Choose your arrival window settingsLast updated on 09/09/2022

Change the arrival window setting
Understand arrival window options
Example of how arrival windows work with the Business Hours table
Ideas for customizing arrival windows and notification messages

Change the arrival window setting

To change the arrival window setting, you can click into reminder notifications or booking confirmations (Settings > Customer Notifications. Click into Booking Confirmations or Reminder Notifications). Click the Settings tab at the top. You will see options for Business Hours or Job start time + Job Type Duration.

Note: Whichever arrival window option you choose, this will apply to both your booking confirmations and reminder notifications (you cannot have different arrival windows set for each one).

Understand arrival window options

The customer will see an arrival window in booking confirmations and reminder notifications. In the booking confirmation text message below, you’ll see that the Arrival Window is provided: between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

Here's an explanation of all your arrival window options:

Business Hours [default setting]	The customer’s arrival window will be determined by time slots set up in your Business Hours Table (Settings > Business Hours).
Job start time + job duration	When you select this option, the customer’s arrival window will begin exactly at the job start time. The end time will be determined by the job duration entered on the job type (Settings > Job Types > Job Duration).
Don't provide the customer with any arrival window	To do this, you’ll need to customize the notification message, and remove the arrival window start and end times. Click here for more information on customizing notification messages. Once the arrival window times are deleted from the message, you won’t need to worry about the arrival window setting.

Example of how arrival windows work with the Business Hours table

This is the default setting. The customer’s arrival window (Appointment Start Time and Appointment End Time) will be determined by time slots set up in your Business Hours Table (Settings > Business Hours).

For example, let’s say a customer has a job booked for 1:00pm on Monday.

In your business hours table, you have a time slot set up for 1:00pm to 4:00pm, Monday-Friday.

When the customer receives a booking confirmation or reminder notification, the message will provide an arrival window of 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

Ideas for customizing arrival windows and notification messages

I want to....	Which option should I choose?	What should my notification messages say?
Provide an arrival window based on time slots in the business hours table	Business hours [default setting]	A default message has been set up for you. However, many businesses choose to customize the default message. Example of how you could customize the notification message: “A reminder: your appointment with [Business Unit Official Name] is scheduled for tomorrow, [March 23 (Job Date)] between [4:00pm (Arrival Window Start Time) & 6:00pm (Arrival Window End Time)] at [Service Location Address]. Please text us back to confirm. To make any changes, call Business Unit Phone Number.”
Provide the customer with a start and end time for the appointment	Job start time + job duration	The Arrival Window Start Time will be the scheduled start time of the job. The Arrival Window End Time will be determined by the job duration set up in the job type (Settings > Job Types > Job Duration). Example of how you could customize the notification message: “Your appointment with [Business Unit Official Name] has been scheduled for for [March 23 (Job Date)] at [652 Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90018 Service Location Address] from [4:00pm (Arrival Window Start Time) to 6:00pm (Arrival Window End Time)]. We will update you to let you know when the technician is on the way (please allow up to 30 minutes for arrival). We look forward to serving you.”
Provide the customer with the appointment start time (no end time)	Job start time + job duration.	Your notification message can include the Arrival Window Start Time only. You can delete the Arrival window End Time if desired. Example of how you could customize the notification message: Your appointment with [Business Unit Official Name] has been scheduled for [March 23 (Job Date)] at [4:00pm (Arrival Window Start Time)] at [Service Location Address]. We will let you know when your technician is on the way (please allow up to 30 minutes for arrival). We look forward to speaking with you about your needs.”

Tip: Many companies will ask the customer to confirm. If the customer texts you back, you will see the customer’s message on the Dispatch Board.

Want to learn more?

See Customer notification options

Important note: Some features may not be currently included in your account and additional configuration may be required. Please contact technical support for details.

Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and it should not be construed to be legal advice. Information provided in this article may also not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information in this article to meet any compliance requirements without seeking independent legal or other professional advice.