Configure Package Expiration Reminder Notifications

The package expiration reminder notification alerts clients that their package contract period is nearing its end, encouraging them to reach out if they wish to renew. This article will guide you through the steps to set up automated package expiration notifications to remind clients of upcoming expirations.

Things to know:

• The ability to configure package expiration reminder notifications is governed by the "Accessing Automated Messages" access control setting.
• You can add multiple package expiration reminder templates, each with a unique cadence, similar to how appointment confirmations are managed.
• You can only send package expiration reminders via email or SMS.
• The "Package Upcoming Expiration" automated message template is set to "Off" by default. To ensure clients receive notifications a few days before their package expires, you'll need to activate it.
• Clients who have exhausted their package item credits will not receive the "Package Expired" automated notification.
• 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 Segment Calculation & Billing

  • SMS costs are calculated per segment, not per message. Carriers treat each segment as a separate message for delivery and billing, so every segment is counted and charged individually. This billing method is determined by carriers and is not specific to MyTime.

  • Segments per message are based on length and encoding

  • Encoding Standards 

    • GSM Encoding:

      • GSM-encoded messages (standard letters, numbers, and symbols) allow up to 160 characters per segment. 

      • If the message is longer than 160 characters, it will be split into concatenated segments of 153 characters each.

    • UCS-2 Encoding:

      • UCS-2 messages (special characters, emojis, or non-Latin alphabets) allow up to 70 characters per segment. 

      • If the message is longer than 70 characters, it will be split into concatenated segments of 67 characters each.
        

      • Even a single emoji forces UCS-2 encoding, reducing per-segment capacity and potentially doubling the number of segments.

    • Note: Concatenation headers are hidden data that let the recipient’s phone reassemble multiple segments into a single message.

  • Each recipient receives their own copy, so the number of segments per message is multiplied by the number of recipients to calculate billing. Example: A 2-segment message sent to 50 recipients counts as 100 billable segments. If each segment costs $0.02, the total cost would be 100 × $0.02 = $2.00.

  • Learn more about SMS segments & billing here

To configure package expiration reminders, simply:

1. Navigate to Marketing > Automated Messages
2. Navigate to the "Package Expiration Reminder" section
3. Locate the "Package Upcoming Expiration" automated message template
4. Hover over the status to see options to "View" or "Activate" the template
5. Click "View"
6. From here, you can set your preferences and edit the template:
   • Send To Clients X Days Before Package Expiration: You can specify how many days, weeks or month before the package expires the client should receive this notification; by default, it is set to 3 days.
   • Delivery By: You can specify a fallback delivery method (email, SMS, push notification) when the primary method is unavailable.
     • 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
     • Delivery methods configured before February 3, 2025 (when fallback delivery methods were introduced) will have the following default selections:
     • For enabled delivery methods, the 'Use if available' option will be selected.
     • For disabled delivery methods, the 'Use if others are not available' option will be selected.
   • 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.
     • If no email is configured for the location, the system will use the location owner's email instead.
     • If the hidden setting "Use a specific reply-to email for outbound emails" is enabled, the system will use the email address entered in the "Reply-To Email for Outbound Emails" field.
   • Email Subject:  The subject line of the email as it will appear in the client’s inbox.
   • Body of the Template:  This is the content of the email that will be sent to your clients. You can customize the message, include dynamic fields, and apply styling as needed.          
7. Click "Save."

For more information contact us at support@mytime.com.

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