Overview: What are we talking about?
Although Gingr sends a variety of automated emails and SMS (text messages) to your customers, you can also send individual emails and select SMS to customers at will.
This article includes:
- Emails Directly to Customers
- 2-Way SMS
- Invoices, Estimates & Payment History
- Deposit Requests
- Reservation Confirmation Requests
- Ready for Pickup Communications
- Report Cards
- Immunization Reminders
- Agreement Emails
- New Customer Registration Emails
- Password Reset Emails
- Viewing Communication History
- FAQ
Related Articles:
Helpful Hints: Before you begin
-
System SMS is currently limited to customers within the United States and Canada. If you reside outside of North America, you could consider looking into a third-party company called Esendex. For more information on this topic, please click here.
- Our messaging provider, Twilio, requires all phone numbers be verified before sending text messages. This helps ensure phone numbers are tied to valid businesses and helps prevent fraud. If your number is unverified, you will see a banner at the top of the 2-way SMS slideout and on the Admin > System SMS page. Without this verification, you will be unable to send messages through Gingr. We advise completing your registration promptly to avoid any disruptions. For more details on how to complete verification, please refer to our article Verify Your Twilio Number (How-To).
-
Important! Our messaging provider, Twilio, enforces strict guidelines for SMS content. Twilio prohibits sending messages related to illegal substances, including terms like CBD, Cannabis, or Kratom. Messages containing prohibited words will be automatically censored with asterisks (*), both within your app and for the message recipient. Violating these guidelines may lead to the immediate blocking of all messages from your SMS number. Refer to Twilio's Acceptable Use Policy and Forbidden Message Categories for more details.
- You can edit System Email templates from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System Email. For more information about editing these templates, see our article on System Email.
- You can edit System SMS templates from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System SMS. For more information about editing this template, see our article on System SMS.
- You must configure your permissions to allow users in your app to send SMS and Emails:
- Navigate to Left-hand Navigation Menu: Reports & More » Groups.
- For users to send 2-Way and manually triggered SMS, the "Can Send SMS" user permission must be turned on for the user group they are in.
- For users to send custom emails, the "Can email customers" user permission must be turned on for their user group.
- If you have 2-way SMS enabled, for users to receive in-app notifications for incoming text messages, the user must have the "Notification: Incoming SMS" user permission turned on.
- Free-hand emails sent to customers do not include your logo at the top of the email nor an Unsubscribe link at the bottom.
- Gingr will send SMS to your customers from a custom, toll-free number. This phone number for your SMS can be found under Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System SMS.
- The Owner’s Communication Tab is the central hub for all communications regarding a specific Owner. This tab is on all Owner profiles and contains a comprehensive list of all texts, calls, and emails sent through Gingr. You can use this tab to view SMS, Inbound Call Logs, Outbound Call Logs, Emails, Marketing Campaigns, Checkout Surveys, and Lead Forms. You can also create new communications with the owner directly from this tab. For more information see our Overview of the Owner Communications Tab.
How to: Send Emails Directly to Customers
Free-typed Emails
You can also send emails directly from the Owner Communications Tab.
Canned Email Templates
Canned Emails are email templates that you can set up from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » Canned Email Templates. These allow staff to send pre-typed SMS to increase efficiency and effectiveness with your customer communication.
To send these emails, navigate to the Owner page, click their email address, then select Send Email from the drop-down menu. Or, from the Communications tab click New Email. Click the drop-down under Choose a Canned Email Template. Optionally adjust the content of the email before clicking the Send Email button.
Important: your {variables} should populate the desired information into the email form instead of appearing like {first_name}, {location_name}, etc. If they do not, there is a problem with the variables in your template. Adjust your email template before sending.
For more information on setting these up please see our article on Canned Email Templates.
How to: Send 2-Way SMS Messages
Gingr's 2-way SMS functionality requires the 2-way SMS or All-In-One Multimedia Messaging Bundle subscription add-on. For more information please see our article on 2-Way SMS. Pricing structure and signup information is at the bottom FAQ section of this article as well.
To send an SMS, you will access the 'Conversations' area from the Top Right Chat Bubble Icon. The number displayed here is the number of unread messages for your location.
Important: your app must have 2-way SMS enabled in order to see this feature.
From the chat bubble, you will see the entire SMS history log for Sent and Received text messages, as well as any unread messages.
On the top right you will see a search bar and a + New message blue bubble.
- The '+ New' blue bubble is what you will click to compose and send a new message.
- If you would like to search for an existing number or owner name you've already been in contact with, you will use the search tool.
