Create custom notification triggers
Upper sends customer notifications on four built-in events. You control the message, channel, and stop types per event; new trigger events go through support.
Upper sends customer notifications on four built-in events. You can change what each message says, whether it goes out by email or SMS, and which stop types it covers — but the events that fire a notification are fixed in self-service settings. If your workflow needs a notification on a different event, that's a request to our team, not a toggle you flip.
This article uses Upper's delivery labels (Out For Delivery, After Delivery). A workspace set up for service businesses sees the equivalent service labels instead (Out For Service, After Service, and so on). Both refer to the same settings.
The four built-in events
Each channel — Email and SMS — offers the same four notification templates:
| Notification | Sent when |
|---|---|
| Out For Delivery | The stop is out for delivery |
| After Delivery | The stop is completed successfully |
| Missed Delivery | The stop couldn't be completed |
| Notify to Next Customer | The driver is approaching the upcoming customer |
Notify to Next Customer appears only on accounts that have it enabled, so you may not see it in your settings. The other three are always available.
What you can customize per notification
In Manage > Settings > Notifications, open the edit (pencil) icon on any template card. For each notification you can set:
- Message content — Edit the template text and insert merge tags such as Customer Name, Delivery Date, Earliest Time, Latest Time, and Tracking Link. Email templates also have an editable Subject line.
- Channel — Turn the notification on for Email, SMS, or both. Each channel has its own master toggle and its own set of template cards.
- Stop types — Choose which stop types fire the notification: Delivery, Pickup, or Stop. A notification can cover Delivery only, for example, and stay silent on Pickups.
For branding, sender name, and the look of the customer-facing tracking page, see Brand customer notification emails and SMS.
What's not self-service
The events themselves are fixed. In settings, you cannot:
- Add a notification that fires on a brand-new event (for example, "two stops away").
- Change when an existing notification fires.
- Build conditional notifications (for example, send only to certain customers).
If you need a different trigger
Tell our team what should fire the notification and what the message should say. Some needs are already covered by editing an existing notification, so it's worth talking the workflow through first.
- Email: support@upperinc.com
- Or reach us from the app at my.upperinc.com
A "two stops away" need is close to Notify to Next Customer with the message text edited. Before assuming you need a new build, check whether one of the four existing notifications already fits once you reword it.
Related
Configure ETA display on tracking pages
Choose how the ETA shows on Upper's customer tracking page — time window, exact time, or stops away — from Settings > Branded Tracking > Display.
Customer notifications
Upper sends automated SMS and email updates to your customers as their delivery progresses, plus a live tracking page — cutting 'where's my order' calls.