Messaging Settings
The Messaging Settings page allows you to enable the Business Hours tool and customize some of the vocabulary used to communicate with your clients in Time To Pet.
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Check out a short video from our Onboarding Team on the Messaging Settings section!
Business Hours
Business Hours can be enabled by adjusting this setting in Company Settings > Messaging.
When Business Hours are enabled, Time To Pet will automatically show a message or send an auto-reply to pet parents who message your business outside of your normal business hours. After enabling Business Hours, you can then set your "Normal Business Hours" for your company.
Please note that the green area denotes your "Normal Business Hours" and the gray area is outside of your normal business hours.
With Business Hours enabled, you have the ability to Automate Scheduled Messages for messages sent outside of your normal business hours. This feature works closely with the Scheduled Messages tool in Time To Pet. When enabled, any messages your company sends outside of normal business hours will be automatically scheduled to be sent the next time business hours are open. This is not applicable to post-visit reports, as these are always sent immediately.
Admin, Office Managers, and Staff can override the automated scheduled messages and opt to "Send Now" via the mobile app. Admin or Office Managers can also override the “scheduled” settings and reschedule messages when using the web version of Time To Pet or the Time To Pet Mobile App. See Scheduling Messages on Mobile App for more information.
Note: Please review our help article on Scheduled Messages for more information.
Lastly, you can customize your Outside Business Hours message. This message is automatically displayed to pet parents who send your business a message outside of normal business hours via the Client App or Client Portal. This message is also sent to pet parents who reply to an email or a text message outside of normal business hours.
Note: For more information on Business Hours, please review our Business Hours help article.
Bypassing Business Hours On Mobile App
When Business Hours is enabled with Automate Scheduled messages, messages sent through Time To Pet will be automatically scheduled to send during your company's business hours. However, you can override this setting when sending messages through the Time To Pet mobile app by clicking the clock button in the lower right corner:
Admins and Office Managers will have the option to schedule it for delivery during business hours, schedule it for a specific date/time, or send the message immediately.
Note: Staff and Trainees will only see the option to send during "Business Hours" or "Send Now", and they cannot choose a specific time.
Message Tags
In this section of your Messaging Settings, you can create custom Message Tags that can be applied to messages sent through Time To Pet. Message Tags are often used to track various details in messages sent between management, staff, and clients.
Specific tags can be created for the messages sent through the Client Conversation Feed:
Tags can also be created for messages specifically sent through the Staff Conversation Feed:
Note: If your company has Private Messaging enabled, you can also create specific tags for these messages
To edit the details of a tag, such as the name or color, click "Edit Tag" from within the list of tags.
You can also filter by tags in the Message Center and the Conversation Feeds of Client or Staff profiles.
Note: For more information about Time To Pet's messaging tools, please check out the following help articles:
Auto Tagging
Just below the Message Tags section is an area where companies can configure automated tags that will apply to different types of messaging. Messages that meet the criteria will receive the tag that is designated in the fields. Each field supports up to 3 tags.
Custom Messaging
Each of the different messages that can be configured is listed below with further details.
Please note: Certain messages will only appear in Messaging if certain settings are enabled. Read below for more details.
Email - Automatic Charge Failed
If you have Automatic Charging enabled, this is the message that is emailed to your clients when an automatic charge has failed. It will include your message along with the payment amount, the payment method that was tried, and the invoice information related to the failed charge.
Email - Automatic Charge Reminder
If you have Automatic Charging enabled, this is the message that is emailed to your clients 24 hours before the automatic charge is scheduled to run.
Copy Admins On Email: If set to "Yes", all active admins in your Time To Pet account will receive a copy of this email when it is sent.
Email - Client Services Confirmation
This is the message that is sent to your client that serves as a confirmation or declination of their service requests. This is automatically sent to clients after approving or declining their visits and can also be manually triggered from the Scheduler.
Copy Assigned Sitters On Email: If set to “Yes”, all sitters that are assigned to a visit that is part of this confirmation will also get a copy of the email.
Include Prices: If set to yes, all services that are part of this confirmation will include the price.
Email - Client Welcome Email
This is the email that is sent to your clients when you create an account for them (or their account is approved). This email includes their One-Time Activation Link (which your clients will click to activate their client account).
Email - Client Invoice Message
This is the email that is sent to clients when you click “Email Invoice” or use the Bulk Invoicing tool to email invoices.
Email - Client Change Request Processed
This is the email that clients will receive if they have sent a change request for their services and it has been processed by an admin.
Note: This message will only appear and apply if this has been updated in Portal Settings under Change/Cancellation Request Type to "Client Makes Request Against Specific Visits".
Portal - Client Creates Own Account
If configured in your Portal Settings to allow clients to create their own accounts, this message will be shown to the client in a pop-up window immediately after they create an account.
Portal & App - Cancel Request Cut-Off
This is the message that appears if a client has not met the cancellation request cut-off time.
Note: This message will only appear and apply if this has been updated in Portal Settings under Change/Cancellation Request Type to "Client Makes Request Against Specific Visits" and if Cancellation Request limits have been set.
Portal - Service Change Request
When clients request cancellations/changes through the portal, this is the message we prompt them with before they actually submit the request.
Note: This message will only appear and apply if this has been updated in Portal Settings under Change/Cancellation Request Type to "Client Sends General Message".
Portal - Service Request Cut-Off
The message displayed to your clients if they attempt to request services through the portal with too short of notice.
Note: This message will only apply if you have set Client Service Request Limits in your Portal Settings.
Portal - Service Request Form
The text displayed to your clients in the portal just above the service request form.
Texting - Visit Report Text Message
The text shown just before the link to see the full visit report card. This is only used with text message notifications of a new conversation.
