Send SMS text notifications
Turn on SMS in Upper to text customers automatic delivery updates with a live tracking link. Enable the channel, pick your events, and customize each message.
Upper can text your customers automatic delivery updates so they always know where their order is. Once you turn on the SMS channel and choose which events to send, the messages go out on their own as your drivers work through the route — no manual texting required. Each message can include your company name, a status update, and a live tracking link.
Labels can vary by workspace. This article uses the default delivery wording. A workspace set up for service businesses may show "Service" wording instead (for example, "Out For Service"), but SMS works the same way.
Why this matters
Text feels immediate — exactly the right channel for "your driver is on the way." After you set it up once, SMS updates send from the same dispatch flow your drivers already use, and customers can follow the delivery from a live tracking link in the message.
Before you start
- Plan and permissions. SMS is a paid capability and is not available on the Starter plan; it requires the Professional plan or higher. When the SMS toggle is locked it shows a Pro badge.
- A depot address may be required. Sending SMS notifications can require a depot address on your account ("Depot address is required to send SMS notifications"). If yours isn't set, Upper prompts you for one.
- SMS balance. SMS is billed per message from a prepaid balance you manage in the Marketplace. See Add SMS credits.
- Customer phone numbers. A stop only receives a text if it has a phone number on it.
Turn on SMS notifications
Open the Notifications page
Go to Manage > Settings, then open Notifications in the NOTIFICATIONS group.
Switch on Text Message (SMS)
Turn on the Text Message (SMS) master toggle. The SMS template cards appear underneath it. (When the master toggle is off, the template cards are hidden.)
Choose which events to send
Each event has its own enable/disable toggle. Turn on the ones you want customers to receive:
- Out For Delivery — sent when the stop is out for delivery.
- After Delivery — sent after a stop is completed successfully.
- Missed Delivery — sent when a stop could not be completed.
- Notify to Next Customer — a heads-up to the upcoming customer that the driver is approaching. This template only appears when your account has the "notify upcoming customer" setting enabled, so you may not see it on every account.
Set the stop types for each event
Each template has a stop-type selector ("Select stop types") with three options — Delivery, Pickup, and Stop. This controls which kinds of stops send that text. All three are selected by default.
Customize the message (optional)
Open a template's edit (pencil) control to change its wording. See Customize message below for what the editor offers.
What customers receive
Each text can include your company name, a status update, and a live tracking link. For example, an "Out For Delivery" message reads:
Your [Company Name] order is on the way and will be delivered between [Earliest Time] and [Latest Time]. Track it at [Tracking Link]
The bracketed items are merge tags that fill with each stop's real data when the message sends.
Customize each message
Open a template's edit (pencil) control to open the message editor for that event. In the editor you can:
- Edit the Message. SMS has no subject line — just the message body.
- Watch the character counter. The editor shows a
/140counter that turns red when you go over, plus a live "This message will send in N segment(s)." indicator. Longer messages send as more segments. Saving is blocked when the message is empty or over the limit. - Insert merge tags. Clickable tag chips drop personalized values into the message in
[Square Brackets]. Available tags include Company Name, Customer Name, Customer Business Name, Customer Email, Customer Phone, Delivery Date, Delivery Time, Earliest Time, Latest Time, Tracking Link, and Arriving In. You can use the same tag more than once. - Preview the result. A "What your customers will see" pane renders the message with sample data and shows the resolved tracking link.
Each SMS segment is billed, so longer messages cost more to send. Keep the counter low and lean on tags like Tracking Link to give customers more detail without lengthening the text. See Check SMS notification rates.
SMS is drawn from a prepaid balance. If the balance runs out, the SMS channel stops sending and messages are not held and resent later. Keep your balance topped up — see Add SMS credits.
Troubleshooting
Related
- Set up customer notifications — enable SMS and email triggers
- Notification types — SMS and email channels in Upper
- Customize notification message templates — edit text and use variables
- Add SMS credits
- Check SMS notification rates
- SMS limitations by country and region
- Send SMS from your own phone number
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.
Set up automated customer notifications
Set up automated customer notifications in Upper from Settings > Notifications. Turn on email and SMS channels, enable per-event messages, and pick stop types.