Reservation Email Notification Feature

Modified on Tue, 12 May at 11:18 AM

Portal Add-On Requirement (Important)

To use the Reservation Email Notification feature, the Portal Add-On must be purchased and enabled per location.

This feature will only work for locations with Portal enabled
Without Portal, email notifications will not be available

If you have not enabled Portal yet, please contact our support team for assistance.

Overview

The Reservation Email Notification feature keeps your agency and your guests informed about reservation activity in real time.

Notifications can be triggered from:

Internal reservation creation or updates (by staff)
Guest activity in the Portal

This ensures consistent communication across both staff and guest workflows.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 - How Notifications Work – Internal Reservations (Staff Side)
Section 2 - Status Rules – Internal Reservations
Section 3- Orders Included in Email Notifications
Section 4 - How Notifications Work – Portal (Guest Side)
Section 5 - Portal Add-On Requirement
Section 6 - SMTP Setup (Receiving Guest Replies)
Section 7 - Important: Gmail Sending Limits
Section 8 - Email “From” Name for Multi-Location Organizations
Section 9 - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Section 1 How Notifications Work – Internal Reservations (Staff Side)

When staff create or update a reservation in FBM, a confirmation prompt appears.

You can:

Select Yes to send a notification
Select No to skip sending the email
Enter an alternative email address

If an Alternative Email Is Entered

The reservation’s email address on record will automatically update.
A note is visible in the prompt informing you of this update.

This does not update the guest’s email address on record — it only updates the email associated with the reservation.

When the Notification Prompt Appears

The prompt will appear:

When creating a reservation
Every time a reservation is updated (e.g. date, time, help desired, or status changes)

This gives staff full control over guest communication for each specific update.

Section 2 Status Rules – Internal Reservations

Email notifications will NOT be sent when:

A reservation is created with Pending status
A reservation is updated to:
- Pending
- Confirmed

For other supported status updates (such as Approved, Canceled, or Rejected), notifications may be sent.

Section 3 Orders Included in Email Notifications

If a reservation includes associated orders:

Order details will be included in the email notification.
This applies to:
- Reservations created internally with orders
- Reservations updated internally with order changes

Guests will receive complete details of any associated order updates.

Section 4 How Notifications Work – Portal (Guest Side)

The Portal is the guest-facing account where guests can:

Create reservations
Manage or update existing reservations
View reservation details

Key Difference: Pending Status Behavior

On the Portal side:

Guests WILL receive an email when they create a reservation with Pending status.

This is different from internal reservation creation, where Pending does not trigger a notification.

All other status and update behaviors remain consistent with internal rules.

When Guests Update Reservations

If a guest updates a reservation in the Portal:

They will receive an email notification.
If the reservation includes associated orders:
- Updated order details will be included in the email.

This ensures guests always have a complete and accurate summary of their reservation and related services.

Section 5 Portal Add-On Requirement

The Reservation Email Notification feature requires the Portal Add-On.

Portal must be purchased per location.
Notifications tied to Portal functionality only apply to locations where Portal is enabled.

If Portal is disabled for a location:

Guest self-service access is unavailable.
Portal-based email notifications will not apply.

Section 6 SMTP Setup (Receiving Guest Replies)

To receive guest replies directly in your inbox:

Go to:

Settings → Portal

Configure your SMTP account by following the instructions in the support article How to Link Your Gmail to FBM for Sending & Receiving Emails.

SMTP Behavior Across Locations

SMTP settings are shared across all Portal-enabled locations.

Here's how it works:

If Portal is configured for one location, and
You purchase Portal for an additional location

The additional location will automatically use the same SMTP account previously configured.

Important

If SMTP credentials (Client ID and Client Secret) are changed in one location:

The changes apply to ALL Portal-enabled locations.
SMTP settings are shared globally across locations.

Section 7 Important: Gmail Sending Limits

FBM currently supports Gmail (via SMTP) for sending reservation email notifications.

Google enforces sending limits on Gmail accounts to prevent spam and abuse. These limits include a daily sending limit.

To prevent disruptions, FBM includes a built-in email queue system.

How It Works:

If Gmail’s sending limit is reached:

Additional emails will automatically be placed in a queue.
Queued emails will be sent once Google’s sending limit resets.
This process continues until all pending emails are delivered.

What This Means for Your Organization

Some email notifications may be delayed during high-volume periods.
Delays are caused by Gmail’s sending restrictions — not a system error.
All queued emails will continue attempting to send automatically.
Gmail’s limits reset every 24 hours.

In most cases, guests will receive their email notifications within 24 hours.

Please review the following article for more detailed information: Gmail sending limits in Google Workspace | Google Workspace Help

Section 8 Email “From” Name for Multi-Location Organizations

If your organization has multiple locations, the “From” name in outgoing emails will automatically adjust based on the location where the reservation was created.

For example:

Location 1 pantry name: North Branch
Location 2 pantry name: South Branch

If a reservation is created under North Branch, the email will appear as coming from North Branch.

If the reservation is created under South Branch, the email will appear as coming from South Branch.

This applies whether the reservation was:

Created internally by staff
Created externally through the Guest Portal

This allows guests to clearly identify which pantry location the email is coming from.

Section 9 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why didn’t a notification send for a Pending reservation?

If created internally with Pending status → no notification is sent.
If created via Portal with Pending status → notification is sent.

2. Will guests receive order details in their email?

Yes. Any associated orders (created or updated) will be included in the notification email.

3. Does the notification prompt appear every time?

Yes. For internal updates, the confirmation prompt appears each time changes are made.

4. Can staff prevent a notification from being sent?

Yes. Simply select No when prompted.

5. Do I need the Portal add-on to use email notifications?

Yes. The Portal Add-On is required and must be purchased per location.

6. Can each location use a different SMTP account?

No. SMTP settings are shared across all Portal-enabled locations. Updating SMTP settings affects all linked locations.

7. Will guests always receive updates for Portal changes?

Yes. When guests update reservations via Portal, notifications are sent, including order updates.

8. Why are some email notifications delayed?

FBM uses Gmail (via SMTP) to send reservation notifications. Gmail enforces a daily sending limits to prevent spam.

If these limits are reached, additional emails are automatically placed in a queue and sent once Google’s limits reset.

As a result:

• Some notifications may be delayed during high-volume periods.

• Delays are caused by Gmail’s sending restrictions.

• Emails will continue sending automatically.

• In most cases, guests will receive notifications within 24 hours.

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