24/7 Notification System Overview
Complete guide to how notifications work, delivery channels, limits, and cost management strategies
📱 About the Notification System
The Avionté 24/7 notification system keeps users informed about important events using three delivery channels: Email, SMS/Text, and In-App Push Notifications.
Three Delivery Channels
- 📧 Email - Always sent for record-keeping and compliance
- 📱 SMS/Text - Sent before first login or when not using the app (cost per message)
- 📲 In-App Push - Sent after login through the mobile app (free, instant)
Intelligent Channel Switching
To reduce SMS costs while maintaining timely notifications, the system automatically switches from SMS to Push notifications once a Talent user logs into the mobile app for the first time. This intelligent switching is controlled by the Text Restriction feature.
How It Works:
- Before first login: Notifications sent via Email + SMS (paid messages)
- After first login: Notifications sent via Email + Push (free notifications through app)
- After logout: Temporarily reverts to Email + SMS until next login session
- After logging back in: Automatically switches back to Email + Push
💡 Strategy: SMS messages are designed to drive initial mobile app adoption. Once users log in and experience the app's convenience, they receive free Push notifications instead of paid SMS messages.
✏️ Customization
For details on customizing notification content, templates, and branding, see our Customized Messaging Guide. Most notifications can be customized through Admin > Communications > Customized Messaging.
⏱️ Notification Limits
To prevent notification fatigue and control SMS costs, the system uses configurable rate limits that can be set based on time intervals.
How Limits Work:
- Per-user tracking: Each Talent user has their own notification counter
- Interval-based: Limits reset after a time period
- Configurable: HCMs can adjust limits with support assistance (self-service configuration coming to BOLD in the future)
- Separate counters: Email and SMS have independent limits
- Selective application: Only job opportunity SMS messages count toward limits (see "Understanding SMS Costs & Limits" below)
Standard Configuration & Recommendations:
Current Standard: 2 SMS or email per 10 days
Avionté Recommended Configuration:
- Email: 2 email per 10 days
- SMS: 5 SMS per 365 days
Example: "5 SMS per 365 days" Configuration
- First 5 job opportunity SMS in 365 days: Sent normally, counter increments with each message
- Job opportunity SMS #6 and beyond: Blocked until 365 days pass from the first message
- After 365 days: Counter resets to 0, next 5 job opportunity SMS allowed
-
Operational SMS: Shift confirmations, cancellations, and changes are always sent regardless of counter status
Rationale: SMS messages are primarily for driving mobile app adoption, not for ongoing job notifications. Once talent downloads and logs into the app, they receive free Push notifications. Limiting SMS to 5 per year encourages app usage while reducing long-term SMS costs.
💡 Key Point: The goal is to use those 5 SMS strategically to get talent to download the app. Once they log in, they get free Push notifications and you stop incurring SMS costs for that user.
💰 Understanding SMS Costs & Limits
Not all SMS text messages are treated equally. The system only applies rate limits to job opportunity SMS. All other SMS types bypass limits and are always sent.
SMS Messages That Count Toward Your Limits
Only these two types of SMS text messages count toward your configured SMS limits and will be blocked when a user reaches their limit:
- 📋 Schedule Offer SMS - Text messages offering talent a specific shift or schedule
- 🤔 Interest/Get Interest SMS - Text messages asking if talent is interested in a job opportunity
These are the only two SMS types subject to rate limiting. They're sent during the job matching process to drive app adoption.
SMS Messages That Are Always Sent (Bypass Limits)
Operational SMS messages are always sent regardless of limits:
- ✅ Shift/Job Assignment Confirmations
- ❌ Shift/Job Cancellations
- 🔄 Shift/Assignment Changes
- 📋 Job Order Updates
These transactional SMS messages must reach talent immediately to avoid missed shifts or scheduling conflicts. They bypass notification limits but are typically low-volume. ONLY talent not using the app already would see these notifications.
📉 Strategies to Reduce SMS Costs
If your agency is experiencing high SMS billing, these strategies will help you optimize costs while maintaining effective communication with your talent pool.
