Bizzly
Home
Features
How It Works
Launch Packs
Pricing
Book a Demo
Help

Bizzly

The complete operating system for small businesses. Website, payments, bookings, and CRM—all in one place.

Product

  • Features
  • How It Works
  • Pricing
  • Launch Packs
  • Support

Company

  • About
  • Contact

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map

Get Started

Start Free Trial

© 2026 Bizzly. All rights reserved.

Integrations10 articles
01Connecting HubSpot CRM02Setting Up Contact Forms with HubSpot03Automated Notifications04Adding Google Analytics05Managing Your Connections06Managing HubSpot Contacts07WhatsApp AI Assistant08Customer Experience with WhatsApp09WhatsApp Authentication & Security10WhatsApp AI Features
All Categories
IntegrationsHelp Center

Automated Notifications

Beginner10 minutes

Automated Notifications

Where to find this: Services → Integrations tab

Automated notifications keep you and your customers informed about important events via email and SMS. This guide explains the notifications sent and how to manage them.

Overview

Automated notifications help you:

  • Confirm bookings and remind customers of appointments
  • Keep customers updated on subscription changes
  • Recover failed payments automatically
  • Request reviews after completed bookings
  • Alert you to important account events

Important: Notification templates are professionally designed and cannot be customized. They automatically include your business branding and relevant details.

Types of Notifications

Email Notifications (Included in All Plans)

Email is the primary notification channel. To use custom domain emails, connect SendGrid in Services → Integrations tab.

SMS Notifications (Plan-Based Feature)

SMS notifications are optional and have monthly limits:

  • Base Plan: Not included
  • Standard Plan: 50 SMS/month
  • Pro Plan: 200 SMS/month

To enable SMS, set up a Twilio account in Services → Integrations tab.

Booking Notifications

These notifications are automatically sent for booking lifecycle events.

Booking Confirmation

Sent when: Customer completes a booking
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Booking date and time
  • Service name
  • Location and address
  • Duration
  • Cancellation policy link

Purpose: Confirms the booking was successful and provides all details.

Booking Reminder

Sent when: 24 hours before appointment
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email and/or SMS (if enabled)
Content:

  • Booking date and time (tomorrow/today)
  • Service name
  • Location
  • "See you soon!" message

Purpose: Reduces no-shows by reminding customers the day before.

SMS Reminders

If SMS is enabled and the customer has a phone number on file, they receive both email and SMS reminders. Otherwise, email only.

Booking Cancellation

Sent when: Booking is cancelled (by customer or business owner)
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Cancelled booking details
  • Cancellation reason (if provided)
  • Refund/credit information (if applicable)
  • Link to rebook

Purpose: Confirms cancellation and explains next steps.

Booking Reschedule

Sent when: Booking date/time is changed
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Old booking date/time
  • New booking date/time
  • Service and location (unchanged)

Purpose: Confirms the rescheduling and provides updated details.

Review Request

Sent when: 24 hours after a completed booking
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Thank you message
  • Request for feedback
  • Link to leave a review
  • Simple rating system

Purpose: Collects customer testimonials for your business.

Note: Review requests are only sent if the Reviews feature is enabled.

Subscription Notifications

Automated emails for subscription lifecycle events.

Trial Started

Sent when: Customer starts a free trial
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Welcome message
  • Trial duration (e.g., 14 days)
  • What's included in the plan
  • Trial expiration date
  • How to cancel if not interested

Purpose: Welcomes trial users and sets expectations.

Trial Ending Soon

Sent when: 3 days before trial expires
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Trial ending reminder
  • Expiration date
  • Benefits of subscribing
  • How to add payment method
  • How to cancel

Purpose: Encourages conversion while respecting customer choice.

Trial Expired

Sent when: Trial period ends without payment method
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Trial has concluded
  • Access restrictions (if applicable)
  • Option to subscribe
  • Special offer (optional)

Purpose: Re-engages trial users who didn't convert.

Subscription Upgraded

Sent when: Customer upgrades to a higher plan
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • New plan details
  • New features unlocked
  • New pricing
  • Prorated charge explanation
  • Next billing date

Purpose: Confirms upgrade and explains billing.

