply-To Name: If no location nickname exists, the system will fall back to the Reply-To Name configured in your messaging settings.
- Company Name: If neither a nickname nor a Reply-To Name is found, the system will use your overall company name as the final fallback.
The marketing editor automatically detects and retains line breaks and paragraph spacing when you paste content from external sources. This removes the need for manual reformatting and ensures your newsletters and SMS campaigns appear exactly as intended.
To enable invoice automated messages:
- Go to Marketing > Automated Messages
- From the Transactional tab, navigate to Point of Sale
- Hover over the 'Send Invoice' option to reveal the View/Deactivate options
- Select View, you will be directed to the Edit Send Invoice page
- From here you can edit the following (if your subscription allows):
Delivery By: You can specify a fallback delivery method (email, SMS, or push notification) when the primary method is unavailable. Learn more here
- Use if available: This is the primary method that will be attempted first
- Use if other methods not available: This method will be attempted if the primary option is unavailable (because contact information is not on file or the user opted out)
- Never Use: This method will not be used, even if none of the other options are available
Reply-to name: This is the name that appears when clients reply to an automated email. By default, it is pulled from the business name set on the Business Profile page.
- Reply-To-Email: By default, this is set to the location's email address configured under Business Setup > Business Profile > Edit Location.
- If no email is configured for the location, the system will use the location's owner's email address instead.
- If the "Use a specific reply-to-email for outbound emails" hidden setting is enabled, the system will use the email address entered in the "Reply-To-Email for Outbound Emails" field
Subject: The subject line of the email as it will appear in the client’s inbox.
Add Directions: You can add directions for each of your locations. They will be featured in clients’ appointment-related emails.
Service-specific Instructions: You can add instructions for each of your services. They will be featured in clients’ appointment-related emails and SMS. Learn more here
The header contains your location information. You can edit this information from your business profile. Learn how-to here
- To edit the body of the email by hover over the highlighted sections > Click on the edit icon
- When you are finished editing the template, select 'Save' at the bottom
For more information, contact us at support@mytime.com or (385) 233-6964.
Related Articles:
Invoicing Clients Directly from POS
Paying Invoices Online & Managing Saved Cards on File
Customizing Automated Messages
Automated Message Template Icons
Activate/Deactivate Automated Messages
Was this article helpful?
That’s Great!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry! We couldn't be helpful
Thank you for your feedback
Feedback sent
We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article