Once you select an owner, to send a new message click the blue '+ Start Conversation' button:
At the bottom of the SMS window, enter up to 320 characters. Optionally, if you are also subscribed to the All-in-One Multimedia add-on, you can add photos or files at this time.
Once you click send, the SMS will be sent immediately and the new message will appear in the history of the Read tab for all owners and the Conversations page for the particular owner.
You can also immediately be directed to the specified Owner's conversation by navigating to the Owner's Communications tab and clicking New SMS.
How to: Send Invoices, Estimates, and Payment History
It is possible to manually send any Invoice or Estimate to your customers. You can also send a comprehensive report of their payment history. You can edit the Reservation Estimate Email, Invoice Email, and Payment History Email templates from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System Email. For more information about editing these templates, see our article on System Email.
-
From the Owner Invoices Tab: Navigate to the Owner's Invoices tab. Click the Invoices or Estimates sub-tabs. Finally, click the email icon beside each invoice or estimate to send one to the email address on file.
-
From the Invoice or Estimate: Navigate to the Invoice or Estimate in question. Click Email in the top right corner. The system will pre-populate the owner's default email address, however, you can enter any email address you wish.
-
From the Open Invoices or Close Invoices Reports: From the Open or Closed Invoices list, click the email icon to send an email to the customer's email address.
-
From the Shopping Cart: Upon checking out a customer you will be presented with a popup. On the left side of that popup is an envelope icon that you can click to instantly send the invoice to the email address on file.
-
Owner Payment History: This is its own email template. From the Owner Invoices tab, click the blue Payment History button. Generate the report by Invoices Paid or Payment Events for a selected date range. Click the Email button on the top right of the results popup to immediately email the email on file.
How to: Send Deposit Request Emails
Deposit emails are typically configured to send automatically, however you can also individually send deposit payment requests. For more information please see our article on Using Deposits.
To send an individual request, navigate to Left-hand Navigation: Reservations » Deposits. Click the action menu next to the deposit line in question and then click Email Reminder to immediately email the owner's email address on file.
How to: Send Reservation Confirmation Requests
You can manually send emails and SMS to customers requesting they confirm their upcoming reservations. Your customer can then click a link in the email or SMS to confirm or cancel their reservation. You can edit the email template from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System Email. For more information about editing this template, see our article on System Email. The SMS template can be edited from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System SMS, for more information please see our article on System SMS.
Reservations that have not yet been confirmed by customers (or by your business, on behalf of your customer) will appear in your Dashboard's Unconfirmed section 7 days prior to the reservation's start date. Optionally, you can click the down arrow and "Set # of days into the future" to a longer range.
You can see "Last Sent:..." which indicates the last time the customer was emailed or sent an SMS about that reservation, regardless of what type of email or SMS was sent about the reservation.
To send the confirmation request, there are two locations you can do this from:
-
From the Dashboard: From the Unconfirmed tab, click the paper airplane icon on the reservation line. Click the Email or SMS button to immediately send an email to the customer.
-
From the Reservation Details Page: From the Reservation Details page, you can only trigger the email option. Click the envelope icon at the top of the reservation header. Click "Send Confirmation Request Email" to send the email.
How to: Send Ready for Pickup Emails or SMS
- From the Dashboard: In your Checked-In or Going Home sections of your Dashboard, select "Ready for Pickup Email" or "Ready for Pickup SMS" from the reservation's Actions menu.
-
From the Reservation Details Page: From the Reservation Details page, you can only trigger the email option. Click the envelope icon at the top of the reservation header. Click "Send Ready for Pickup Email" to immediately email the customer.
How to: Send Report Cards
From the Report Cards Tab:
- Left-hand Navigation: Report Cards » View Report Cards.
- This page shows sent and unsent report cards for reservations not yet checked out or reservations checked out in the last 7 days. Older report cards can be found on the Reservation Details or Animal Details pages(see below).
- From the Unsent Report Cards section, click the grey arrow icon next to any report card. This will provide the option to send the report card via Email or SMS.
- Once sent, report cards will show in the Sent Report Cards section. From here, you can view, edit, or resend the report card, as well as view a timestamp of when it was last sent and last edited.
- You can send all unsent report cards at once by clicking "Send All via Email" or "Send All via SMS".
From the Reservation Details page:
- Navigate to the Reservation Details page.
- From the Details tab, see the Report Cards section on the left-hand side at the bottom.
- Click the Action button and click to send via Email or SMS.
From the Animal Details page:
- Navigate to the Animal Details page.
- From the Report Cards tab, view all report cards created for this animal.
- Click the "Send via Email" or "Send via SMS" button.
