> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.fieldpulse.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How to Send Communications to Customers
> Send an email or SMS template to a customer from a job or customer record in FieldPulse, attach a photo, and text a live trip tracking link on the way.
> **Who uses this:** Anyone sending a message by hand from a job record or a customer record, on the web app or in the FieldPulse mobile app. **Availability:** All regions · Customer communications must be enabled on your account.
Not every message needs an automatic trigger. When you want to send one [customer communication](https://www.fieldpulse.com/features/customer-communication) to one customer — a quick update, a photo of the finished work, an invoice link — you send it by hand from that customer's job record or customer record, on the web app or in the [FieldPulse mobile app](https://www.fieldpulse.com/features/mobile-app).
## Overview
You send a customer communication from the **Actions** menu on a job record or a customer record. Select an email or SMS template, check that the Field Values filled in with that customer's and job's details, then send the message. You can attach a file or photo before the message goes out.
A technician in the field sends the same way from the FieldPulse mobile app, and can also send a trip tracking SMS that shares a live location link and an ETA on the way to the job.
Automatic triggers cover the messages you would rather not send by hand, and which number or address a triggered message comes from depends on whether your account uses the [Engage](/add-ons/engage/overview) add-on — see [Setting Up Automatic Communication Triggers](/customers/communications/automatic-triggers).
## Before you begin
* **Confirm customer communications are enabled** on your FieldPulse account.
* **Build the email or SMS template you want to send.** The send screen lists your saved templates — see [Setting Up Email & SMS Templates](/customers/communications/message-templates).
* **For trip tracking, turn on location services** for FieldPulse on the technician's device. FieldPulse needs background location access to build the trip tracking link.
## On web
### Send an email or SMS
1. Open the **job record** or **customer record** you want to message about.
2. Select **Actions** at the top right.
3. Select **Send Customer Communication**.
4. Select the **Email** or **SMS** tab.
5. Select the template you want to send.
6. Check the message. The Field Values are already filled in with this customer's and job's details.
7. Select **Send Email** or **Send SMS**.
The note on the composer means what it says: an SMS sent from FieldPulse this way is one-way, and you will not receive the customer's reply — include your contact number in the template if you want the customer to get back to you.
## On mobile
### Send an email or SMS
1. Open the job record or customer record you want to message about — on the schedule, tap the job you are working.
2. Select the green **Actions** button.
3. Select **Send Customer Communication**.
4. Select the **Email** or **SMS** tab.
5. Select the template you want to send.
6. Check the message, then select **Send**.
### Attach a photo or file
1. Before you send, select **Upload** under **Additional Files**.
2. Choose where the file comes from — **Take Photo**, **Attach File from Phone**, **Attach File from File Library**, or **Attach File from PDF Library**.
3. Repeat for each file you want to send.
4. Select **Send** when the message is ready.
### Send a trip tracking SMS
A technician on the way to a job can text the customer a live vehicle location and an ETA from the FieldPulse mobile app.
1. On the job you are heading to, select **Actions** > **Send Customer Communication**.
2. Open the **SMS** tab.
3. Select **Send Trip Tracking SMS to Customer**.
4. The first time you send one, write your default trip tracking message. Use **Insert Variable** to drop in details such as the customer's first name and the trip tracking link.
5. Select **Save**.
6. If FieldPulse asks for location permission, select **Open Settings** and allow the app to use your location in the background. Without that access, FieldPulse cannot build the trip tracking link.
7. Set **Be There In** to the number of minutes you need.
8. Check the message once more, then select **Send SMS**.
9. Select **Include Profile Photo** to send a photo of the team member with the text.
10. Select **Send from FieldPulse App** or **Send from Phone**. Sent from your phone, the text goes out from your own phone number.
The live trip tracking link stays active for one hour after it is sent, so a technician's location is shared only while they are on the move. Trip tracking messages cannot be tied to an automatic trigger — a technician sends each one by hand.
For the map and text your customer opens, see [Trip Tracking Overview](/scheduling-dispatch/dispatch/trip-tracking-customer-view).
## What you can attach
You can attach files and photos to email and SMS customer communications sent from the web app or the FieldPulse mobile app, on both one-off and templated messages. One message can carry several attachments, but you select and upload the files one at a time.
* Email attachments are capped at **10 MB per file**.
* SMS attachments have **no size limit**, because FieldPulse texts your customer a link to a file viewer instead of the files themselves.
"*Please click the link below to view all files.*" is default FieldPulse text on the SMS that carries your attachments, and it cannot be removed or edited.
Email and SMS templates carry an **Attached Files** picker and an **Upload** button under **Additional Files**, so you can build a file into the template itself — see [Setting Up Email & SMS Templates](/customers/communications/message-templates).
## Who receives the message
* **Job-related communications** go to the main customer contact, or to any additional contact on the customer record that you set as the job's designated contact.
* **All other communications** go only to the main customer contact — they do not go to additional contacts.
You have sent it right when your customer receives the message with their own name, job time, and location already filled in, and the send appears with a delivery status under **Management** > **Communications**.
## FAQs
**Can I send a message without using a template?**
Yes. Select **Empty Form (No Template)** in the email template list and write the message yourself.
**Where do I check whether a message reached my customer?**
FieldPulse records every message your team sends under **Management** > **Communications**, with a delivery status on each one. See [Customer Communications Overview](/customers/communications/overview) for what each status means.
## Related articles
* [Setting Up Email & SMS Templates](/customers/communications/message-templates)
* [Setting Up Automatic Communication Triggers](/customers/communications/automatic-triggers)
* [Customer Communications Overview](/customers/communications/overview)
* [Customer Notification Preferences and SMS Opt-Out Details](/customers/communications/notification-preferences)
* [Trip Tracking Overview](/scheduling-dispatch/dispatch/trip-tracking-customer-view)
* [Engage Overview](/add-ons/engage/overview)
## Related topics
- [Customer Communications Overview](/customers/communications/overview.md)
- [Communications](/customers/communications/index.md)
- [Setting Up Automatic Communication Triggers](/customers/communications/automatic-triggers.md)
- [Trip Tracking Overview](/scheduling-dispatch/dispatch/trip-tracking-customer-view.md)
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