For each notification, you choose which channel delivers it. You can turn on more than one — for example, In-App plus Email. Here is what each channel is and when it is the right choice.
Texting fee: SMS notifications to a staff phone (from Profile → Your notifications when SMS is turned on for an event) will add a text messaging usage fee on your monthly CoolFocus invoice when CoolFocus sends or receives an actual text message. Turning a setting on alone does not bill you, but each message that goes out or comes in can. Full list: What Counts as a Text Message & What are the Text Usage Fees?.
Wherever you can turn SMS on for a notification (a built-in event, a custom notification, or an appointment reminder), CoolFocus now shows this reminder right next to the toggle: "Each text uses your organization's texting number and counts toward texting usage on your invoice, in addition to your plan. SMS won't send until texting is set up." It is the same disclosure everywhere, so you do not need to hunt for the fine print.
Shows up on the bell icon at the top right of CoolFocus, with an unread count. Click the bell to see your recent notifications and jump straight to the record (the conversation, the contribution, and so on). The count updates in real time while you are working.
Best for: anything you want to see while you are already in CoolFocus. In-app is available for every event and is the safe default channel to try first.
Sent to the email address on your user account. Best for things you want to catch even when you are not logged in, and for events you would rather receive as a digest (a daily or weekly summary) instead of one-by-one — see Notification Timing & Digests.
Requires an email address on your account.
A text to your mobile number. Best for urgent, time-sensitive events — a new inbox message, an unassigned message that needs an owner.
Requires two things: a mobile number on your user profile, and your organization having text messaging set up (see Connecting Your Text Number). If either is missing, SMS notifications will not send.
Staff tip: The SMS channel on Your notifications is not the same as the in-app bell. Each staff SMS uses your center’s texting number and can count toward usage the same way client texts do.
If your team uses the CoolFocus mobile app, notifications can also arrive as push notifications on your phone. This turns on with the mobile app on your device; you control it with your phone's normal notification settings.
To protect you during busy periods, text and email notifications are rate-limited — CoolFocus will not send you the same kind of notification over and over in a short window. In-app always reflects everything.
• What Counts as a Text Message & What are the Text Usage Fees?
• Notification Timing & Digests
• Choosing What You're Notified About
• Notifications Overview
