Venue & Settings
Communications Settings
Manage Email, SMS, and Instagram identities, usage, quiet hours, and AI authority from Settings → Communications.
Last updated 24 July 2026
The Communications overview lets Owners and Managers review the venue's email identities, manage SMS and Instagram connections, monitor usage, set quiet hours, and open the same channel AI configuration used by AI settings.
Where to find it. Web: Settings → Communications. Expand Email, SMS, or Instagram for channel-specific details. Mobile: More → Automations → tap the settings icon in the header.
TL;DR
- Dedicated SMS numbers are available in Australia and the United Kingdom only. New Zealand venues are email-only.
- SMS provisioning requires a Pro subscription. Only the venue Owner can provision a number.
- Communications and AI settings open the same explicit-save SMS and Instagram AI configuration, so there is one authority model.
- The Email card shows the current Inbox address (
venue-slug@reply.openchairpro.com) and sender identities. Previous Inbox addresses remain permanent aliases after a booking-link change. - Communications owns channel connection, provisioning, delivery and quiet hours. AI reply authority and per-intent rules are managed in Settings → AI settings.
- The most common mistake is cancelling Pro without realising your dedicated number enters a grace period and will be released.
- An 80% usage warning appears in-app before overage charges begin, top up your wallet before reaching the limit.
Overview
Communication settings let you:
- Provision a dedicated business SMS number for two-way client messaging (AU and GB)
- View the current state of your dedicated number (active, grace period, released)
- Monitor your monthly transactional SMS, campaign SMS, and campaign email usage against included allocations
- See overage charges for the current billing period
Note
All communications features require an OpenChair Pro subscription. New Zealand venues have access to email campaigns and automations but not SMS or dedicated phone numbers.
Dedicated SMS Number
The Dedicated SMS Number card shows the current status of your venue's business phone number and lets you provision or release it.
Number states
| State | What it means | Action available |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | The venue is not on Pro | Upgrade to Pro button |
| No number | Pro is active but no number has been provisioned | Provision Number button |
| Active | A dedicated number is live and receiving messages | Release Number (ghost button) |
| Grace period | The number will be released at the end of the billing period | Review billing plan |
| Released | The number was previously released | Provision Number button (if eligible) |
| NZ email-only | SMS is unavailable in New Zealand | Go to Campaigns button |
Provisioning a number
- Go to Settings → Communications and expand SMS.
- Confirm the card shows the No number state (Pro is active but no number provisioned).
- Click Provision Number.
- A sheet opens confirming "Communications are included with Pro."
- Click Provision Number in the sheet.
- Wait 3 to 8 seconds while the number is assigned (a spinner shows "Provisioning your number…").
- The sheet shows a confirmation: "You're all set! Your dedicated number is active."
- Click Done. The card now displays your new number with status "Active and receiving messages".
Tip
Only one dedicated number can be active per venue. Provisioning is available to venue Owners only.
Provisioning is available in Australia and the United Kingdom only. New Zealand venues cannot provision a dedicated number.
Releasing a number
Warning
Releasing a number is permanent. The number is returned to the carrier and you can no longer send or receive SMS from it. Any campaigns or automations that depend on SMS will stop working until you provision a new number.
- Go to Settings → Communications and expand SMS.
- Click Release Number (ghost button beneath the active number display).
- A confirmation dialog appears: "Release phone number?"
- Read the warning, then click Release Number (destructive button).
- A toast confirms "Phone number released." The card transitions to the Released state.
Lifecycle warnings
Dedicated number lifecycle warnings appear when a trial venue keeps a dedicated SMS number after the Pro trial ends. The app shows Upgrade to PRO during the grace period, and the Grace period state means the number can be released unless billing is restored.
See Dedicated SMS Number Lifecycle Warnings for the warning schedule and release rules.
Communication Usage
The Usage This Period card appears when the venue has active communications access (Pro subscription required). It shows your current billing period's usage against your included allocation.
