Send Messages to Staff – Broadcasts and Targeted Messages

Internal communication is vital in a restaurant. Vendion's messaging system lets you reach all staff, a specific group or a single employee – with the right channel for the right message.

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Three delivery channels – choose the right one:

You can combine channels – e.g. send both portal message and SMS to ensure the message arrives quickly.

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Send a broadcast message (to all):

1. Go to Staff → Staff
2. Click the message icon (top right)
3. Choose recipients: All active staff
4. Choose channel (portal, SMS, email or combination)
5. Write:
   • Subject (shown as notification title)
   • Message (brief for SMS, longer for portal/email)
6. Specify:
   • Require acknowledgment (employee must actively confirm reading)
   • Priority (normal / high / critical – affects how notification displays)
   • Schedule (send now or later)
7. Click Send

Cost for SMS to all: If you have 20 employees and send SMS to all = 20 × 0.89 = 17.80 SEK.

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Targeted messages (to specific groups):

Instead of spamming everyone, send only to those affected:

By role:

• "All chefs: meeting at 15 tomorrow"
• "Bartenders: new drink menu effective May 1"

By permission group:

• "Admin group: month-end reports close Friday"

By department/cost center:

• "Kitchen team: delivery arrives 10 instead of 08"

By scheduled day:

• "Everyone working Friday evening: chef course 15 before the shift"

By individual:

• Select a specific employee from the list

Steps:

1. In the message dialog, choose Custom recipients
2. Filter by role, group, department, scheduled day or select individuals
3. Preview recipient list (shows count and names)
4. Write and send

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Require acknowledgment (confirmation):

For important messages, you can require the employee to actively confirm reading. Used for:

• Changed opening hours
• New procedures (e.g. allergen routine)
• Safety information
• Schedule changes with short notice
• Legally binding information

How it works:

1. Check Require acknowledgment when sending
2. Employee sees the message with a Confirm read button
3. Until they click, the notification cannot be dismissed (shown as unread marker)
4. After confirmation, you see time, date and who

Reminder: If an employee hasn't confirmed within 24 h, automatic reminder is sent.

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Tracking and read reports:

After sending a message you can follow up:

1. Go to Staff → Messages → Sent
2. Click the message
3. See:
   • Total recipients
   • Number read (and percent)
   • Number acknowledged (if required)
   • List per recipient with status (Sent / Read / Acknowledged / Not read)
4. For not read: click Send reminder

Timestamps:

• Sent (when system sent)
• Received (when message reached device)
• Read (when recipient opened)
• Acknowledged (when recipient clicked confirm)

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Templates for recurring messages:

1. Go to Staff → Settings → Message Templates
2. Create templates for common communications:
   • Week's schedule published
   • Reminder last day for absence requests
   • Christmas/holiday greeting
   • New procedures/rules
3. Use placeholders: {{name}}, {{week}}, {{date}}

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Automated messages:

Some messages are sent automatically on events:

Enable/disable per event in Settings → Automated messages.

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Limits to know:

• Max 1,000 recipients per SMS batch – larger mailings automatically split into batches
• Max 5,000 characters per message – longer text should be sent as email
• Attachments: only email supports attachments (PDF, image up to 10 MB)
• Push notifications only work for employees with the Vendion app installed

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Tips:

1. Choose the right channel – use SMS sparingly (it costs money and can irritate)
2. Be brief – restaurant staff are busy, long messages go unread
3. Use acknowledgment for critical info – gives confidence that key info arrived
4. Templates save time – same type of message is often sent week after week