How to set up automatic messages and templates

Who does this: ISP administrator (staff may only look)
Permission: Notification rules and templates (rules), SMS, WhatsApp and email (gateway and templates), Send bulk notifications (bulk messages), Write notices (notices)

Automatic messages: expiry reminder, when it stops, after expiry, each with its schedule

Steps

First set up how messages leave: Settings → SMS and email (SMS gateway, WhatsApp, mail server) and use the test message.
WhatsApp needs an approved WhatsApp template for each message.
Open SMS and notices → Automatic. The cards are grouped: Expiry (Expiry reminder, When it stops, After expiry), Bills and payments (Payment received, Renewal done, Unpaid bill, Bill due soon, Dues after renewal), Complaints (Complaint opened, Complaint: staff reply, Complaint resolved or closed) and On a schedule (Scheduled message).
Each card shows On / Off, When, Who, Send by, Quiet hours, Last run and Sent in 30 days.
Click Change on a card, switch on On: it goes out by itself and set When (for reminders the days before or after; for scheduled Repeat, Weekday or Day of the month and Send from).
Switched on, it starts from that moment; nothing piled up is sent.
Write the Message: choose Our text in English and Urdu (Title and Text in both languages, with variable buttons) or The automatic text (SMS texts page). Use Preview with a username to see it.
Customers get the message in their own language (portal / app choice, or the profile language; English when none).
Choose Send by (SMS, email, WhatsApp, chat, portal popup) and Who gets it (Places, Packages, Partners, Status, Hand-picked customers), set Quiet hours from / until, and save.
In quiet hours SMS, email and chat messages wait; the popup is ready at once. What was sent lists the messages sent by that rule.
For other cases use Open notification rules, Messages → bulk messages to an area or chosen customers, and Notices for banners with start and end dates.
Message templates are managed under /messages/templates.

What saRa does

saRa's worker queues messages when the event happens (for example a renewal), de-duplicates them, respects quiet hours and sends over the chosen channels; the Messages page logs what was sent. Portal popups also reach the Android app.

Good to know

Pause automatic billing (Settings → Billing) stops postpaid bills, cut-offs for unpaid bills and auto-renewals; handy while moving from another system.
Automatic messages can be switched off for one subscriber from the profile.