Skip to main content

SendSquared Paradigms Overview

This guide explains the core concepts and patterns that are consistently used throughout the SendSquared platform. Understanding these paradigms will help you work more efficiently and make better use of the system's capabilities.

Assignment​

Assignment is a fundamental concept in SendSquared that determines ownership and responsibility for tasks, conversations, and workflows across the platform.

How Assignment Works​

The assignment system operates on a simple principle: every actionable item can have an owner. This creates accountability and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

Assignment States​

  1. Unassigned: Items appear in the general queue for any team member to claim
  2. Self-Assigned: You take ownership by assigning items to yourself
  3. Team-Assigned: Items are assigned to specific team members
  4. Reassigned: Ownership transfers between team members as needed

Where Assignment Appears​

Assignment functionality is integrated throughout SendSquared:

  • Inbox Conversations: Assign SMS, email, WhatsApp, and Airbnb messages
  • Tasks: Assign follow-up tasks and to-dos
  • Leads: Assign sales leads to specific agents
  • Support Tickets: Route customer service issues
  • Maintenance Requests: Assign property maintenance tasks

Assignment Strategies​

Round-Robin Assignment​

Distribute work evenly across team members automatically or manually:

  • Prevents overload on individual agents
  • Ensures fair workload distribution
  • Maintains consistent response times

Skill-Based Assignment​

Route items based on expertise:

  • Language skills for international guests
  • Technical knowledge for complex issues
  • Sales experience for high-value leads
  • Property-specific knowledge for location-based questions

Priority-Based Assignment​

Assign based on urgency and importance:

  • VIP guests to senior agents
  • Urgent issues to available agents
  • Complex problems to specialists
  • Routine matters to junior team members

Assignment Best Practices​

  1. Clear Ownership: Every item should have a clear owner or be explicitly unassigned
  2. Timely Assignment: Assign new items quickly to maintain response times
  3. Appropriate Matching: Match assignments to agent skills and availability
  4. Regular Review: Check assigned but incomplete items regularly
  5. Clean Handoffs: Use internal notes when reassigning for context

Notifications​

Notifications keep your team informed and responsive across all platform activities. SendSquared provides a flexible notification system that balances staying informed with avoiding overwhelm.

Notification Types​

Real-Time Notifications​

Immediate alerts for time-sensitive events:

  • New guest messages requiring quick response
  • Assignment of high-priority items to you
  • System alerts and critical updates
  • Booking confirmations and changes

Digest Notifications​

Batched updates for non-urgent information:

  • Daily summary of activities
  • Weekly performance reports
  • Monthly metrics and trends
  • Scheduled maintenance reminders

Contextual Notifications​

Smart alerts based on your role and current activity:

  • Notifications only for your assigned properties
  • Alerts relevant to your permission level
  • Time-zone aware scheduling
  • Quiet hours compliance

Notification Channels​

SendSquared supports multiple notification delivery methods:

  1. In-App Notifications

    • Bell icon in the navigation bar
    • Real-time popup alerts
    • Notification center with history
    • Read/unread status tracking

  2. Email Notifications

    • Configurable email alerts
    • Rich HTML formatting
    • Direct action links
    • Unsubscribe options

  3. SMS Notifications

    • Critical alerts via text
    • Concise, actionable messages
    • Opt-in required
    • Cost-effective for urgent items

  4. Push Notifications

    • Mobile app alerts (iOS/Android)
    • Desktop browser notifications
    • Custom sound alerts
    • Rich media support

Notification Configuration​

User-Level Settings​

Each team member can customize their preferences:

  • Channel preferences (email, SMS, push)
  • Frequency settings (immediate, hourly, daily)
  • Quiet hours (no notifications during specified times)
  • Category subscriptions (types of notifications to receive)

System-Level Settings​

Administrators can configure platform-wide rules:

  • Mandatory notifications (cannot be disabled)
  • Default settings for new users
  • Escalation rules for unresponded items
  • Team-wide quiet hours

Smart Notification Features​

Deduplication​

Prevents notification spam:

  • Consolidates multiple alerts about the same item
  • Batches rapid successive updates
  • Summarizes conversation threads
  • Reduces notification fatigue

Intelligent Routing​

Sends notifications to the right person:

  • Respects assignment ownership
  • Considers online/offline status
  • Factors in response history
  • Routes based on expertise

Escalation Chains​

Ensures critical items get attention:

  • Initial notification to assigned agent
  • Reminder after specified time
  • Escalation to supervisor if unresponded
  • Final escalation to administrator

Marking Complete​

The completion paradigm helps maintain inbox zero and provides clear resolution tracking across the platform.

