Customer reminders & text messages

TreadOS can send automatic customer reminders by email and text for tyre rotations and wheel alignments. Overdue accounts are handled separately under Settings → Credit control (steps, waits, demand notices, and collections). Email works once your workshop mail and company branding are in place. Text messages need a short one-time connection to Twilio — the messaging company that delivers the texts. Your workshop pays Twilio directly for message usage; TreadOS never asks staff to paste secret API keys.

These reminders are separate from the workshop alert inbox and Re-Torque queue. Customer reminders go to your customers; alerts stay inside the workshop for staff follow-up.

Turn reminders on

Open Settings → Reminders. For each reminder type you can:

• Turn the reminder on or leave it off until you are ready.
• Choose Email, Text message, or both.
• Edit the email subject, email body, and short text message. Use the listed tokens (for example customer name or invoice number) so each send fills in the right details.
• Preview the email, or Send test to yourself before customers receive anything.

Reminder emails use your company logo from company profile when one is uploaded. If no logo is set, emails fall back to the TreadOS logo until you add your own under General settings → Company profile.

• Tyre rotation — uses each vehicle’s last rotation date and interval (default 180 days if blank).
• Wheel alignment — uses each vehicle’s last alignment date and interval (default 365 days if blank).

Reminders are prepared by a scheduled overnight job. Keep customer email addresses and mobile numbers current, enable only the services you want, and review the Reminders due card on the dashboard. The Recent reminders list on the Reminders page shows what is queued; you can Snooze 24h an item when you need more time before it goes out.

Create a Twilio account (needed for texts)

Twilio is a separate company. Think of it as the phone service that sends your workshop’s texts. TreadOS connects to your Twilio account so messages leave from a number your workshop controls, and Twilio bills that account for usage.

1. Open Twilio’s free sign-up page: https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio.
2. Create an account with a work email you trust, then verify your email and personal phone number when Twilio asks.
3. Finish the short account questions Twilio shows. You do not need to build an app or copy any “Account SID” / “Auth Token” into TreadOS.
4. When you are ready for real customer traffic, upgrade from Twilio’s trial to a paid account in the Twilio console so sending is not limited to trial rules. Until then, use the connection steps below carefully and always send a test text first.

Only the account master (workshop account owner) can connect messaging in TreadOS. If Text messages is not available on your server yet, ask TreadOS support to finish the platform messaging setup — that is a server-side step, not something staff configure by pasting keys.

Connect messaging in TreadOS

After you have a Twilio login, open Settings → Text messages. The page walks you through three clear steps:

1. Connect messaging — press the button. TreadOS opens Twilio’s approval screen. Sign in to the Twilio account you created and allow this workshop to send texts through TreadOS. When you finish, Twilio returns you to TreadOS and the step shows as Connected.
2. Choose or buy a phone number — texts are sent from this number. You must use a Twilio number: either buy a new one from the list, or pick a number already on the Twilio account you connected. You cannot paste your workshop mobile, staff phone, or any ordinary cellular / landline number you use outside Twilio — those will not send. Buying a number adds a small monthly rental on Twilio (often around USD $1–$2 depending on country), and each text has a small per-message fee. Those charges appear on your Twilio bill, not your TreadOS subscription. Check current rates on Twilio’s pricing page for your trade country before you buy.
3. Send a test text — enter a mobile you can check and press Send test text. Confirm the message arrives before turning text reminders on for customers.

You can Disconnect messaging later if you need to stop TreadOS from sending texts for this workshop. Connecting again later repeats the same guided steps. Recent texts appear at the bottom of the Text messages page so you can see what was sent and whether anything failed.

Good habits

• Turn on email reminders first if you want value quickly; add text once messaging is connected and tested.
• Do not enable text on a reminder type until a test message has landed successfully.
• Keep mobile numbers in international form where possible (for example starting with + and the country code).
• Use the dashboard Reminders due card as your daily check that the queue is healthy.