Sending automatic notifications when a job is rescheduled

In this article, you'll learn how to text or email a client, or your team, automatically whenever a job's date or time changes. That way nobody shows up on the old day, and you don't have to remember to send a message every time you move something on the calendar.

There's no separate "rescheduled" trigger. You use the job trigger is scheduled, which runs when a job gets a date and again every time that date or time changes.

To open Automations:

  1. On the web, click Automations in the menu.
  2. In the phone app, tap the lightning bolt at the top of the Home screen, or open the menu and tap Automations.

Creating the rescheduled-job automation

  1. Click + Add automation.
  2. In the name box at the top, type a name you'll recognize, like "Job moved – let the client know".
  3. Click this happens. Under a job, choose is scheduled.
  4. Click do this and pick who gets the message and how:
  • send client a text message, an email, or a text and email
  • send your team a text message or an email
  1. Leave the timing alone. It reads within a defined time until you set it, but it's already set to send immediately, and that's what you want here.
  2. Click Preview/edit message, write your message, then click ✓ Save and close.
  3. Click Add automation.
Building an automation that runs when a job is scheduled

If you picked your team, a to: line shows up under the sentence with your team members. Click the people who should get it. If you don't pick anyone, it goes to the account owner.

Tip: Want only certain jobs to send this? Click Add condition to limit it by job type, job source, job tag or job status. See Adding conditions to your automation rules.

Writing a message that works either way

Under the message box you'll see short codes you can click to drop in. The useful ones here are:

  • job_date – the job's new date
  • job_time – the job's new start time
  • full_address – where the job is
  • client_first_name, business_name and tech_assigned

The message always shows the job's current date and time. There's no short code for the old date, so word it as the time the job is set for now rather than "moved from Tuesday to Thursday".

Note: This trigger also runs when a job gets its first date. That includes jobs booked through the Scheduler, online booking, jobs made by converting a lead or estimate, jobs added by a recurring schedule, and a job that had no date until you set one. There's no "only when moved" option, so write the message so it reads fine either way, something like "Your appointment is set for {{job_date}} at {{job_time}}". A job you create from the regular new job form with a date already on it runs the is created trigger instead.

When your automation sends

  • Every time you change a job's date or time, whether you edit it on the job or drag it to a new spot on the schedule, the automation runs again. Move a job three times and the client gets three messages, each with the latest date.
  • Messages only go out inside the hours set at the bottom of the rule under Automation will be sent (9:00 AM to 9:00 PM unless you change it). If you move a job late at night, the message waits until the window opens the next morning. See Setting when automations are allowed to send.

What happens to your reminders on their own

You don't need to do anything for this part. If you have automations that send a set time ahead of a job's schedule date, like a "see you tomorrow" reminder, the reminders already waiting for that job move to match the new date when you reschedule it. If you cancel the job, the waiting reminders are skipped and never go out. If you take the date off a job, they're skipped too.

Related articles

  • Automatically reminding clients about upcoming jobs
  • Creating custom automation rules
  • Automations short code guide
  • Setting when automations are allowed to send
  • Adding conditions to your automation rules