Set Up Calendar Notifications: Email, SMS, In-App, WhatsApp

Sparkforge calendar notifications send the right message on the right channel at the right step of the appointment lifecycle. Configure them per calendar so contacts, guests, users, and additional recipients each get exactly what they need.

The six appointment notification types

1. Appointment Booked (Unconfirmed) — fires immediately when an appointment is booked with unconfirmed status.
2. Appointment Booked (Confirmed) — fires when an appointment is booked confirmed or moves to confirmed.
3. Cancellation — fires when an appointment is cancelled, marked no-show, or marked invalid.
4. Reschedule — fires when the appointment date or time changes.
5. Reminder — fires before the appointment based on the timing you configure.
6. Follow-Up — fires after the appointment based on the timing you configure.

To prevent missed meetings, staff can also enable internal alerts when an appointment is booked without a meeting link or location: Settings > My Staff > [Staff] > Notification Settings > Calendar Notifications > Notify when meeting link/location is missing.

Open the Notifications tab for a calendar

1. Go to Calendar > Calendar Settings.
2. Select the calendar to configure.
3. Click the Notifications tab.

Each notification type can be customized per receiver — Contact, Guest, User, or Additional Emails/Phone Numbers — and individual receiver types can be disabled.

Email notifications

1. Pick a notification type and open the Email tab. Toggle it on.
2. Choose an existing email template or edit the subject and body inline. Pick None in the template dropdown to remove a template.
3. Send a test email to preview the result.
4. For Reminders, set how far in advance to send. For Follow-Ups, set how long after to send. Multiple trigger timings are supported.
5. Save settings.

SMS notifications

1. Pick a notification type and open the SMS tab.
2. Choose recipients: Contact, Assigned User, or Additional Phone Numbers.
3. Pick or create an SMS template.
4. Send a test SMS to preview.
5. For Reminders and Follow-Ups, set the trigger timing. Multiple timings are supported.
6. Save settings.

In-app notifications

1. Pick a notification type and open the In-App tab. Toggle it on.
2. Choose which users receive the notification.
3. For Reminders and Follow-Ups, set the trigger timing.

For Event Calendars, account admins receive notifications by default. For other calendar types, the assigned user is selected by default.

WhatsApp notifications

1. Pick a notification type and open the WhatsApp tab. Toggle it on.
2. Choose recipients: Contact, Assigned User, or Additional Numbers.
3. Pick or create an approved template for the notification type. Use Fetch New Templates to refresh.
4. Use Send Test WhatsApp Notification to preview.
5. Click Save.

Your WhatsApp Business Account must be connected and verified, and only approved templates can be used.

Custom values for personalization

Use Custom Values to personalize email, SMS, and WhatsApp notifications. In the message editor, click the { } merge field icon and pick from Custom Values to insert custom links, internal notes, or personalized details.

Important rules

• Additional Emails / Phone Numbers are extra recipients you specify — they receive the notification along with anyone else configured.
• Email templates live under Marketing > Emails > Templates. Always include a subject line so messages deliver.
• SMS phone numbers must include country codes. SMS is billed per segment — keep messages concise.
• If Add Guest is on with a custom form, you can email guests a link to that form on confirmation. Disable any duplicate confirmation email to avoid double-sends.