The difference between a 20% and 60% response rate often comes down to how you write your shift notifications. Here are templates and tips that work.
The Anatomy of a Great Shift Text
Every effective shift notification includes these elements:
- Your company name (so they know who's texting)
- Date and time (be specific)
- Location (include a familiar name or landmark)
- Pay rate (if higher than usual, highlight it)
- Clear call-to-action (exactly what to reply)
Template: Standard Shift Offer
StaffUP: Shift available! Dec 15, 7am-3pm at Memorial Hospital (Downtown). $24/hr. Reply YES to claim or NO to pass.
Template: Urgent Fill
StaffUP URGENT: Need coverage TODAY 2pm-10pm at City Clinic. $28/hr (premium rate). Reply YES in next 30 min to claim.
Template: Confirmation Reminder
StaffUP Reminder: You're confirmed for tomorrow, Dec 15, 7am at Memorial Hospital. Reply OK to confirm or CANCEL if plans changed.
Pro Tips
- Keep it under 160 characters when possible. Shorter messages get read faster.
- Use urgency sparingly. If every message says "URGENT," none of them feel urgent.
- Personalize when you can. "Hi Sarah" performs better than generic messages.
- Time your sends wisely. 8am-9am and 5pm-7pm typically see highest response rates.
- Include the pay rate. Workers are more likely to respond when they know the compensation upfront.
StaffUP Templates Built In
StaffUP includes optimized message templates based on data from millions of shift notifications. Our templates consistently outperform industry averages by 40%.
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