How to: Send Immunization Reminders
How to: Send Agreements
You can manually send signed agreements to your customers. Navigate to the Owner's Profile, click the Agreements tab, then click the action button next to a signed agreement. Select "Email" to send a copy of the signed agreement to the customer's email on file.
How to: Send New Customer Registration Emails
You can manually send a New Customer Registration email to any customer by clicking their email address on their Owner Profile, then selecting "Send Registration Email" from the drop-down menu.
You can edit this template from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System Email. If you enable the status of this template, then you will be prompted to optionally send this email after you click Save when completing a new owner registration. For more information about editing this template, see our article on System Email.
How to: Send Password Reset Email
You can manually send a Password Reset email to any customer by clicking their email address on their Owner Profile, then selecting "Send Password Reset Email" from the drop-down menu.
You can edit this template from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System Email. For more information about editing this template, see our article on System Email.
How to: View SMS History
There are several ways in which you can view SMS history. From the Owner Profile, you can access a tab with all the customer email and SMS communications in one place. If you are signed up for 2-Way texting (an additional Subscription Add-on) then you will also have access to a complete SMS conversation history. Finally, some but not all outgoing System SMS show in the "Outgoing Email Log."
Owner Communications Tab
In order to see a record of all communications with a customer, navigate to the Owner's profile and then click the Communications Tab. You will see a list of outgoing and incoming messages. Outgoing text messages and call records are listed on this tab. From this tab, you can also send SMS (if you have 2-Way texting enabled), send emails, create call records, add the customer to marketing campaigns, and more. Click each row to view details of the communication.
For more information please see our article on the Owner Communications Tab.
2-Way SMS
With 2-Way SMS enabled, all System, Marketing, and custom SMS will be listed in the SMS conversations section. Please see the FAQ below for more information on signup, as well as our article on 2-Way SMS.
Outgoing Email Log (Includes some SMS)
From Left-hand Navigation: Admin » Reports & More » History, you will see a button for the Outgoing Email Log. Out of the System SMS Templates, only Reminder SMS are recorded here. If you need to access any other records please do so from the Owner Communications Tab or the 2-Way SMS chat window.
Note: Reservation Reminder SMS and Marketing SMS will also show in the main History list.
FAQ: Check this out!
- How do I change the email address my Gingr app sends emails from?
- What happens if I trigger multiple emails to customers in a short time?
- Why isn't a customer receiving emails or SMS?
- Will I know if an email bounced back or was undeliverable?
- What happens when a customer responds to a text message?
How do I change the email address my Gingr app sends emails from?
- Navigate to Left-hand Navigation: Admin » Locations Info.
- Choose the Location and click the Edit button in your location's Actions dropdown menu.
- On the Edit popup, type the new email address into the email field.
- Scroll down and save your changes by clicking Save.
What happens if I trigger multiple emails to customers in a short time?
Gingr batches emails approximately every 5 minutes. If multiple emails are triggered within that timespan then Gingr will send a single email with each email stacked into one.
Why Isn't a Customer Receiving Emails or SMS?
There are a few common reasons a customer may not receive your emails. First, check the settings for the email type in question to ensure it is configured to send. Then, check if one or multiple owners are affected. You can visit your outgoing email logs from Left-hand Navigation: Reports & More » History, and then click "Outgoing Email Log" at the top. In this manner, you can check if only some customers are affected or if this is a system-wide issue.
Common reasons for emails to not send include:
1. No email address is entered or the address is incorrect. Please ensure the customer has the correct email address in the email system field.
2. The email is going to the customer's junk or spam folder. Please ask the customer to check this. They might consider adding your email as a contact to prevent filtering.
3. The customer is opted out of communications. Customers can opt-out of the system, marketing, and reminder emails independently. Please review the owner's settings by clicking to edit their profile and scrolling to the toggles for your communication settings. These should be set to "no" in order for customers to receive the specified emails.
4. The customer is on the email blacklist. To check if this is the case, navigate to the owner's profile and click on their email address. From the dropdown choose "Is address blacklisted?". A popup will appear informing you if they are on the blacklist and, if so, why. A button will allow you to remove them from this list so you can try sending emails again.
5. The customer is on the SMS Blacklist. This can happen if the customer texts "STOP", a message that is too long it sent, the phone number bounced, or various other reasons. Gingr Customer Support can check this for you.
If none of these factors apply and you cannot identify why a customer is not receiving emails, please reach out to support@gingrapp.com, call our phone support line, or reach out via our online chat for assistance in troubleshooting.
What guidelines must I follow to avoid message filtering?
