Dispatch Parameters | Customer Notifications


With Dispatch Customer Notifications, you can send your customers notifications based on the delivery status of their order. You can also use this feature to receive notifications internally. Notifications can be sent when a route has been confirmed and a driver has arrived or departed. A task can be created in the Task Runner, or notifications can be sent when the first person runs/opens the Dispatch Center.

Topics included in this article

• Getting there

• Customer Notifications Definitions

• Customer Notifications Setup

• Configuring your Task Runner

Prerequisites

• To use this feature, you must be licensed for the Dispatch module. To get more information or become licensed contact our Sales team.

How to get there

Expert: Program Menu > Counter System > Dispatch Center > Options > Parameters > Customer Notifications tab
Elite: Left Menu > Tools > Dispatch Center > Options > Parameters > Customer Notifications tab

Customer Notifications Definitions

Customer Notifications Setup

Follow the steps below to set up your notifications and messages. Reminder: Same-day contracts are sent to TSO. Once they are confirmed after a delay, you can manage in Dispatch parameters. Next-day notifications are sent after X o’clock. 
 

 

1. Enable Customer Notifications by using the dropdown and selecting POR.  If the message to the left of the dropdown is green, the task within the POR Task Runner has been created (see image below).
   
   
   
   1. Please note that your task may be inactive if you see red text. Skip these steps and go to the next section in this article, "Configure your Task Runner," to learn how to activate or create a POR Task Runner task (below image).
      
         
2. Check the box next to the notifications you'd like to enable: Send Route Confirmed, Arrived, and Departed.
    
3. If you enable Send confirmed, configure the time for "Send next business day's confirmation after". Customer notifications for routes confirmed will be sent the following day if the route is confirmed after the time specified. 
   
    
4. Configure buffer times. The allotted time (plus or minus) is based on the driver’s delivery or pickup scheduled time. For example, if a driver has a planned delivery at 11:00 am, you can set the estimated time of arrival to be within an X amount of minutes before or after 11:00 am.
   
   
   
5.  Create a customized message. Right-click inside the message area to add more or different special fields. These special fields will pull information based on the contract. If the customer has notifications sent as text messages, there is a 100-character limit.
   For example, if you select Contract Number, when the special field is added, the customer contract number will appear when receiving the notification.
   
   
   
6. Press OK to save.

Configuring your Task Runner

This section will walk you through locating, activating, and creating a task for Dispatch Notifications. This is optional, as notifications can be sent when the first person of the day runs/opens the Dispatch Center.

Here's how to get there

Expert: Program Menu > Configuration > System configuration > Configure task runner
Elite: Gear Icon > App Configurations > System configurations > Configure task runner

Locating the task

1.  Use the scroll bar to find the "Dispatch Notification" task. If you cannot find the task, go to the next subsection, "Activate Task Runner".
2. Once you've found the task, ensure that it is active by double-clicking on the task and confirming the Inactive box is unchecked.
   

Activate the Task Runner

1. Check the Show Inactives checkbox.
   
   
   
2. Use the scroll bar to find the "Dispatch Notification" task. Once you've found the task, right-click and select Edit Task. If you cannot find the task, go to the next subsection, "Create Task".
   
   
3. Uncheck the "Inactive box."
   
   
4. Select "Save & Close."

Create a Dispatch Notification task

1. At the bottom of the window, press Add Task.
   
      
2. Use the below image as a template. Copy what you see for these fields: Description, Command Arguments, Recurrence, Interval, and Priority.
   
    
3. Enter the name. If you're in a single store location, enter Dispatch Notification - Company 1.
    
4. Enter the file to run and start the path. Below are examples. Please note that the drive is represented as "?" in the example. Make sure to enter the correct drive. If you are not sure, contact your POR administrator or our Product Support team.
   1. File to run: ?:\POR\Program\DispatchNotify.exe
   2. Start in Path: ?:\POR\users\
      
      
5. Press Save & Close.