Send live tracking to customers
Send customers a live tracking link in Upper notifications. They see a real-time ETA, and the driver's position on a map when you turn the map on.
Give every customer a live tracking page that updates as the route progresses. You send the page as a link inside your customer notifications. When the customer opens it, they see a real-time ETA and, when you turn the map on, the driver's position as it moves toward them.
A customer who can see the tracking page rarely needs to call and ask where their order is. The link does the answering.
Labels can vary by workspace. This article uses the default delivery labels (driver, Delivery). A workspace set up for service businesses may show "Service" wording instead, but live tracking works the same way.
Before you start
- Where it lives — You add the tracking link to notification templates on the Notifications settings page. You control what the tracking page itself shows on the Branded Tracking settings page. Both are in the NOTIFICATIONS group under Manage > Settings.
- A notification is sending — Customers reach the tracking page from a link in a notification, so at least one notification template (Email or SMS) needs to be enabled and sending.
- Customer contact info on each stop — An email address or phone number, depending on which channel you use to send the link.
How live tracking reaches the customer
The tracking page is delivered through the [Tracking Link] merge tag inside your notification message. When a notification fires, Upper replaces the tag with the customer's personal tracking link.
- A notification template includes the
[Tracking Link]tag. - The customer receives the notification by email or SMS when the event happens (for example, when the stop goes out for delivery).
- The customer opens the link and sees their live tracking page.
- The page updates as the route progresses — the customer does not need to refresh.
Add the tracking link to a notification
Open Settings
Go to Manage > Settings, then open Notifications in the NOTIFICATIONS group.
Edit a notification template
Click the edit (pencil) icon on the template you want to send the link with — for example, Out For Delivery. The template editor opens.
Insert the Tracking Link tag
In the Message field, place your cursor where the link should appear, then click the Tracking Link tag chip to insert [Tracking Link]. For SMS, watch the /140 character counter and segment indicator — long messages send as multiple segments.
Check the preview
Use the What your customers will see preview to confirm the message reads well and resolves the tracking link.
Save
Click Save. From now on, that notification includes the tracking link, and customers who receive it can open their live tracking page.
Pair the tracking link with the Out For Delivery notification. The customer gets the link the moment the stop goes out for delivery, so they have time to follow the ETA on their own.
Choose what the customer sees on the page
What appears on the tracking page is set on the Branded Tracking page, under the Display tab. The two settings that matter most for live tracking:
| Display setting | What it controls | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Show Map | Shows the driver's position on a map as the route progresses | On |
| Show ETA | Shows the arrival time (as a time window, exact time, or stops away) | On |
You can also toggle Show Driver Name and Show Driver Phone on the same tab. Turn the map off for operations where you do not want the driver's live position visible; the customer still sees the ETA.
The tracking page is available on the Professional, Optimize, and Enterprise plans. The live driver-on-map view (Show Map) requires the Optimize or Enterprise plan — on Professional the toggle shows a Pro badge and opens an upgrade prompt, and customers see the updating ETA without the live map.
ETAs are based on historical traffic data and recalculate as the route progresses, so the displayed arrival time shifts as the driver completes stops.
Troubleshooting
Related
Send delivery photos to customers
Share proof of delivery photos, signatures, and notes with customers in Upper through the tracking page link in the After Delivery notification.
Send SMS from your own phone number
Connect your own Twilio account in Upper so customer SMS notifications come from your business number instead of the default sender. Plan-gated setup.