Strategy 1: Optimize Your SMS Limits
Since only job opportunity SMS (schedule offers and interest offers) count toward limits, adjusting your SMS limits controls how many job matching messages each talent user receives.
Current Standard Configuration:
- 2 SMS or email per 10 days
Avionté Recommended Configuration:
- Email: 2 email per 10 days (for ongoing job notifications)
- SMS: 5 SMS per 365 days (to drive app adoption)
💡 Why This Works: SMS messages are most effective for getting talent to download and log into the mobile app. Once they log in, intelligent switching activates and they receive free Push notifications instead of SMS. Limiting SMS to 5 per year focuses the messages on app adoption rather than ongoing job notifications (which should be handled via email or push).
Action Item: Contact Avionté Support to adjust your notification limits to the recommended configuration: 2 email per 10 days, 5 SMS per 365 days.
Strategy 2: Talent Database Grooming
The Hidden Cost of "Active" Talent
The Problem: If your BOLD system shows 10,000+ talent in "Active" status, but many haven't engaged with your agency in 1-2+ years, the system is still matching them to available jobs and sending job opportunity SMS messages to talent who:
- Left the workforce
- Moved to a different city/state
- Changed careers
- Found permanent employment elsewhere
- Changed phone numbers without updating their profile
- Simply stopped using your agency
The Impact: The job matching engine treats all "Active" status talent equally. Every time a new job is posted, the system attempts to match these disengaged talent and sends them job opportunity SMS messages. If you have thousands of old "Active" records, this drives up your SMS costs significantly with no return on investment.
Database Grooming Process:
Step 1: Identify Disengaged Talent
Run reports to find talent with these characteristics:
- No app logins in 12+ months
- No job applications in 12+ months
- No completed shifts in 12+ months
- No profile updates in 12+ months
- No response to any notifications (opened emails, clicked links, replied to SMS)
Suggested Criteria: Mark as "potentially inactive" if they meet 3 or more of the above criteria.
Step 2: Plan Mass Status Update
Once you've identified disengaged talent, contact Avionté Support for assistance:
- Support can provide a Statement of Work (SOW) to mass update talent status based on your criteria
- This is more efficient than manually updating thousands of records
- Support will work with you to define the exact criteria and review the list before updating
- Wait 2-4 weeks after any final outreach before executing the mass update
Step 3: Update Talent Status
Understanding status behavior in BOLD:
- "Do Not Assign" status: Talent with this status will not be matched to jobs and will not receive job opportunity notifications
- "Pending" status: May send smartlinks depending on your marketplace's implementation configuration - contact support to understand your specific setup
- Moving from "Active" to "Do Not Assign": Removes talent from job matching pool, eliminating job opportunity SMS
- Talent can self-reactivate by logging into the app or contacting your agency
Step 4: Schedule Regular Audits
Make database grooming a recurring process:
- Quarterly audits: Review talent with 6+ months no engagement
- Annual deep clean: Review entire database, update all statuses
- Monitor reactivation rate: Track how many talent reach out to reactivate (should be very low if criteria is sound)
- Measure SMS reduction: Compare SMS volume before/after grooming to quantify savings
💡 Action Item: Contact Avionté Support to discuss a database grooming project. Start with talent who haven't engaged in 18+ months for the quickest wins.
Strategy 3: Encourage Mobile App Adoption
Long-Term Cost Reduction: Push Notifications
Once a talent user logs into the mobile app, intelligent switching activates and their notifications automatically switch from SMS (paid) to Push (free). This is the ultimate goal of your SMS strategy - use the limited SMS budget to drive app adoption, then eliminate ongoing SMS costs for that user.
