Service requests and reminders can now be sent by email or SMS, giving people a choice in how they receive updates about upcoming service roles and important team notifications.
Choose how to send
Open a service or the Service Planner and click the email icon to open Send message. On the Message tab, Delivery method lets you use each person's communication preference, or choose Email only or SMS only for that message.
The delivery controls depend on your permissions, and SMS must be configured for your organisation. Choosing a method for one message does not change anyone's saved preference or override their unsubscribes.
Let people choose their preference
On a person's Scheduling tab, staff with permission to edit the person can choose Email preferred or SMS preferred under Notification preferences. People can also choose their own preference from the portal's Schedule tab.
The preference is separate from an opt-out: choosing Email preferred does not stop SMS entirely.
Keep the full message in reach
Service SMS messages include a link to the full message, service details and any attachments. If the text is too long, UCare keeps the full message at the link and shows a warning before you send.
Administrators can also choose the automatic reminder SMS sender and the starting email template for manual service messages in Settings > Services.
Why this helps
- Volunteers can choose how they prefer to receive service notifications and find the full message and attachments through one link.
- Staff can use those preferences or choose a delivery method for a particular message, without changing anyone's saved choice.
- For churches, this brings service communication into one workflow and makes it easier to share the details people need, via the method they'll read.