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What’s New

We’ve built a powerful new notification system that gives you better control over customer communications while ensuring the right messages reach the right customers at the right time.

Current Status

The new system runs alongside your existing notifications, so you can test and transition gradually without disrupting your current operations.

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Key Benefits

Smart Rules

Automatically handle different order types with customized communication rules

Better Templates

Professional, mobile-friendly emails and SMS with your branding

Unified Control

Manage all your notifications from one simple interface

Reliable Delivery

Built-in backup systems ensure your messages always get delivered

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How It Works

The new system intelligently manages your customer communications:
1

Smart Detection

Automatically identifies order type (gift, funeral, corporate, event) and chooses appropriate messaging
2

Rule Application

Applies your business rules - like not sending SMS for funeral orders or always sending email confirmations regardless of customer preferences
3

Template Selection

Picks the right template based on order type, delivery method, and location
4

Reliable Delivery

Queues messages for delivery with automatic retries if needed

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New Features

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Smart Exclusions

Sometimes you don’t want certain notifications sent for specific order types. For example:
You might prefer phone calls over automated messages for sensitive orders
Large corporate accounts might have their own notification preferences
Big wedding orders might not need individual item confirmations
The system lets you set these rules once, and they’ll be applied automatically to all future orders.

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Override Protection

For legally required notifications or critical communications, you can set overrides that ensure messages are sent even if a customer has opted out:
This is perfect for order confirmations (which may be legally required) or delivery notifications for perishable goods.
  • Order Confirmations: Customers need to know their order was received
  • Delivery Updates: Critical for fresh flowers and time-sensitive items
  • Invoice Notifications: Required for business accounting

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Unified Management

Instead of managing different notification types in different places, everything is now in one simple interface where you can:
  • See all your notification types at a glance
  • Enable or disable channels (email/SMS) for each event
  • Preview how messages will look to customers
  • Test notifications before going live

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Getting Started

The transition to the new system is designed to be gradual and safe:
1

Current Status: Testing Available

Your existing notifications continue working normally. The new system is available for testing and setup.
2

Setup Your Templates

Use the new interface to customize your notification templates with your branding and messaging.
3

Configure Your Rules

Set up exclusions and overrides that match your business needs.
4

Gradual Rollout

We’ll help you transition one notification type at a time, ensuring everything works perfectly.

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Setting Up Your Notifications

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Accessing the New System

Where to Find It

Go to Settings → Notifications V2 in your admin panel to access the new notification management interface.

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Setting Up Your First Template

1

Choose an Event

Start with a common event like “Order Fulfilled” to see how the system works
2

Select Your Channels

Enable email, SMS, or both depending on how you want to communicate
3

Customize Your Message

Write your message using plain text or add variables like customer name and order details
4

Preview and Test

Use the preview feature to see how your message will look, then send a test to yourself

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Setting Up Business Rules

  • Exclusions
  • Overrides
When to use: You want to prevent certain notifications for specific order types.Example: Don’t send automated SMS for funeral orders - you prefer to call customers personally for these sensitive arrangements.Simply check the “Exclude” box for the order types where you don’t want notifications sent.

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Creating Great Messages

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Personal Touch with Smart Variables

Make your messages feel personal by including details that matter to your customers:
  • {{customer.name}} - “Hi Sarah,” instead of “Dear Customer”
  • {{recipient.name}} - For when someone else is receiving the delivery
  • {{customer.phone}} - Include their contact details in confirmations
  • {{order.number}} - Reference number they can use when calling
  • {{order.total}} - Total amount (automatically includes your currency symbol)
  • {{order.date}} - When they placed the order
  • {{order.fulfilment_datetime}} - When delivery or collection is scheduled
  • {{company.name}} - Your florist business name
  • {{company.phone}} - Your contact number
  • {{location.address}} - Shop address for collections
  • {{location.opening_hours}} - Your opening times
  • {{order_table}} - Beautiful table showing what they ordered
  • {{button:contact_us}} - Professional contact button in emails
  • {{attachments}} - Delivery photos (when available)

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Example Messages

  • Order Confirmation
  • Delivery Confirmation
Hi {{customer.name}},

Thank you for your order #{{order.number}}! 

We've received your order for {{order.total}} and our florists are preparing it with care.

{{order_table}}

Expected {{order.fulfilment_datetime}}

Questions? Just reply to this email or call us on {{company.phone}}.