Invoice Paid

Sent when: Monthly/annual subscription payment succeeds
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Payment confirmation
  • Amount charged
  • Invoice number
  • Payment method used (last 4 digits)
  • Next billing date
  • Download invoice link

Purpose: Receipt for successful payment.

Subscription Cancelled

Sent when: Customer cancels subscription
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Cancellation confirmation
  • Access until end of period
  • What happens after period ends
  • Feedback request (optional)
  • Option to reactivate

Purpose: Confirms cancellation and explains what to expect.

Subscription Paused

Sent when: Subscription is temporarily paused
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Pause confirmation
  • Duration of pause
  • When billing resumes
  • How to unpause early

Purpose: Confirms pause status.

Note: Pausing feature may not be available on all plans.

Subscription Resumed

Sent when: Paused subscription is reactivated
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Subscription reactivated
  • Next billing date
  • Features restored

Purpose: Confirms reactivation.

Payment Failure Notifications (Dunning System)

The automated dunning system handles failed payments for both your platform subscription and your customers' subscriptions. Different actions occur depending on which subscription type fails.

Two Types of Subscriptions

Platform Subscriptions (You):

  • Your subscription to use the platform
  • Failed payments affect your site's availability
  • Dunning emails sent to you (the business owner)

Customer Subscriptions (Your Customers):

  • Your customers' subscriptions to your services
  • Failed payments affect their booking access
  • Dunning emails sent to your customers
  • Your site remains available
Dunning System Scope

The dunning system sends escalating reminder emails for both types. However, site suspension only applies to platform subscriptions. Customer subscription failures affect only that customer's access to your services.

Platform Subscription Dunning

When your platform subscription payment fails:

Initial Payment Failure (Day 0)

Sent when: Your platform subscription payment fails
Recipient: You (account owner)
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Payment unsuccessful notice
  • Common reasons (expired card, insufficient funds)
  • Link to update payment method
  • Reminder that your account is still active

Purpose: Immediate notification with solution.

Site Status: Active (normal operation)

Day 3: Reminder

Sent when: 3 days after initial failure
Recipient: You (account owner)
Channel: Email
Urgency: Reminder
Content:

  • Payment reminder
  • Update payment method link
  • Still have full access to your platform
  • Support contact

Purpose: Gentle reminder with help offer.

Site Status: Active (normal operation)

Day 7: Urgent Notice

Sent when: 7 days after initial failure
Recipient: You (account owner)
Channel: Email
Urgency: Urgent
Content:

  • Urgent payment required
  • Your business account entering grace period soon
  • Update payment within 7 days to avoid site suspension
  • Clear call-to-action

Purpose: Escalates urgency, warns of impending restrictions.

Site Status: Active (approaching grace period)

Grace Period (Days 8-13)

Site Status: Grace period (limited features, prominent warning banner shown to your site visitors)

Day 14: Final Notice

Sent when: 14 days after initial failure
Recipient: You (account owner)
Channel: Email
Urgency: Final Notice
Content:

  • Your platform subscription will be cancelled in 24 hours
  • Your customer-facing site will be suspended
  • Last chance to update payment
  • Support escalation

Purpose: Final warning before cancellation.

Site Status: Suspended (maintenance page shown to your customers)

Day 15: Subscription Cancelled

Sent when: 15 days after initial failure
Recipient: You (account owner)
Channel: Email
Urgency: Service Suspended
Content:

  • Your platform subscription has been cancelled
  • Your service suspended
  • How to restore your account
  • Data retention policy (usually 90 days)

Purpose: Notifies of cancellation and restoration process.

Site Status: Inactive (fully disabled, customers cannot access your site)

Customer Subscription Dunning

When your customer's subscription payment fails:

Initial Payment Failure (Day 0)

Sent when: Customer's subscription payment fails
Recipient: Your customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Payment unsuccessful notice
  • Common reasons (expired card, insufficient funds)
  • Link to update payment method
  • Reminder that they still have access

Purpose: Immediate notification to customer.

