Email and Notification Settings

Learn how to configure email delivery settings and manage notification preferences in the Shifts platform to ensure your team receives timely communications through their preferred channels.

Overview

The Shifts platform provides comprehensive email and notification capabilities that can be customized to fit your organization’s communication needs. This article explains how to configure system-wide email settings, create notification rules, and manage user-specific notification preferences.

Accessing Email Settings

To configure system-wide email settings:

1. Navigate to Admin Settings > System Configuration
2. Select the Email Settings tab
3. You’ll see the current email configuration and options to modify it

Configuring SMTP Settings

To enable email delivery, you need to configure your SMTP settings:

1. In the Email Settings section, locate the SMTP Configuration panel
2. Enter the following information:
   • SMTP Server: Your mail server address (e.g., smtp.yourcompany.com)
   • Port: Typically 587 for TLS or 465 for SSL
   • Username: The account username for authentication
   • Password: The account password
   • Authentication: Select the appropriate authentication method
   • TLS/SSL: Enable if your mail server requires secure connection
3. Click Test Connection to verify your settings
4. Click Save Changes once the test is successful

Default Sender Information

Set the default sender name and email address for system-generated emails:

1. In the Default Sender Settings section, enter:
   • From Name: How the sender name will appear (e.g., “Company Shifts”)
   • From Email: The email address notifications will come from
2. Click Save Changes

Email Template Customization

Customize the appearance and content of system-generated emails:

1. Navigate to Admin Settings > Email Templates
2. Select the template you want to customize:
   • Welcome Email
   • Password Reset
   • Registration Verification
   • Leave Request Notifications
   • Shift Assignment Notifications
   • And more
3. Use the visual editor to modify the template:
   • Update text content
   • Adjust formatting and styles
   • Customize headers and footers
   • Add or remove company branding
4. Use placeholders (e.g., {user_name}, {business_name}) for dynamic content
5. Click Preview to see how the template will appear
6. Click Save Template when finished

Notification Types and Channels

The Shifts platform supports multiple notification types and delivery channels:

Notification Types

• Shift Notifications: Assignments, changes, or cancellations
• Attendance Notifications: Check-ins, check-outs, missed shifts
• Leave Request Notifications: Submissions, approvals, or rejections
• System Notifications: Security alerts, password changes, etc.
• Team Notifications: New team members, role changes

Delivery Channels

• Email: Delivered to user’s registered email address
• In-App: Displayed in the notification center within the application
• Mobile Push: Sent to mobile devices with the Shifts app installed
• SMS: Text messages to registered phone numbers (if configured)

Creating Notification Rules

Notification rules determine when and how notifications are sent:

1. Navigate to Admin Settings > Notifications > Rules
2. Click Create New Rule
3. Configure the rule settings:
   • Name: A descriptive name for the rule
   • Notification Type: Select the type of event that triggers the notification
   • Conditions: Define specific conditions when the rule applies
   • Recipients: Select who should receive the notification
   • Delivery Channels: Choose how the notification should be delivered
4. Set optional advanced settings:
   • Priority: High/Medium/Low priority level
   • Location Scope: Apply only to specific locations
   • Role Scope: Apply only to specific organizational roles
5. Click Save Rule

Example Rules

• Send email notifications when a shift is assigned to an employee
• Send in-app and email notifications for upcoming shifts (24 hours before)
• Notify managers when employees are late for shifts
• Alert administrators about suspicious login attempts

Managing Notification Preferences

Business-Level Preferences

Configure notification preferences for your entire organization:

1. Navigate to Admin Settings > Notifications > Preferences
2. For each notification type, configure:
   • Enabled/Disabled: Turn the notification type on or off
   • Default Channels: Set which channels are used by default
   • Required/Optional: Determine if users can opt out of this notification
3. Click Save Preferences

User-Level Preferences

Individual users can customize their notification preferences:

1. Go to My Profile > Notification Preferences
2. For each notification type:
   • Toggle On/Off to enable or disable
   • Select preferred delivery channels
   • Set frequency preferences (immediate, digest, etc.)
3. Click Save Preferences

Testing Email Delivery

Before rolling out email notifications to your organization:

1. Go to Admin Settings > Email Settings
2. Click Send Test Email
3. Enter a recipient email address
4. Select the email template to test
5. Click Send Test
6. Check the recipient inbox to verify delivery

Compliance and Privacy Considerations

When configuring email and notification settings:

1. Privacy Notices: Ensure your notification contents comply with privacy regulations
2. Opt-Out Options: Provide clear methods for users to opt out of non-essential communications
3. Data Retention: Configure appropriate retention periods for notification history
4. Sensitive Information: Avoid including sensitive or personal data in notification content

Troubleshooting Email Issues

Common email delivery issues and solutions:

• Emails not being sent: Verify SMTP settings and server connectivity
• Emails going to spam: Check sender reputation and implement proper authentication (SPF, DKIM)
• Missing or incorrect content: Verify template configurations and placeholders
• Delayed delivery: Check for rate limiting issues or server capacity problems

Notification System Maintenance

Regular maintenance tasks for optimal notification system performance:

1. Clean up notification history: Archive or delete old notifications periodically
2. Audit notification rules: Review and update rules as business processes change
3. Monitor delivery statistics: Track open rates and delivery success
4. Update templates: Keep email templates current with your branding and messaging

Related Resources

• Notification Management
• User Preferences
• System Security

This article should be updated when:

1. Email configuration options change
2. New notification types are added
3. Additional delivery channels become available
4. Template customization capabilities are enhanced