Shiftboard’s Premium SMS allows a specific toll-free number to be assigned to all texts for your organization. Text providers are less likely to reject a dedicated toll-free number as spam, and your members can save this number as a contact for your organization to ensure they receive all texts from Shiftboard.
With Premium SMS, members will be notified of new available shifts and shift assignments which will allow them to respond to that text to confirm, acknowledge, or decline the assigned shift.
Premium SMS will also send texts to managers when workers call out for shifts. This requires our Attendance feature in order to receive these messages and must be enabled on your site.
Strict Opt-In / Opt-Out
With Strict Opt-In, any person within a Shiftboard site will need to opt-in to text messaging by placing their number in the notification section of their profile, then checking the "I agree to receive SMS messages at this phone number". Similarly, members can opt-out of text messaging by removing their phone number from the system. To add or remove your number, take the following steps:
- Go to your profile by selecting your initials and My Account
- Select Edit
- To opt-in, place your number in the text message field. To opt-out, remove your number.
Once you have entered your number and agreed to receive SMS messages at the number entered, you will receive a message asking you to confirm.
Message:
Text Start to receive [Business Name] notifications! Msg&data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel"
Note: Strict Opt-In is not a requirement for use of Premium SMS but many organizations and end users prefer its use as it affords the end users the ability to more readily determine if they'd like to receive texts from Shiftboard. If Strict Op-In is not in use, an end user's number simply needs to be added to the Text Message Notifications field of their account to received messages which can be entered by the users themselves or by management.
Strict Opt-In/Out Short Codes
1. Text START to Start SMS
2. Text HELP for Help
3. Text STOP to cancel SMS
Shift Text Notifications
After an end user has opted in to receiving texts there will be two types of texts they'll receive from the system. The first is an interactive/short code response text wherein the user will be notified of a new shift or shift pending acknowledgment. These texts will prompt the user to take an action to either accept/pick up a shift or acknowledge being assigned a shift as seen in the examples below.
Shift Pickup
Shift Acknowledgement
Note: The short code provided to the user will be unique to them in each case so an end user cannot use the short code of a different user to pick up or acknowledge a shift they've been offered.
The other form of text notification a user will receive will be a pure non-responsive communication that is simply informing the user of the acceptance of an action previously taken such as picking up a shift or reminding them of an upcoming shift as seen in the examples below.