SMS notification
Queuers leave their phone number when joining and get a text when it's almost their turn.
Flowby is fully web-based, so there’s no native push notification. Instead, queuers can opt in to SMS notifications: they leave their mobile number when they join the queue, and Flowby texts them when their turn is approaching.
This is what makes it possible for queuers to leave the queue area entirely (browse the rest of the store, sit in a café across the street, walk back to their car) without missing their turn.
How queuers opt in
Section titled “How queuers opt in”- Pop-up on joining. When the queuer joins the queue, Flowby shows a pop-up asking for their phone number. They can fill it in or dismiss.
- Bell icon. If they dismissed the pop-up but later want a text, they can tap the bell icon at the top right of their queue view to bring up the prompt again.
The pop-up only appears if there are enough people ahead of them to make SMS useful. See the threshold below.
Configuring the threshold
Section titled “Configuring the threshold”Per queue, you set how far ahead in line the SMS goes out. In the queue’s settings in Flowby admin:
- It is the customer’s turn. SMS goes out when staff call the queuer.
- Default: the customer is first in the queue. SMS goes out when the queuer is next waiting.
- Earlier: the customer has one person ahead of them in the queue. Useful when service per queuer is slow. Gives the queuer a little more warning to walk back.
- Off. Disable SMS for this queue entirely. The pop-up doesn’t appear.
If a queuer joins when there are already fewer people ahead than the threshold, they’re past the trigger and won’t see the pop-up. See the no-phone-prompt FAQ.
What the SMS looks like
Section titled “What the SMS looks like”A short text in the queuer’s chosen language: “It’s almost your turn at <store>” or similar, customised per queue. Some stores include the queue number for clarity.