---
key: set-up-on-my-way-messages
title: Set up On my way messages
audience: staff
section: settings/communications
routes: ["/settings/org/work-order-customer-updates"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Choose the text customers get when a technician is on the way, which line it sends from, and whether dispatchers can change the wording.
keywords: [on my way text, technician on the way, running late text, ETA message, heads up text]
related: [find-a-setting, send-a-text-message, choose-where-customer-messages-come-from]
---

In the sidebar, open **Settings**, then choose **On My Way Messages** under **Communications**. The page address is `/settings/org/work-order-customer-updates`. The page title reads **Work order customer updates**.

The **On my way** action sends the customer a text from a work order when a technician heads out. This page decides which messages a teammate can pick, which one goes by default, and how much they can change it.

## Before you start

- Your role needs permission to change work order update settings. Without it every control is greyed out.
- The messages come from your text templates. If the list under **On my way** is empty, write a text template first under **Message Templates**.

## Steps

1. Under **Runtime policy**, turn on **Enable work order customer updates**. Turn it off to hide the action from every work order.
2. Under **On my way**, turn on **Enable the On my way action**.
3. In the list below it, turn on each message a teammate may choose from, such as the plain notice or the 15- or 30-minute arrival versions.
4. Press **Make default** on the enabled message that should go out when nobody picks another. The card at the top shows it as the **Current default**.
5. Back under **Runtime policy**, choose the **Preview behavior**: **Preview optional**, **Preview required** (the teammate always sees the message first), or **Instant send** (the default message goes with one tap).
6. Choose the **Override policy**: **Approved templates** (a teammate can switch to another enabled message), **Approved + custom** (a teammate with the right permission can also type a one-off text), or **Default only**.
7. Pick the **Default SMS line** the text sends from, or leave **First text-ready accessible line**.
8. Set the **Soft dedupe window** in minutes. Nova warns a teammate who is about to send the same message to the same customer again inside that time.
9. Under **Arrival estimates**, add the choices your team uses. Choose **Exact time** and enter one number, such as 15 minutes. Choose **Time range** and enter **From (minutes)** and **To (minutes)** for a range, such as 15–25 or 60–120 minutes. You can keep up to 12 choices, each between 1 and 480 minutes.
10. Choose whether people with custom-message permission may enter other estimates. Keep a general approved On my way message so Nova can add the chosen estimate without repeating a different arrival time.
11. Press **Save changes**. **Reset** throws away changes you have not saved.

From an active work order on the Schedule, press **On my way**. Tap an arrival estimate, or **Default message** to use the organization's configured wording and timing. If your organization allows it, **Other estimate** lets you choose **Exact time** or **Time range** and enter the minutes. Check the preview before sending. With permission to write custom messages, select **Edit message** to load the current wording and change it for this send. Organization settings managers with that permission can edit the preview even when teammates are limited to approved templates. **Manage** opens arrival and template settings in a new tab and only appears if you can change those settings. Completed and canceled work orders do not offer this action.

A custom email message supports bold, italic, underline, lists and links. On a phone, press **Formatting** to show the tools. Text messages and the organization-approved text templates remain plain text.

Tap a switch or its surrounding choice card to change it. Buttons inside an approved-message card, such as **Make default**, keep their own action.

## What you see

- The top card sums up your choices: the preview and override choices, the dedupe window, the **Current default**, how many messages are approved and the default line.
- When no **Default SMS line** is picked, the text goes from the number chosen under **Texts come from** on **Customer messages** ([[choose-where-customer-messages-come-from]]), or else from the first line the teammate can text from.
- Asking for a reason when a teammate sends a non-default or repeat message follows your organization's reasons policy, not this page.

## If something looks different

- **No active SMS canned responses are available yet.**: write a text template first under **Message Templates**.
- A line in **Default SMS line** is greyed out: it cannot send texts yet.
- **Default SMS line** cannot be changed: your role cannot see phone lines.
- Saving says to replace the unavailable default SMS line: the line you picked can no longer send texts. Pick another line and save.

[[route:/settings/org/work-order-customer-updates|Open On My Way Messages]]

## Share a customer photo

In **Customer Messages**, expand **All customer messages**, then **Customer privacy** to choose whether your organization shares technician photos. Photos start off. Each person needs a customer photo set in **Team members**; personal avatars are never shared automatically. See [[share-technician-names-and-photos]].