Managing Notification Preferences

Notification preferences control how and when you receive alerts about permit changes. This guide covers all available options and how to configure them effectively.

Accessing Preferences

Navigate to notification settings:

1. Click your profile menu (top right)
2. Select "Account Settings"
3. Click "Notifications" tab

Or direct URL: /organizations/{org}/settings/account/notifications

Alert Channels

Choose how you receive notifications:

Email Only

• All notifications via email
• Best for non-urgent monitoring
• Can use digest mode

SMS Only

• All notifications via text message
• Best for urgent alerts
• Brief messages (320 char limit)

Both Email and SMS

• Email for details
• SMS for immediate awareness
• Most comprehensive coverage

Configure Channel

1. Find "Alert Channel Preference" section
2. Select your preferred option:
   • Email
   • SMS
   • Both
3. Save changes

Event Scopes

Event scopes define which types of changes trigger notifications.

Available Scopes

Configuring Scopes

1. Find "Permit Change Event Scopes" section
2. Check scopes you want notifications for
3. Uncheck scopes you want to ignore
4. Save changes

Recommended Scope Settings

For permit expediters:

• ✅ Status (know when permits move)
• ✅ Fees (track payments due)
• ✅ Inspections (coordinate schedules)
• ❌ Processing (too detailed)
• ❌ Attachments (low priority)

For contractors:

• ✅ Status (track approvals)
• ✅ Inspections (schedule work)
• ❌ Fees (handled by office)
• ❌ Processing (unnecessary detail)

For office administrators:

• ✅ All scopes (comprehensive tracking)
• Consider daily digest for volume

SMS Settings

Additional SMS-specific configuration:

Enable SMS

1. Add your phone number in profile
2. Enable SMS in notification preferences
3. Verify phone (if required)

Phone Number Format

Enter phone in E.164 format:

• US: +1 followed by 10 digits
• Example: +14155551234

SMS Master Toggle

A separate "Enable SMS Notifications" toggle allows quick on/off without changing other settings.

Notification Delivery

Immediate vs. Digest

Immediate:

• Notification sent when change detected
• Real-time awareness
• May result in many messages

Digest (email only):

• Daily summary of all changes
• Sent at configured time
• Reduces notification volume

Configure Digest

1. Select email as alert channel
2. Enable "Daily Digest" option
3. Set preferred delivery time
4. Save changes

Per-Organization Settings

Notification settings are per-user, per-organization:

• Different settings for different orgs
• Useful when managing multiple businesses
• Each org can have unique preferences

Switching Organizations

1. Change to target organization (org switcher)
2. Go to notification settings
3. Configure for that org
4. Repeat for other orgs

Team Notification Coordination

For teams with multiple members:

Avoid Duplication

• Discuss notification coverage
• Different people watch different permits
• Or one person monitors, shares updates

Assignment-Based Notifications

Consider having members focus on:

• Permits they're responsible for
• Specific permit types
• Specific jurisdictions

Testing Notifications

Verify Setup

1. Add a test permit to Watchlist
2. Wait for next scrape cycle
3. Verify notification received
4. Adjust settings if needed

No Changes = No Notifications

If permits aren't changing, you won't receive notifications. This is normal - it means everything is static.

Notification Volume Control

If Getting Too Many

1. Disable low-priority scopes
2. Switch to daily digest
3. Remove completed permits from Watchlist
4. Focus on fewer permits

If Getting Too Few

1. Verify channel and scopes are enabled
2. Check spam folder (email)
3. Verify phone number (SMS)
4. Confirm permits are on Watchlist

Privacy and Security

Notification Content

Notifications contain permit information:

• Permit numbers
• Addresses
• Status details

Consider this when:

• Using work vs. personal email
• Shared phone numbers
• Public notification sounds

Data in Transit

All notifications are sent securely:

• Email via secure SMTP
• SMS via Twilio (encrypted)

Troubleshooting

Related Documentation

• Email Notifications
• SMS Notifications
• Event Scopes Reference
• Account Settings