Best wishes,
The team at {{company.name}}

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Testing Your Setup

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Preview Before You Send

Always Preview First

Use the preview feature to see exactly how your messages will look to customers before enabling them.
The system shows you:
  • How your email will appear on desktop and mobile
  • What your SMS will look like on a phone
  • How variables get replaced with real customer data

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Send Test Messages

1

Use Your Own Details

Send test messages to your own email and phone number first
2

Try Different Scenarios

Test with different order types (gift, funeral, corporate) to see how rules apply
3

Check All Channels

If you’re using both email and SMS, test both to ensure they work well together
4

Get Team Feedback

Send tests to your team members to get feedback on messaging and tone

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Troubleshooting

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Common Questions

Check these common causes:
  • Make sure the notification is enabled for the right channel (email/SMS)
  • Verify customer hasn’t opted out (unless you have overrides enabled)
  • Check if the order type is excluded in your rules
  • Ensure you have the customer’s correct email or phone number
This can happen if:
  • You’re viewing on a different device (mobile vs desktop for emails)
  • Customer’s email client displays things differently
  • Variables are empty for that specific order (like delivery time not set)
Things to check:
  • Look in the notification logs to confirm it was sent
  • Ask customer to check spam/junk folders
  • Verify the email address or phone number is correct
  • For SMS: check if their phone can receive business messages
You can create location-specific templates that override the global ones. Set up your main template first, then create variants for specific locations where the messaging needs to be different.

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Getting Help

If you’re having issues:
  1. Check the notification logs in your admin panel - they show exactly what happened with each message
  2. Use the test feature to isolate the problem
  3. Contact support with specific examples - we can help you get everything working perfectly

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What’s Improved

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Reliability & Performance

Better Delivery

Messages are queued and retried automatically if there are temporary issues, ensuring your customers always get their notifications.

Faster Processing

The new system can handle much higher volumes of notifications without slowing down your order processing.

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Security & Privacy

Customer Privacy Protected

The system respects customer opt-out preferences while allowing you to override them for legally required notifications. All data is encrypted and access is strictly controlled.
  • Customer Choice: Respects unsubscribe preferences
  • Legal Compliance: Override capability for required notifications
  • Secure Access: Only authorized team members can modify notifications
  • Complete Audit: Full tracking of what was sent and when

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Migration Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure a smooth migration from the legacy system to V2.

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Pre-Migration

  • Review existing notification templates and logic
  • Document current notification volumes and patterns
  • Set up monitoring and alerting for the new system
  • Test V2 system with sample data

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During Migration

  • Migrate templates one event at a time
  • Configure rules (exclusions/overrides) as needed
  • Verify multi-location setup if applicable
  • Test all notification channels thoroughly
  • Monitor delivery rates and error logs

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Post-Migration

  • Verify customer satisfaction with new notifications
  • Check performance metrics and optimize if needed
  • Remove legacy notification system components
  • Update team documentation and training

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Troubleshooting

// Debug template rendering
$preview = $notificationService->preview($template);
if (!$preview['success']) {
    Log::error('Template preview failed: ' . $preview['error']);
}

// Check template variables
$sampleData = $notificationService->generateSampleDataForTemplate($template);

// Check rules engine decisions
$shouldSend = $rulesEngine->shouldSend($event, $channel, $orderType);
if (!$shouldSend) {
    // Investigate exclusions, customer preferences, order settings
}

// Verify channel configuration
$channel = $notificationManager->getChannel('email');
$canSend = $channel->canSend($data);

# Check queue status
php artisan queue:work --once

# Monitor Horizon dashboard
php artisan horizon

# Clear and restart if needed
php artisan queue:flush
php artisan queue:restart

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Future Enhancements

The V2 system is designed for extensibility with planned features:

Additional Channels

WhatsApp, Push notifications, Webhooks

Advanced Scheduling

Time-based delivery optimization

A/B Testing

Template variant testing and optimization

Analytics

Open rates, click tracking, conversion metrics

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Quick Reference

Key Resources

Files:
  • Service: app/Services/Notifications/NotificationService.php
  • Rules: app/Services/Notifications/RulesEngine.php
  • Config: config/notifications.php
Routes:
  • Management UI: /settings/notifications/v2
  • API: /api/notifications/v2/*
Models:
  • NotificationEvent, NotificationTemplate, NotificationRule, NotificationLog
For specific implementation questions or advanced use cases, refer to the code examples above or test with the provided console commands.