App Adoption Strategies:
-
Include app download links in all email notifications
- Add prominent "Download Our Mobile App" button to email templates
- Include both iOS and Android links
- Highlight benefits: "Get instant notifications, apply faster, manage your schedule"
-
Promote app during onboarding
- Walk new talent through app download during orientation
- Help them log in for the first time on-site
- Demonstrate key features (shift calendar, quick apply, time entry)
-
Add app QR codes to physical materials
- Include on orientation packets, badges, paystubs
- Post in office waiting areas and on bulletin boards
- Quick scan = instant download
-
Track adoption rate
- Monitor what % of your active talent pool has logged into the app
- Set team goals for increasing adoption
- Measure SMS cost reduction as adoption increases
📱 Why Talent May Not Receive SMS
For an SMS notification to be sent, ALL 5 conditions must be true:
| Condition | Details |
|---|---|
| 1. User Preference | Contact preference must include "Text" or "Both" (Email+Text) |
| 2. Valid Phone Number | Mobile phone number on file and passes E.164 format validation |
| 3. Tenant has SMS Enabled | Tenant has 24/7 enabled texting_enabled = ON
|
| 4. Login Status Check | If logged in to mobile app, SMS will not be sent (switches to Push notifications) |
| 5. Rate Limit Not Exceeded | User hasn't reached maximum SMS count for current time interval (only applies to job opportunity SMS) |
ℹ️ Important: Condition #5 (Rate Limit) only applies to job opportunity SMS (schedule offers and interest offers). Operational SMS (assignments, cancellations, changes) bypass the rate limit check and will be sent even if the user has reached their job opportunity limit.
Common Reasons for No SMS:
❌ User Opted Out of Text Messages
User has set their contact preference to "Email Only" in their profile settings.
Solution: Talent can update preferences in Profile > Contact Preferences
❌ No Mobile Phone Number
User hasn't provided a mobile phone number, or the number is invalid/landline.
Solution: Add or update mobile phone number in profile
❌ User Already Logged Into App
When Text Restriction is enabled, users who have logged into the mobile app receive Push notifications instead of SMS (cost savings through intelligent switching).
Solution: This is intentional - user receives push notifications through the app (free)
❌ SMS Limit Reached (Job Opportunity SMS Only)
User has received the maximum number of job opportunity SMS (schedule offers, interest offers) allowed in the current time period.
Important: This does NOT block operational SMS like shift confirmations, cancellations, or changes - those are always sent.
Solution: Wait for interval to reset, or HCM can adjust limits with support assistance
❌ Marketplace SMS Disabled
The HCM has not enabled SMS notifications for their marketplace.
Solution: HCM Admin can enable in Admin > Settings > Notifications
🚫 SMS Opt-Out (STOP Messages)
All SMS messages include the required opt-out instruction: "STOP to stop texts"
How Opt-Out Works:
- Talent replies "STOP" to any SMS notification
- System automatically updates user preference to "Email Only"
- User no longer receives SMS for any notification type
- To opt back in: User must update contact preferences in their profile
Message Types Supporting Opt-Out:
- New Job Opportunities
- Job Assignments
- Shift Reminders
- Session Changes
- Cancellations
- Time Entry Notifications
- Account Status Updates
- Offer Acceptances
- Registration Confirmations
- Payment Notifications
⚠️ Compliance Requirement: Even custom SMS templates must include the "STOP to stop texts" instruction. Templates without this message will be rejected by the system.
📞 Phone Number Validation
All phone numbers are validated and normalized to E.164 international format before SMS sending.
Validation Rules:
- Country code derived from address: System uses user's address to determine country (defaults to US)
- Format requirements: Must be a valid mobile number in E.164 format (e.g., +1234567890)
- Invalid numbers blocked: Landlines, disconnected numbers, or improperly formatted numbers are logged and excluded
- Automatic formatting: System normalizes various input formats to standard E.164
Examples:
- ✅ Valid: +12025551234 (US mobile)
- ❌ Invalid: 555-1234 (missing area code)
ℹ️ Need Help?
If you have questions about notification configuration, SMS cost optimization, or need assistance with database grooming, please contact Avionté Support.
Related Articles:
- 24/7 Talent Notifications
- 24/7 Agency Notifications
- 24/7 Employer Notifications
- Customized Messaging Guide
Last updated: 2025-11-12
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