What "Complete" Means​

Marking an item complete indicates:

  • Resolution: The issue or request has been fully addressed
  • No Further Action: No additional steps are needed
  • Documentation: The resolution is recorded for future reference
  • Metrics: The item counts toward completion statistics

Completion States​

Active States​

  • New: Unread, requires initial review
  • In Progress: Being actively worked on
  • Pending: Waiting for external input
  • Follow-Up: Requires future action

Resolved States​

  • Complete: Successfully resolved
  • Cancelled: No longer relevant
  • Merged: Combined with another item
  • Archived: Retained for records only

When to Mark Complete​

Appropriate Completion​

Mark items complete when:

  • Guest question fully answered
  • Booking successfully processed
  • Maintenance issue resolved
  • Lead converted or disqualified
  • Task finished successfully

Premature Completion (Avoid)​

Don't mark complete if:

  • Waiting for guest response
  • Follow-up action required
  • Issue only partially resolved
  • Handoff to another team needed
  • Documentation incomplete

Completion Workflows​

Standard Completion​

  1. Resolve the core issue
  2. Verify resolution with guest if needed
  3. Add internal notes for context
  4. Mark item as complete
  5. Item moves to completed view

Completion with Follow-Up​

  1. Resolve immediate issue
  2. Create follow-up task for future action
  3. Link task to original item
  4. Mark original as complete
  5. New task remains active

Bulk Completion​

  1. Select multiple similar items
  2. Verify all can be completed
  3. Add bulk completion note
  4. Mark all as complete simultaneously
  5. Review completion report

Reopening Completed Items​

Items can be reopened when:

  • Guest responds to completed conversation
  • Issue resurfaces after resolution
  • Additional information becomes available
  • Review identifies incomplete resolution

Reopening process:

  1. System automatically reopens on new guest message
  2. Manual reopening via "Reopen" button
  3. Item returns to active queue
  4. Previous completion history retained

Common Patterns Across SendSquared​

The Workflow Trinity​

Most SendSquared workflows follow a three-phase pattern:

  1. Intake Phase

    • Items enter the system (messages, bookings, leads)
    • Initial triage and categorization
    • Assignment to appropriate team member

  2. Processing Phase

    • Active work on the item
    • Communication with guests
    • Collaboration with team members
    • Use of templates and automation

  3. Resolution Phase

    • Final action taken
    • Documentation added
    • Item marked complete
    • Metrics updated

The Context Panel Pattern​

Throughout SendSquared, you'll see a consistent layout:

  • Left Panel: Navigation and filters
  • Center Panel: Main content area
  • Right Panel: Context and details

This pattern appears in:

  • Inbox (conversations + contact details)
  • Calendar (bookings + property details)
  • Contacts (list + individual profiles)
  • Reports (metrics + drill-down data)

The Filter-Sort-Search Pattern​

Every list view in SendSquared provides:

  1. Filters: Narrow down to relevant items

    • Status filters (active, complete, etc.)
    • Assignment filters (mine, team, unassigned)
    • Date filters (today, this week, custom range)
    • Category filters (type, tag, priority)

  2. Sorting: Organize for efficient processing

    • Chronological (newest/oldest first)
    • Priority (urgent items first)
    • Alphabetical (by name or title)
    • Status (group by completion state)

  3. Search: Find specific items quickly

    • Full-text search across content
    • Search by identifier (ID, phone, email)
    • Advanced search with multiple criteria
    • Saved searches for common queries

The Template-Personalize Pattern​

SendSquared emphasizes efficiency through templates while maintaining personal touch:

  1. Start with a Template

    • Pre-written content for common scenarios
    • Tested and approved messaging
    • Consistent brand voice

  2. Personalize with Tokens

    • Dynamic fields auto-populate
    • Guest name, dates, property details
    • Contextual information inserted

  3. Customize as Needed

    • Edit template content
    • Add specific details
    • Adjust tone for situation

  4. Save Successful Variations

    • Create new templates from edited versions
    • Build library of proven responses
    • Share across team

The Escalation Pattern​

Problems that can't be resolved at one level move up:

  1. Level 1: Automation

    • Auto-responses handle routine queries
    • Chatbots provide instant answers
    • Self-service options available

  2. Level 2: Front-line Agents

    • Handle standard guest interactions
    • Use templates and knowledge base
    • Resolve majority of issues

  3. Level 3: Specialists/Supervisors

    • Complex or sensitive issues
    • Exceptions to standard policies
    • VIP guest handling

  4. Level 4: Management

    • Critical situations
    • Policy decisions
    • Escalated complaints

Platform-Wide Principles​

Consistency Over Customization​

While SendSquared is highly configurable, maintaining consistency helps teams work efficiently:

  • Use standard fields and labels
  • Follow naming conventions
  • Maintain template standards
  • Apply uniform processes

Visibility and Transparency​

The platform emphasizes making information accessible:

  • Activity logs on all records
  • Clear audit trails
  • Team visibility into workloads
  • Shared notes and context

Automation with Human Touch​

SendSquared balances efficiency with personalization:

  • Automate routine tasks
  • Flag items needing human review
  • Provide override capabilities
  • Maintain guest relationship focus

Data-Driven Decision Making​

Every action in SendSquared generates data:

  • Response time tracking
  • Completion rates
  • Guest satisfaction metrics
  • Team performance indicators

Use this data to:

  • Identify bottlenecks
  • Optimize workflows
  • Improve templates
  • Train team members

Putting It All Together​

These paradigms work together to create an efficient operation:

  1. New message arrives → Notification sent
  2. Agent reviews → Assigns to themselves
  3. Uses template → Personalizes response
  4. Sends reply → Updates guest
  5. Marks complete → Closes loop
  6. Metrics updated → Performance tracked

Understanding these patterns helps you:

  • Work more efficiently
  • Train new team members
  • Troubleshoot issues
  • Optimize workflows
  • Maintain consistency

Next Steps​

  • Review your notification settings
  • Practice assignment workflows
  • Create useful templates
  • Monitor completion rates
  • Analyze team metrics