Usage rows
| Row | What it tracks |
|---|---|
| SMS | All transactional, campaign, and automation SMS sends |
| Campaign Emails | Emails sent via Campaigns and Automations |
The SMS row shows one meter for the shared allowance, followed by a breakdown of transactional usage and campaign and automation usage. The breakdown explains what consumed the allowance; it does not represent separate SMS pools.
Each row shows:
- Current count / Limit (e.g., "150 / 550")
- A progress bar that fills as you approach your limit
- An overage amount incurred if usage has exceeded the included allowance this period
The card footer shows the period reset date (e.g., "Resets 3 May 2026").
Included allocations
Allocations scale with the number of billable bookable team members on your plan.
| Channel | Formula | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional SMS | 100 base + 50 per bookable member | 550 per period |
| Campaign SMS | Shared with transactional SMS pool | 550 per period |
| Transactional email | 1,000 per bookable member | 10,000 per period |
| Campaign email | Shared with transactional email pool | 10,000 per period |
SMS allocations apply to AU and GB only. Email allocations apply to all markets.
Overage charges
When usage exceeds the included allocation, sends continue and the excess is charged to your venue wallet:
| Market | Per SMS overage | Per email overage |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | A$0.006 | A$0.002 |
| United Kingdom | £0.004 | £0.001 |
When usage reaches 80% of any allocation, an in-app warning banner appears so you can top up the wallet before charges begin.
Do Not Disturb
Do Not Disturb (DND) controls when OpenChair sends outbound messages to clients. By default, DND is enabled between 9 PM and 8 AM in your venue's timezone. Outbound messages (booking reminders, campaign sends, reconnect automations) queued during those hours are held and sent when the DND window ends.
DND does not affect:
- Inbound messages from clients (always received and logged immediately)
- Urgent transactional messages such as confirmations and magic links
Owners and managers can edit the quiet-hours window. Non-urgent campaigns and automations are deferred, while SMS and Instagram AI Auto-send falls back to Draft.
Account notifications
Account notifications are alerts sent to the signed-in team member. They are separate from Client notifications, which are the confirmations, reminders, campaigns, and automations sent to customers from the Communications settings area.
Find account notifications in:
- Web: Settings -> Account -> Notifications
- Mobile: Settings -> Account -> Notifications
Each team member controls their own account notification preferences. Changing these settings does not change reminder, confirmation, campaign, or automation sends to clients.
Notification categories
Push and Email appear together under Instant alerts. Existing users keep their current Push choices and begin with Email off. New memberships begin with critical Email only: cancellations and messages, plus payment issues for Owners and Managers. Product updates remain off and still require marketing consent.
Email requires a verified account email. If verification is missing, use Send verification email on the same screen and enter the six-digit code or follow the email link. The Email switches become available automatically. If verification began from a specific switch, OpenChair enables only that alert; all other Email preferences remain unchanged. Rollout or venue availability problems remain separate from account verification.
Urgent SMS alerts
Urgent SMS is separate from the Push and Email matrix. It is available only for:
- Booking requests needing review
- Cancellations
- Conversations entering Needs attention
- Action-required payment issues
SMS is off by default and uses the venue's transactional SMS allowance. Owners may enable it after verifying their personal mobile. Managers may enable it only when an Owner allows Owners and managers for that venue. Staff cannot receive account SMS. Operator SMS is currently supported in Australia and the United Kingdom on SMS-capable plans.
SMS contains a short privacy-safe summary and an OpenChair link. It does not include customer message content or sensitive payment details, and replies do not enter the customer inbox.
Personal quiet hours
Personal quiet hours are account-wide. During the selected window, Push and urgent SMS are suppressed; Activity and Email still arrive. This is separate from the venue's Client notification Do Not Disturb window. New quiet-hour preferences use the timezone reported by the person's device. If an existing preference uses a different timezone, the settings screen offers a one-tap Use my local time action without asking the person to convert the hours.
Scheduled summaries remain venue-specific and use the venue timezone so daily and weekly recaps follow that venue's working day. The delivery-time control shows the venue location alongside the selected time.
