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Managing Notification Preferences

Managing Notification Preferences

Customize how and when you receive notifications from Apprentice across in-app, email, and SMS channels.



Overview


Apprentice sends notifications through multiple channels to keep you informed about appointments, messages, design updates, and system alerts. You have complete control over which notifications you receive and how you receive them. Notification preferences are managed separately for each user role (artist, client, shop admin).


Step-by-Step Guide


Step 1: Access Notification Settings


  1. Sign in to your Apprentice account
  2. Navigate to your settings page:
  • Artists: /dashboard/artist/settings/notifications
  • Clients: /dashboard/client/settings/notifications
  • Shop Admins: /dashboard/shop/settings/notifications


  1. Click on the "Notifications" tab or section


Step 2: Configure Notification Channels


You can enable or disable each notification channel independently:


In-App Notifications

  • What it is: Notifications that appear in the Apprentice application header (bell icon)
  • When to use: Always recommended for real-time updates while using the platform
  • Toggle: Turn on/off in-app notifications


Email Notifications

  • What it is: Notifications sent to your email address
  • When to use: Stay informed when you're not actively using Apprentice
  • Toggle: Turn on/off email notifications


SMS Notifications

  • What it is: Text message notifications sent to your phone
  • When to use: For urgent, time-sensitive notifications (appointment reminders, cancellations)
  • Toggle: Turn on/off SMS notifications
  • Requirement: You must have a verified phone number to receive SMS


Push Notifications (Coming Soon)

  • What it is: Browser or mobile app push notifications
  • When to use: Real-time alerts on your device
  • Status: Feature in development


Step 3: Select Notification Types


Control which types of notifications you receive:


For Clients:

  • Appointment Reminders: Notifications 24 hours and 1 hour before appointments
  • Status Updates: Booking confirmations, cancellations, reschedules
  • Design Updates: When your artist uploads or updates designs
  • Chat Messages: New messages from your artist
  • System Notifications: Important platform updates and announcements
  • Marketing Emails: Promotional content and feature updates (optional)


For Artists:

  • Appointment Reminders: Upcoming appointment notifications
  • Booking Requests: New booking requests from clients
  • Design Updates: Client feedback on designs or collaboration updates
  • Chat Messages: New messages from clients
  • Pricing Alerts: When promotions are applied to bookings
  • Payment Reminders: Unpaid deposit notifications
  • Weekly Digest: Weekly pricing summary (email only)
  • System Notifications: Platform updates and important alerts


For Shop Admins:

  • Team Activity: Notifications about team member actions
  • Client Check-ins: When clients arrive at the shop
  • System Alerts: Shop billing, subscription, and platform notifications


Step 4: Configure Quiet Hours


Prevent notifications during specific times:


  1. Toggle "Enable Quiet Hours" to on
  2. Set your Start Time (e.g., 10:00 PM)
  3. Set your End Time (e.g., 8:00 AM)
  4. Click "Save Preferences"


How Quiet Hours Work:

  • In-app notifications: Still appear, but without sound/alerts
  • Email notifications: Held until quiet hours end, then sent in a batch
  • SMS notifications: Only critical/urgent messages are sent (cancellations, emergencies)


Step 5: Save Your Changes


After configuring your preferences:

  1. Review your selections
  2. Click "Save Preferences" or "Update Settings"
  3. You'll see a confirmation message when your preferences are saved


Tips


  • Start with Defaults: The default notification settings are optimized for most users. Only adjust if needed
  • Enable Appointment Reminders: Highly recommended for both artists and clients to prevent no-shows
  • SMS for Urgency: Enable SMS for time-sensitive notifications, but disable for routine updates to avoid message fatigue
  • Use Quiet Hours: Set quiet hours to avoid late-night or early-morning notifications
  • Weekly Digest for Artists: Subscribe to the weekly pricing digest for a convenient revenue summary
  • Test Your Settings: After changing preferences, send yourself a test message to confirm notifications are working


Common Notification Types Explained


High Priority (Urgent)

  • Appointment cancellations
  • Last-minute reschedules
  • Waitlist "your turn" notifications
  • Payment failures


Medium Priority

  • Appointment confirmations
  • Design ready for review
  • Booking requests
  • Chat messages


Low Priority

  • Weekly digests
  • Marketing emails
  • System announcements
  • Non-urgent status updates


Common Issues


  • Issue: Not receiving any notifications → Solution: Check that at least one channel is enabled, verify your email/phone number, and check spam folders
  • Issue: Too many notifications → Solution: Disable marketing emails, reduce notification types, or enable batching for chat messages
  • Issue: SMS notifications not arriving → Solution: Verify your phone number in account settings and check that SMS is enabled. See Opting In/Out of SMS Notifications
  • Issue: Quiet hours not working → Solution: Ensure quiet hours are enabled and times are set correctly. Critical notifications may still come through


Email Notification Batching


To prevent email overload, Apprentice automatically batches certain notification types:


  • Chat messages: Grouped by sender, sent after 30 seconds of inactivity
  • Design updates: Grouped by project, sent after collaboration session ends
  • Position updates: Waitlist position changes are batched to prevent spam


Critical notifications bypass batching and are sent immediately:

  • Appointment cancellations
  • Booking confirmations
  • Waitlist "your turn" alerts


Notification Preferences by Role


  • ✅ In-app: Enabled
  • ✅ Email: Enabled
  • ✅ SMS: Enabled (appointment reminders only)
  • ✅ Appointment reminders
  • ✅ Status updates
  • ✅ Design updates
  • ⚠️ Marketing emails: Optional


  • ✅ In-app: Enabled
  • ✅ Email: Enabled
  • ✅ SMS: Enabled (urgent only)
  • ✅ Booking requests
  • ✅ Chat messages
  • ✅ Payment reminders
  • ✅ Weekly digest
  • ⚠️ Marketing emails: Optional


  • ✅ In-app: Enabled
  • ✅ Email: Enabled
  • ⚠️ SMS: Optional
  • ✅ Team activity
  • ✅ Client check-ins
  • ✅ System alerts


Updated on: 16/01/2026

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