Our messaging service provider, Twilio, enforces an Acceptable Use Policy and Messaging Policy that explicitly disallow the transmission of any content that is unlawful, harmful, unwelcome, inappropriate, objectionable, confirmed to be criminal, misinformation, or that poses a potential risk to the public, even if such content may be legally permissible. Additionally, any usage that violates local laws in the recipient’s jurisdiction is also not allowed.
Referencing Cannabis, CBD, or Kratom is not allowed due to federal laws that prohibit their sale. Twilio defines a cannabis message as any communication pertaining to the marketing or sale of cannabis products.If you fail to comply with Twilio’s Acceptable Use Policy or Messaging Policy your messages may be blocked and your account may be suspended or terminated.
For more information about preventing your messages from being filtered and how to remain compliant, see this article: How do I prevent my Twilio messages from being filtered (blocked)?, and reach out to our support team if you have additional questions.
Will I know if an email bounced back or was undeliverable?
You can configure user groups to receive a notification when emails bounce. Navigate to Left-hand Navigation: Reports & More » Groups and turn on the Notification: Bounced Email permission.
-
- This permission can be local to only the location where the email was for or can be global, meaning a notification will display at all locations when an email bounces, regardless of the location.
- For more information see our article on App Notifications.
- Optionally you can have these notifications email your personal login email by also enabling Receive Email Notifications.
You may also receive a notification at the email address you use for your Gingr user account. If you find that you are not receiving these notifications, you may want to check the settings on your email provider's website, to make sure that bounced email notifications are enabled.
You can also check the Outgoing Email Log for an email's status at any time. Left-hand Navigation: Reports & More » History » Outgoing Email Log.
How can I automatically send system emails to multiple owner addresses?
It is possible to configure multiple email addresses to send system emails for each owner. from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » Owner Form, scroll to the email address field that you would like to be configured to send emails. Hover over the field and click the pencil edit button. In the side window near the bottom is a check box "Send System Generated Emails?". Select this to automatically send system emails to any customers with an email plugged into that field.
What happens when a customer responds to a text message sent by Gingr?
- If you are subscribed to the 2-way texting add-on, then you will receive the text sent by the customer. Please see our article on 2-Way SMS functionality for more information.
- If you are subscribed to the All-In-One Messaging bundle, then you will be able to set up Auto-Replies. These are automated replies that can be configured to send on certain days and at select times. For more information please see our article on SMS Auto-Replies.
- If you are not subscribed to the All-In-One Messaging bundle or 2-way SMS, then if your customer replies to an SMS sent through your Gingr app, they will automatically receive this response: "You responded to an automated text message and the business will not receive your response. Please contact the business directly to communicate with them about your pets and reservations."
How can I sign up for 2-Way SMS?
2-Way SMS is a subscription add-on to Gingr. With 2-Way SMS, your customers can reply to text messages sent from Gingr and you can respond with a custom message. You can also select any customer at any time to send them a custom text message. Incoming text notifications are visible from anywhere in the app, and you can type up a custom response to send immediately.
Multimedia messaging (MMS) can also be enabled for your 2-way texting conversations. This is an additional subscription that allows your business to send a variety of media, including pictures, videos, PDFs, and much more, to customers via the 2-way SMS window.
You can sign up by navigating to Left-hand Navigation: Admin » Manage Gingr Subscription and clicking Enable next to the Two-Way Texting (SMS) or All-in-One Multimedia Messaging Bundle.
For more information please see our article on 2-Way SMS.
2-Way SMS:
Includes 2-way SMS capability. There is an annual charge as well as metered usage charges. Metered usage is per incoming text. This number resets each monthly billing cycle.
- $165/subdomain/year
- $0.00/incoming SMS
- $0.04/incoming SMS received over 500 per month.
All-in-One Multimedia Messaging Bundle:
Includes 2-way SMS, SMS Marketing, Multi-Media Messaging, Canned SMS Templates, & Auto-Reply SMS. There is an annual charge as well as metered usage charges. 2-Way SMS is per incoming text. Marketing SMS is per outgoing text. This number resets each monthly billing cycle. The following pricing structure is for 2-Way and Marketing SMS COMBINED:
- $225/subdomain/year
- $0.00 per message for 0-1000 messages
- $0.04 per message for 1001-2000 messages
- $0.03 per message for 2001-3000 messages
- $0.02 per message for 3000+ messages
If you were previously signed up for 2-way SMS and/or Marketing SMS, upon signing up for the All-in-One Bundle our system will provide a pro-rated credit to your next invoice (regular subscription or messaging bundle, whichever comes first). Metered usage numbers will reset with the upgrade, but usage costs will not get reimbursed if you upgrade mid-month. Please reach out to our support team if you have questions.
Comments
0 comments
Article is closed for comments.