Text/SMS notifications for Dashboard users
Last updated: March 27, 2023
Note: FareHarbor now has native push notifications that can be configured directly from the Dashboard. Note that the steps described in this help page are technically a hack and we do not currently promote it in client-facing documentation.
If a client needs to be able to receive text notifications, you can replace their email address in the Dashboard with an email version of their phone number (ex: 5551231234@mms.att.net). This is also called an SMS gateway or gateway address.
The specific format of the phone number will vary by carrier, but you can find most major cell phone carriers here.
For AT&T users, we’ve found that @mms.att.net works better than @txt.att.net, which results in a bunch of nonsense (see screenshot below).
Note: The gateway address for Boost Mobile that is shown in the PDF linked above is incorrect. The correct one is @sms.myboostmobile.com.
IMPORTANT: Because we no longer use plain text emails in most cases, it’s very possible that the user will end up seeing something like the screenshot below. If possible, try to send a test beforehand (using the same carrier as the client) to see if it’s worth setting up.
Forwarded emails
Clients may also see “nonsense text” if they try to forward a FareHarbor notification email to their phone as a text message (example below). Whenever possible, try to dissuade clients from doing this. They may want to consider setting up an email address specifically for FareHarbor notifications and setting up push notifications for new emails instead.
