Emails to customers
Customers get the standard WooCommerce emails (order confirmation, order completed, order cancelled) and three WP InPlate emails:
| When | For whom | |
|---|---|---|
| InPlate: Ready for pickup | The kitchen marks the order as ready | Pickup only |
| InPlate: Order on its way | The courier picks up the order | Delivery only |
| InPlate: Sign-in code | The customer asks for a code in the order form | Signing in and creating an account – see Customer account |
Turning off the “Sign-in code” email turns off signing in with a code – the form tells the customer the code couldn't be sent. The code is in the email's subject, so it shows in the phone's notification.
The “Ready for pickup” email can include the pickup address – see Delivery and zones: pickup address.
You change the content, subject and on/off state of each email in Sales panel → Settings → Emails. The emails include the name of the fulfillment method (your own name too) and the fulfillment date, if it isn't today.
Under each order item the emails show its allergens – of the dish and the chosen add-ons, as saved when the order was placed.
A customer who ordered in another language (menu in several languages) gets the order emails in that language – with the dish and add-on names translated. Emails to your venue are always in the main language.
The email to the administrator about a new order is sent by WooCommerce – you set it up in the same place.
Notifications in the WordPress dashboard
In InPlate → Settings → Notifications you set up new order notifications for the person who has the WordPress dashboard open, e.g. on the computer at the counter:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Play sound on new order | A sound in the open dashboard tab. The “Test the sound” button checks the volume |
| Show system notifications | An operating system notification, also when the browser is minimized. Requires the browser's permission |
| Check frequency | How often to check for new orders: 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes |
If the browser blocked notifications, change this by hand in the browser's settings for your website.
For running the kitchen, though, use the KDS – it has its own sound, alarms and push notifications.
Sound in the KDS and in the courier app
- KDS: a new order triggers a sound and a message. When the KDS was running in the background, a full-screen alarm repeats the sound until it is confirmed. A courier return has a separate alarm with a different sound.
- Courier: a new order for pickup triggers an alarm with a repeated sound and vibration, until it is confirmed or the order is picked up. In on-the-road mode there is one short sound instead of the alarm.
Browsers block sound until the page is first tapped. At the start of a shift, tap the KDS and courier app screens.
Push notifications
Push notifications reach the tablet and the phone also when the app runs in the background or the screen is locked.
| Who | About what |
|---|---|
| Kitchen (KDS) | Every new confirmed order: paid online or paid at the venue. An order waiting for an online payment doesn't trigger a notification, because the customer may still give up |
| Kitchen and manager | A courier return, with the reason; a courier bringing an order back to delivery |
| Couriers | Delivery orders ready for pickup (grouped into one notification) |
| A courier | An order assigned to them; another courier taking over their order |
Notifications don't contain customer data, because they show on the lock screen.
Turning them on on a device
Every device must allow notifications once:
- Open the KDS or the courier app and sign in.
- Click the banner at the top asking to turn on notifications (in the KDS also the bell in the menu).
- Allow notifications in the browser's window.
- Send a test notification: in the KDS the bell in the menu, in the courier app Menu → Test notification.
iPhone and iPad: notifications work only in an app added to the Home Screen (Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen). The banner explains this on Apple devices.
Requirements
- your website on HTTPS,
- the OpenSSL PHP extension on the server (standard on most hosting).
Without them the KDS shows a message saying what is missing.
Shared devices
Signing out turns off notifications on that device. The next person who signs in gets them automatically.