Their Access: Still active (can continue booking)

Day 3: Reminder

Sent when: 3 days after customer's payment failure
Recipient: Your customer
Channel: Email
Urgency: Reminder
Content:

  • Payment reminder
  • Update payment method link
  • Support contact

Purpose: Gentle reminder.

Their Access: Still active

Day 7: Urgent Notice

Sent when: 7 days after customer's payment failure
Recipient: Your customer
Channel: Email
Urgency: Urgent
Content:

  • Urgent payment required
  • Account restrictions coming soon
  • Update payment within 7 days

Purpose: Escalates urgency.

Their Access: Still active but warned

Day 14: Final Notice

Sent when: 14 days after customer's payment failure
Recipient: Your customer
Channel: Email
Urgency: Final Notice
Content:

  • Subscription will be cancelled in 24 hours
  • Booking access will be removed
  • Last chance to update payment

Purpose: Final warning.

Their Access: Last day of access

Day 15: Subscription Cancelled

Sent when: 15 days after customer's payment failure
Recipient: Your customer
Channel: Email
Urgency: Service Suspended
Content:

  • Subscription has been cancelled
  • Booking access removed
  • How to resubscribe

Purpose: Confirms cancellation.

Their Access: Subscription cancelled, cannot book services included in the plan

Payment Recovery Timeline

Both platform and customer subscriptions follow the same 15-day dunning cycle with escalating reminders (Day 3, 7, 14, 15). However:

  • Platform subscription failures → Your site status degrades (active → grace period → suspended → inactive)
  • Customer subscription failures → Only that customer loses access to their subscription benefits; your site stays active

Payment Refunded

Sent when: A payment is refunded
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Refund confirmation
  • Amount refunded
  • Original payment date
  • Refund reason (if provided)
  • Refund method (original payment method)
  • Processing time (5-10 business days)

Purpose: Confirms refund and sets expectations.

One-Off Purchase Notifications

For single-purchase services (non-subscription).

Purchase Confirmation

Sent when: Customer buys a one-off service
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Purchase confirmation
  • Service name and price
  • Credits added to account
  • How to use credits
  • Booking instructions

Purpose: Confirms purchase and explains next steps.

Credit Expiring Reminder

Sent when: Credits are about to expire (if expiration policy set)
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Credits expiring soon notice
  • Expiration date
  • How to use credits
  • Link to book

Purpose: Encourages use of credits before they expire.

Purchase Refund

Sent when: One-off purchase is refunded
Recipient: Customer
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Refund confirmation
  • Service name
  • Amount refunded
  • Credits removed from account

Purpose: Confirms refund transaction.

Administrative Notifications

Sent to business owners (not customers).

Payment Failed Admin Alert

Sent when: Platform subscription payment fails
Recipient: Account owner/admin
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Your subscription payment failed
  • Action required
  • Impact on your business
  • Update payment link

Purpose: Ensures business owner is aware of payment issues.

Quota Usage Alert

Sent when: Usage approaches plan limits
Recipient: Account owner/admin
Channel: Email
Sent at: 75%, 90%, 95% of quota
Content:

  • Feature approaching limit
  • Current usage vs. limit
  • Recommendation to upgrade
  • Link to plans

Purpose: Prevents hitting limits unexpectedly.

Contact Form Notification

Sent when: Someone submits a contact form on your website
Recipient: Account owner/admin
Channel: Email
Content:

  • Contact form submission
  • Sender name and email
  • Message content
  • Submission timestamp

Purpose: Ensures you don't miss customer inquiries.

Enabling SMS Notifications

SMS notifications are optional and require setup.

Requirements

  • Standard or Pro plan (Base plan doesn't include SMS)
  • Twilio account (sign up at twilio.com)
  • Verified phone number

Setup Steps

  1. Go to Services → Integrations tab
  2. Click Connect Twilio
  3. Enter your Twilio credentials:
    • Account SID
    • Auth Token
    • Phone Number
  4. Click Save
  5. Send a test SMS to verify

SMS Limits by Plan

  • Standard: 50 SMS/month
  • Pro: 200 SMS/month

Exceeding your limit disables SMS for the rest of the billing month. Email reminders continue to work.

