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Customer Notifications

Transactional notifications — order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, delivery alerts — are the highest-value messages you send. They are expected, opened almost universally, and directly reduce support load. This guide shows how to implement reliable customer notifications across Africa with AfriRoute.

Scenario: E-Commerce Order Lifecycle​

A Nairobi-based online store wants to keep buyers informed at every step: order placed, payment received, shipped, and out for delivery. Each event triggers an SMS, with a fallback to WhatsApp for richer updates.

Why Notifications Matter​

  • 97%+ open rate for transactional SMS, usually within minutes
  • Fewer "where is my order?" tickets — customers are informed proactively
  • Higher trust — a registered sender ID shows your brand, not a random number

Step 1: Send on Each Order Event​

Wire a notification into each state transition in your order system:

notify.js
async function notifyOrderEvent(order, event) {
  const templates = {
    placed:    `Hi ${order.name}, order #${order.id} received. We'll text you when it ships.`,
    paid:      `Payment of ${order.total} ${order.currency} confirmed for order #${order.id}. Thank you!`,
    shipped:   `Order #${order.id} has shipped via ${order.carrier}. Track: ${order.tracking_url}`,
    delivery:  `Your order #${order.id} is out for delivery today. Please keep your phone nearby.`
  };

  await fetch('https://api.afriroute.ai/api/v1/sms/send', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer $AFRIROUTE_API_KEY', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      to: order.phone,                 // E.164, e.g. +254712345678
      from: 'DukaShop',                // registered transactional sender ID
      message: templates[event],
      category: 'transactional',
      callback_url: 'https://dukashop.co.ke/webhooks/sms'
    })
  });
}

Step 2: Track Delivery via Webhook​

Update your order record when the carrier confirms delivery, so you know the customer was actually reached:

webhook.js
app.post('/webhooks/sms', express.json(), async (req, res) => {
  const { message_id, status, to, delivered_at } = req.body;
  await db.notifications.update({ message_id }, { status, delivered_at });
  if (status === 'failed') {
    await enqueueWhatsAppFallback(to, message_id); // try a second channel
  }
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Step 3: Channel Fallback​

If SMS fails (e.g. handset off for 48h), retry the same content over WhatsApp:

fallback.py
def whatsapp_fallback(phone, text):
    requests.post('https://api.afriroute.ai/api/v1/whatsapp/send',
        headers={'Authorization': 'Bearer $AFRIROUTE_API_KEY'},
        json={'to': phone, 'template': 'order_update', 'parameters': [text]})

Compliance Notes​

  • Transactional notifications generally do not require marketing opt-in, but you must still respect data protection law — see Data Protection.
  • Use a registered transactional sender ID per country for best delivery — see Sender ID Registration.
  • Keep each message under 160 GSM-7 characters to stay at one segment — see SMS Pricing.

Best Practices​

  1. Send promptly — notifications lose value if they lag the event.
  2. Include the order reference so support can act on a reply.
  3. Localize — send in the customer's preferred language.
  4. Don't over-notify — group related events where sensible.
  5. Log delivery status for every message to measure reachability.

Last Updated: May 2026