--- title: "Booking Notifications | Marlin Business Planner" slug: "booking-notifications" description: "Learn about Booking Notifications in Marlin Tyre and Mechanical Workshop Software, by Megabus." updated: 2025-01-08T03:00:38Z published: 2025-01-08T03:00:38Z canonical: "help.megabus.com.au/booking-notifications" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.megabus.com.au/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Booking Notifications **Marlin Tyre and Mechanical Workshop Software**'s booking notifications enable businesses to update customers about their bookings in real-time, via SMS or email. [YouTube video player](https://www.youtube.com/embed/cFADXBQqDpU?si=P2a7dUawj1A9DrBr) There are two types of booking notification that can be sent: - **Confirmation** notifications can be sent whenever a new booking is added, or when the time, contact or vehicle information for an existing booking is edited. - **Reminder** notifications can also be sent a specified number of days (up to a week) before a booking is due to take place. Note **Booking Notifications are automatically enabled**. To disable booking notifications, please [contact the Megabus Support Team](https://www.megabus.com.au/support). Note SMS booking notifications are charged per SMS message sent and require an active SMS agreement with Megabus Software. ## Editing Booking Notifications There are four different types of booking notification templates: - **New Booking Confirmations** are sent when a new booking is first saved; - **Changed Booking Confirmations** are sent when a booking is updated; - **New Booking Reminders** are sent a specified number of days prior to the booking; - **Changed Booking Reminders** are sent a specified number of days prior to the booking when a previous reminder has been sent. Email and SMS templates (which do not exceed character limits) can be set for each booking notification type, by editing the relevant **Planner.BookingNotifications** [enterprise setting](https://help.megabus.com.au/docs/enterprise-settings). To assign a template to a booking notification type, first create the template in the [Customer Message Templates](https://help.megabus.com.au/docs/customer-messages#customer-message-templates) module, then use the relevant picker to assign the template to the appropriate notification type. Tip The default booking notification templates supplied by Megabus can be edited, without needing to re-assign the notification settings. The default number of days before a booking that reminder notifications are sent out can also be set by editing the **Planner.ReminderDaysBeforeBooking** [company email setting](https://help.megabus.com.au/docs/companies#company-email-settings). ## Sending Booking Notifications The **Booking Notifications** pop-up window will open whenever: - A new booking is **first saved**, or - An existing booking is saved after its **time, contact, or vehicle information** is edited The **Notification Method** is based on the customer's associated contacts: - Select existing method using **drop-down** (details displayed to the right) - Add and edit contact master file information by clicking on the **Edit** button to the right. The **type of notification** to be sent/scheduled are determined by the checkboxes below: - **Confirmation:** Send immediate booking confirmation (default: checked) - **Reminder:** Schedule reminder for selected period using drop-down to right (default: checked) Note - New reminders **overwrite** existing ones - Unticking the Reminder checkbox also **cancels previously scheduled** reminders - **Default reminder time:** Midday on scheduled day **History** button: - Shows **previous and scheduled** notifications **Ok** button: - **Sends** confirmation and/or schedules selected reminder notifications - **Does not send** notifications if both Confirmation and Reminder are unchecked - Will also **cancel existing reminders** if Reminder is not ticked **Cancel** button: - **Maintains changes** to booking - **No notifications** sent - **Does not cancel** scheduled reminders Note - Default Reminder period set using **Planner.ReminderDaysBeforeBooking** enterprise setting - A **?** icon will appears in the Notified column of the planner, if no notifications are sent after changes are made to a booking. Note If no notification is scheduled, a **?** icon will appear in the Task List's **Notified** column, indicating that changes have been made without notifying the customer and users will continue to be prompted to send notifications whenever changes are made to the booking. ### Disabling Booking Notifications Ticking the **Disable for this Booking** checkbox: - **Disables all notifications** (including scheduled) for this booking - **Prevents pop-up** from opening again if booking is edited Booking notifications **can be re-enabled** by: - **opening the booking** from the planner, and - clicking on the **Booking Notifications** button to the top-right. ## Viewing Booking Notifications #### Business Planner > [Booking] Sent booking notifications, including queued reminders, can be viewed by opening the relevant booking and clicking on the **Outbox** tab of the Edit details window. Specific message details can be viewed by double clicking on the relevant notification. Note Booking notifications can also be viewed using the [outbox module](https://help.megabus.com.au/docs/outbox), which allows queued booking reminders to be deleted. ## Booking Notification Methods #### Master Files > Customers > Customers > [Customer] The **Contact Methods** lists at the bottom of [Customer Master File](/workshop/docs/customer-master-files) **Details** tab now contains **Allow Booking Notifications** and **Preferred Booking Notification** columns, which can be used to set the contact methods used for their booking notifications. Tip The relevant contact master file can be easily accessed and edited from the **Booking Notifications** pop-up window, by clicking on the **Edit** button to the right of the Notification Method field. The Allow Booking Notifications and Preferred Booking Notification columns only contain checkboxes for **Mobile** or **Email** contact method types. To enable booking notifications to be sent using a contact method, tick the relevant **Allow Booking Notifications** checkbox. To specify a contact method as the preferred booking notification method, tick the relevant **Preferred Booking Notification** checkbox. Note Only one preferred booking notification method can be set at a time. Booking notifications must also be allowed for a contact method in order to set it as the preferred booking notification method. Tip Whether contact methods are enabled or disabled for booking notifications by default can be edited using the **ContactMethodValue.DefaultAllowBookingNotification** [company setting](https://help.megabus.com.au/docs/companies#default-company-values). The default preferred booking notification method can also be set using the **ContactMethodValue.DefaultBookingNotificationType** [company setting](https://help.megabus.com.au/docs/companies#default-company-values).