Follow this guide to set how shift confirmations and shift offers are sent to employees via SMS, push notifications, or both. This includes defining the delivery method and creating the templates used in Roster Manager for shift communications.
To use SMS, an SMS gateway must first be configured. Speak with your account manager about enabling Humanforce SMS, or review our list of supported third-party SMS providers.
Part 1: Set the offer delivery method
Before creating or editing templates, you must first define how Humanforce delivers shift communications. This determines which message channels are available when sending offers or confirmation requests from Roster Manager.
Go to Admin > Admin Config > System Settings.
Click the Event Manager tab.
Under Shift & Roster Offer Settings, ensure the Humanforce (Web) URL is entered.
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Under Offer Delivery method, choose one of the following:
SMS only - send only SMS messages.
Try Push Notification First - send a push notification if the employee has logged into the app; otherwise, fall back to SMS.
SMS and Push Notification - send both an SMS and a push notification.
Push Notification only - send only push notifications via the Work App.
Click Save Changes.
Once saved, this setting controls the communication options available when sending shift-related messages from Roster Manager.
Part 2: Create or edit a roster send template
Templates define the message content used when offering or confirming shifts.
Go to Admin > Admin Config > Roster Send Templates.
Click + Add New Roster Send Template.
Enter a name for the template.
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Select the type:
SMSOFFER - for SMS messages.
PUSHOFFER - for push notifications.
(Optional) Click Get Default Template to use Humanforce’s standard content.
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Customise the Template Content to suit your business tone.
- Tip: Keep messages clear and action-oriented. Include key shift details such as date, time, location, and role to help the employee understand what they are confirming. Also, clearly direct them on where to respond; shift offers/confirmations must be actioned in the Schedule tab of the Work App, not from the notification itself.
Click Show Tags to insert dynamic shift details (e.g. role name, start time).
Click Preview to validate formatting and check for unresolved tags.
Click Save.
Templates matching the current delivery method will be available when sending shift communications in Roster Manager.
Next steps
Additional information
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Required access level permissions:
TimeTarget Online > View System Settings
Maintenance Screens > Roster Send Templates
If unresolved tags appear (e.g.
[ROLENAME]), place them between[DOW1-BEGIN]and[DOW1-END].Basic HTML knowledge is helpful for advanced formatting and styling.