Scheduled summaries
Scheduled summaries are email recaps sent according to the selected venue's timezone. Each team member controls their own summary choices and delivery times from Settings -> Account -> Notifications.
| Summary | What it sends | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Daily agenda | That day's bookings and schedule issues. It is not sent on days with no bookings. | On for Owners, Managers, and Team members. |
| Daily owner digest | An optional backward-looking summary of recent bookings and unresolved operational items for Owners and Managers. | Off. |
| Weekly owner digest | A weekly Owner and Manager summary. | On for Owners and off for Managers. |
Daily agenda and Daily owner digest are alternative morning emails. Turning one on turns the other off, so a person receives at most one daily summary for that venue. Changing the delivery time does not change whether the summary is on or off.
Delivery and troubleshooting
The Account notifications screen shows recognisable active, stale, or disabled devices. When delivery is healthy it displays a compact status. Use View history for recent Push, Email, and SMS attempts with human-readable status and masked destinations.
Use Send test Push to check registered devices. Eligible users with a verified mobile can also send a rate-limited test SMS. Test sends are marked for diagnostics and do not count as customer messages.
Troubleshooting account notifications
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Push is not registered | On mobile, open Settings -> Account -> Notifications and allow push notifications when prompted. |
| Device is disabled | Open the notification settings screen on that device to re-register it. Devices are disabled when the push provider reports that the token is no longer valid. |
| Test notification does not arrive | Confirm the device has OS push permission enabled, then use Send test Push again. Support can inspect recent delivery attempts when available. |
Email Sender
All emails sent by OpenChair on behalf of your venue use your business name as the sender display name, with the address notifications@openchairpro.com (transactional) or marketing@openchairpro.com (campaigns).
Your business name (set in Settings → Venue Details) appears in the "From" field of all outgoing emails.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| "Upgrade to Pro" shown instead of Provision Number | The venue is on the FREE plan. Go to Settings → Subscription to upgrade to Pro, then return to Communications and expand SMS to provision a number. |
| Provision Number button is missing even though we're on Pro | SMS provisioning is only available in Australia and the United Kingdom. New Zealand venues use email-only communications. |
| Number shows "Grace period" state | The number is scheduled for release at the end of the billing period, usually because the Pro subscription was cancelled. Renew the subscription to keep the number. |
| Usage card is not visible | The Usage This Period card only appears when the venue has active communications access (Pro subscription). It is hidden for free-tier venues. |
| Overage charges appearing on wallet | Usage has exceeded the included allocation. Check campaign send volume, reduce frequency, or top up the wallet balance. Go to Settings → Subscription to review your billable bookable team count. |
| SMS features working but inbox is empty | Inbox only shows messages sent to or from your dedicated number. Confirm a number is provisioned and that clients are replying to your dedicated number, not to a shared shortcode. |
FAQ
How do I get a dedicated SMS number?
Go to Settings → Communications, expand SMS, and click Provision Number. The number is assigned in 3 to 8 seconds. SMS numbers are available in Australia and the United Kingdom only. New Zealand venues use email-only communications. Only the venue Owner can provision a number.
What happens if I release my dedicated SMS number?
Releasing a number is permanent. The number is returned to the carrier and you can no longer send or receive SMS from it. Any campaigns or automations that depend on SMS will stop working until you provision a new number.
How many SMS and emails are included with my Pro plan?
Transactional SMS: 100 base + 50 per billable bookable team member (maximum 550 per period). Campaign email: 1,000 per billable bookable team member (maximum 10,000 per period). Transactional and campaign messages share the same pool. SMS allocations apply to AU and GB only; email applies to all markets. Overages are charged to your venue wallet.
What is the Do Not Disturb window?
Do Not Disturb is enabled by default between 9 PM and 8 AM in your venue's timezone. Outbound messages queued during those hours are held and sent when the DND window ends. DND hours are not currently user-configurable in the settings UI.