Send the update when it's useful.
A good notification says what changed and whether you need to do anything. Send too many without context and people mute them, including the one that mattered.
Start from the event, not the channel.
Every notification should trace back to something that happened in your workflow. A few examples:
A request needs your approval
Goes to the approver, opens the request itself, and stops reminding once they've decided.
Approval workflowsA booking was confirmed or moved
Goes to the customer and the assigned staff member, with the new time and anything they need to bring.
Booking platformsA payment failed
Goes to the customer with a way to pay again, and to your team if it's still unresolved after the agreed time.
A document was returned
Tells the customer which item was rejected and why, with a link straight to the upload slot.
Where each message belongs.
The message is only half of it. What happens when someone taps the link decides whether the notification was any use. An approval alert should land on the request, with the details on screen. If the person's session has expired, they should return to the same place after signing in, and if they no longer have access, they should be told so plainly instead of hitting an error.
We also plan the parts nobody sees until they go wrong: what happens when a send fails, whether it's retried, how duplicates are avoided, and where a delivery record is kept when the channel provides one. When a customer says the confirmation never arrived, your team should be able to check.
Questions for each notification.
- Who receives it, and what do we expect them to do?
- Which channel suits the urgency and the person?
- Is any of the content too sensitive to send outside the app? Account details, amounts or health information may belong behind a login.
- Has the person agreed to this channel, and can they opt out of this category?
- Where does the link go, and does it work on the device they're likely holding?
- What happens if the send fails?
Notification questions.
Can users choose which updates they receive?
Yes, for categories where a choice makes sense. Security alerts and receipts are usually always on; reminders and summaries can be preferences.
How do we stop people being flooded?
We group related updates, cap reminders, and offer daily summaries for low-priority events. Each notification is reviewed against one test: would the recipient miss it if it stopped?
Can notifications go out on WhatsApp?
Often, through WhatsApp's business messaging. We review your setup, the message templates needed and the opt-in flow before scoping it, because those rules shape what can be sent and when.
Which alert do people ignore?
Tell us, and we'll look at the event, the message and where the link should take them.