SMS Content

SMS reminders are short messages:

  • "Reminder: Your [service] appointment is tomorrow at [time] at [location]. See you soon! - [Your Business]"

Cannot be customized.

Managing Notifications

Enabling/Disabling Notifications

Most notifications are always enabled to ensure customers stay informed. You cannot disable:

  • Booking confirmations
  • Subscription payment receipts
  • Payment failure notices

Optional notifications you can disable:

  • Booking reminders (reduce no-shows, recommended to keep enabled)
  • Review requests (disable if not using Reviews feature)

Viewing Notification History

Track sent notifications:

  1. Go to Services → Integrations tab
  2. View sent email and SMS logs
  3. Filter by date range or type
  4. See delivery status (sent, failed, pending)

Email Deliverability

To ensure emails reach customers:

Use Custom Domain Email

  • Set up a custom email domain (e.g., notifications@yourbusiness.com)
  • Emails from custom domains have higher deliverability than generic domains
  • See Email Domain Setup

SendGrid Verification

  • Verify your sender email address
  • Complete domain authentication
  • Monitor sender reputation

SMS Deliverability

To ensure SMS messages are delivered:

  • Use a Twilio phone number (not your personal number)
  • Verify phone numbers comply with local regulations
  • Monitor SMS delivery status in your dashboard

Notification Timing

NotificationTiming
Booking confirmationImmediately after booking
Booking reminder24 hours before appointment
Review request24 hours after completed booking
Trial ending soon3 days before expiration
Trial expiredOn expiration day
Payment failedImmediately
Dunning remindersDays 3, 7, 14, 15
Invoice paidWithin minutes of payment
Quota alertsWhen threshold reached

Common Questions

Q: Can I customize email templates?
A: No, templates are fixed to ensure professional, consistent communication. They automatically include your business name and branding colors.

Q: Can customers opt out of notifications?
A: Customers cannot opt out of transactional emails (bookings, payments) but may unsubscribe from marketing emails (if you send them separately).

Q: What if a customer doesn't have an email address?
A: Email is required for bookings and subscriptions. The system will not allow bookings without a valid email.

Q: What if SMS fails to send?
A: Email reminders will still be sent. SMS failures are logged in your notification history.

Q: Do I get notified when a customer books?
A: Bookings sync to your Google Calendar immediately. You'll see them in your calendar app with notifications based on your calendar settings.

Q: Can I add custom messages to notifications?
A: No, but notifications automatically include relevant details like your business name, location, service descriptions, and cancellation policies.

Q: Are there additional costs for email notifications?
A: Email notifications are included in all plans at no extra cost. SMS notifications count toward your monthly SMS limit.

Q: What happens if I exceed my SMS limit?
A: SMS reminders stop sending for the rest of the billing month. Email reminders continue. Upgrade to a higher plan for more SMS.

Q: Can I resend a failed notification?
A: Failed notifications are automatically retried. If they continue to fail, contact support.

Best Practices

Monitor Delivery

Check notification logs weekly:

  • Identify failed deliveries
  • Update invalid email addresses
  • Verify SMS are within monthly limits

Keep Customer Info Updated

Encourage customers to:

  • Provide a valid email address
  • Verify phone numbers (for SMS)
  • Update contact info if it changes

Test Notifications

Periodically test:

  • Book a test appointment to receive booking emails
  • Send test SMS from integration settings
  • Verify emails don't land in spam

Plan for Busy Seasons

If you approach SMS limits during busy months:

  • Upgrade temporarily to Pro plan
  • Prioritize SMS for high-value bookings
  • Rely on email for lower-priority reminders

Troubleshooting

Emails Not Delivered

Check:

  1. Customer email address is valid
  2. Emails not in spam folder
  3. Domain authentication is set up correctly
  4. SendGrid account is active

Solution: Contact support if emails consistently fail.

SMS Not Delivered

Check:

  1. Twilio credentials are correct
  2. Phone number is valid and not landline

Related Articles

IntegrationsConnecting HubSpot CRM
IntegrationsSetting Up Contact Forms with HubSpot
IntegrationsAdding Google Analytics
Back to IntegrationsHelp Center