Notifications & Communication
How Recomly notifies advocates and friends by email and SMS, and how to control which channels are used.
Overview
Recomly automatically notifies advocates and friends at key moments — when someone uses a referral link, and when you mark a referral converted. You don't need to do anything to trigger these; they fire on their own.
Notifications are sent by email, SMS, or both depending on the contact information on file and the recipient's preference. Everyone needs at least one way to be reached (email or phone), but not both.
SMS availability
Email is included on every plan. SMS is only available on Pro and above.
When you're on a Starter or Growth plan:
- Phone number fields are hidden on referral pages — friends can only submit an email address
- Advocates are contacted by email only, regardless of whether you have a phone number on file for them
- Stored phone numbers are not deleted — if you upgrade later, SMS picks up automatically
How notification channels are determined
Recomly uses the simplest possible rule: notify someone on every channel you have for them (subject to their preference and your plan).
When an advocate is first invited, or a friend first submits their info, their notification preference is set automatically based on what contact information was provided:
| Contact info provided | How they'll be notified |
|---|---|
| Email only | |
| Phone only | SMS (Pro plans only) |
| Email and phone | Email and SMS |
Changing a notification preference
Advocates
Advocates can update their own preference at any time from their personal portal — they'll see a simple Email / SMS / Both selector. The change takes effect immediately for all future notifications.
You can also update it on their behalf from the advocate's detail page in your dashboard, which is useful if they contact you directly to request a change.
SMS options only appear when your plan includes SMS.
Friends
Friends don't choose a preference on the referral form — it's set automatically from the contact info they submit, same as advocates. If a friend is later enrolled as an advocate (which happens automatically when you convert their referral), they can then update their preference from their portal just like any other advocate.
What gets sent and when
When a friend submits a referral
| Who | What they receive |
|---|---|
| Everyone on your team | An email with the friend's name and contact details — always, on every plan |
| Friend | A thank-you confirmation on whichever channel(s) they submitted |
| Advocate | An activity alert letting them know someone used their link |
The advocate notification at this step does not mention rewards — it's just a heads-up that someone is interested.
When you mark a referral converted
| Who | What they receive |
|---|---|
| Advocate | A reward confirmation showing what they earned and their updated total |
| Friend | A reward notification showing their incentive and their new personal referral link — because they're now an advocate too |
What happens if you downgrade from a plan that included SMS
Recomly doesn't delete any stored phone numbers or preferences when you downgrade. However, SMS stops sending. The practical effects:
- Advocate with a phone number but no email — they become unreachable until you re-enable SMS or add an email address to their record
- Advocate with both email and phone who prefers SMS-only — they have an email on file, but their preference is to receive SMS. That preference is respected, so they won't receive notifications until they update their preference via their portal or you change it for them
- A warning appears on your Advocates list for any advocates in either situation so you know who needs attention
The dashboard shows warnings on your Advocates and Referrals tabs whenever any of these conditions apply, so you can act before advocates go unnotified.