Configuring Lead Notifications

Automated messages for leads are preconfigured communications that engage and nurture potential clients throughout their journey. These messages build relationships, deliver timely information, and guide leads toward booking—all without manual effort. They are automatically triggered by specific actions or behaviors, such as signing up through the booking widget. In this article, you’ll learn how to configure automated messages to streamline and improve your lead management process.

Things to know 

• The ability to view and customize automated messages for leads is controlled by the "Accessing Automated Messages" access control setting.
• 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.
  • Push Notifications: Can only be delivered to clients who have the custom MyTime Guest App installed on their mobile device.
• 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.
    
• 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.
• The delete option to the right of the lead notification template will only be visible for pre-saved templates after a change has been made and saved for that specific template. 
• Staff members who have not opted in to receive operations alerts via email will not receive:
  • Drip rebooking reminders
  • Notifications about leads
  • To learn how to opt in to operations alerts via email, click here

Contents:

• Configuring Pre-Saved Automated Messages for Leads
• Configuring New Automated Messages for Leads

Configure Pre-Saved Automated Messages for Leads

1. Navigate to Marketing > Automated Messages 
2. Click the 'Leads' tab
3. Hover over the 'Lead Notifications' option and then click 'View'
4. On the 'Lead Notification' page, you will find two pre-saved templates: 
   • Lead Notification for leads 
   • Follow up with Leads for staff members 
5. Hover over either template and then click 'View' to customize it according to your preferences. Click Save once your changes are complete.
   

Configure New Automated Messages for Leads

1. Navigate to Marketing > Automated Messages 
2. Click the 'Leads' tab 
3. Hover over the 'Lead Notifications' option and then click 'View'
4. On the 'Lead Notification' page, click the "+Add Another" option 
5. From the 'Notification Type' dropdown in the pop-up, choose whether the notification is for leads or staff members 
   • If Lead is selected, the "Send a reminder to encourage leads to book" notice will appear.
   • If Staff is selected, the "Alert staff when leads have not booked" notice will appear.
6. Click 'Continue' to proceed
7. Customize the template by editing:
   • Edit: Change the template's name if desired.
   • Send X After Lead is Created: Set a time (hours, days, weeks, months, or years) for when the notification should be sent after a lead is created.
   • 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: The business name displayed when clients reply to an auto-email (set in your business profile).

   • Subject: The subject that will appear when the client receives the message.
     

   • To edit the body of the email:

     • Hover over the highlighted sections 

     • Click on the edit icon  

     • Use the editor to design your template. Hover over each icon for a description. Advanced users can insert HTML for a more customized appearance.

     • When finished, select Save at the bottom of the page

8. Save

For more information contact us at support@mytime.com or (385) 233-6964.