On The Way SMS

Tell your customer you're on the way without typing a word.

• One tap from the job screen in the Cooledge mobile app
• ETA picker from 5 minutes through to 2 hours
• Choose the main contact, the job's linked contact person or the site contact
• Customisable default template — set it once, use it forever
• Counts toward your SMS credits like any other outgoing message — pair it with Booking Reminders → for the full pre-arrival flow

On The Way SMS is the fastest way to let your customer know you're heading their way. Open the job, pick an ETA, send. No typing, no switching apps, no fishing for the right phone number — the message goes out with your business name, your name, and the time the customer can expect you at the door.

This feature lives in the Cooledge mobile app and is designed for the moment you leave for site.

What You Need

Before sending an On The Way SMS, make sure you have:

• An active Cooledge subscription
• The Cooledge mobile app installed on your phone (iOS or Android)
• A phone number on the customer record — at least one contact (main or site) needs a mobile number
• SMS credits available — each send uses 1 SMS credit per message segment (check Settings → Billing)

How to Send

Sending takes about 5 seconds:

1. Open the Cooledge mobile app and navigate to the job
2. Near the top of the job screen, find the More Actions button next to Start Job
3. Tap More Actions, then tap Send On The Way SMS
4. If the job has more than one contact with a phone, choose the recipient from the dropdown
5. Pick your ETA — anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours
6. Tap Send

That's it. The message goes out immediately and is logged against the job and customer in the messaging history.

Choosing the Recipient

Many jobs have two contacts on file: the main contact (often the billing customer or property owner) and the site contact (the person actually meeting you on site — a tenant, building manager, or family member). If the job is linked to one of the customer's contact people, they appear as a recipient too and are offered first, since they're the person the job is for.

Cooledge handles the pick for you:

• More than one candidate has a phone: the modal shows a picker so you can choose who gets the SMS. Most of the time you want whoever is waiting for you on site.
• Only one has a phone: the picker is hidden and the message just goes to whoever has a number on file.
• No one has a phone: the modal warns you and won't send. Add a phone number to the customer record first, then try again.

Editing the Default Template

The On The Way template lives in Settings → Templates → On The Way. Edit the wording to match your voice — keep it short, friendly, and on-brand.

The template uses the standard Cooledge placeholders:

• {customer.name} — the recipient's name
• {staff.first_name} — your first name (the staff member sending it)
• {business.name} — your business name
• {arrival.time_till} — the ETA you picked, formatted naturally (e.g. "in about 30 minutes")

You can also reset the template back to the Cooledge default at any time from the same screen.

Where to Find It

In the Cooledge mobile app, open any job that hasn't been started yet. Look for the More Actions button next to Start Job near the top of the screen — the Send On The Way SMS option lives inside that menu.

If you can't see the option, double-check that:

• You're on the mobile app (this isn't in the desktop portal)
• The job is in a status where it makes sense to send an arrival message — typically before the job has been started

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Related Articles:

• Booking Reminders → — Automated SMS and email reminders before every scheduled visit
• Two-Way Text Messaging → — How outgoing and incoming SMS work in Cooledge
• Message Templates → — Build and edit reusable templates with placeholders
• Email & SMS Settings → — Configure your messaging channels
• Creating and Managing Jobs → — Job lifecycle and the actions available at each stage

Need help with On The Way SMS? Email us at support@cooledge.com.au