You can't watch every page of Tabs at once, and you shouldn't have to. The bell at the top of the page collects the things you'd otherwise miss. Someone mentioned you. Something you sell is running low. You've been given a shift or a task.
It's personal. Your bell shows what concerns you, across every business you belong to.
The bell
Press the bell to open your notifications, newest first. A number on the bell counts the ones you haven't read, and an unread row has a small dot.
Each row says what happened, in which business, and how long ago. Most rows lead somewhere. Press one and Tabs takes you to the order, the task or the message it's about, and marks it read.
Notifications arrive as they happen. You don't need to reload the page. If your laptop was asleep, the bell catches up when it wakes.
What it tells you about
Chat
| Notification | When |
|---|---|
| Mentions | Someone @mentions you in a group chat. The row shows who, in which group, and the start of the message. Pressing it opens the chat at that exact message, however far back it is. |
| Direct messages | Someone messages you directly. Several messages from the same person are gathered into one row. |
Sales and stock
| Notification | When |
|---|---|
| New orders | A colleague records an order in your store. The row shows the order number, the amount, the customer if there is one, and who recorded it. |
| Low stock | Something you sell drops to its reorder level. The row names the item, how many are left and the level it was set to. Pressing it opens the product. |
Low stock only works for items that have a reorder level. Set one on everything you can't afford to run out of. See inventory.
You're told once, at the moment an item crosses its reorder level. An item that's already low doesn't ring again on every sale. You aren't told about an order you recorded yourself.
Shifts and tasks
| Notification | When |
|---|---|
| New shifts | You're put on the [roster](/docs/roster) and the week is published. Several shifts published together come as one row, showing the first. |
| Shift changes | One of your published shifts moves or changes. The row shows the new day, hours and store. |
| Cancelled shifts | One of your published shifts is called off. |
| Tasks for you | Someone gives you a [task](/docs/tasks). The row shows who, the task, the store, when it's due, and whether it's urgent. |
Shift times in the bell are on the store's own clock.
Your team
| Notification | When |
|---|---|
| Invitations | A business invites you to its team. The row has **Accept** and **Decline** right there. |
| Answers to your invitations | Someone you invited accepts or declines. |
| Role changes | Your role in a business changes. |
| Access changes | You're suspended from a business, or let back in. |
| Removals | You're removed from a business. |
An invitation that's no longer open stays in the list as a record: that you joined, that you declined, that it expired, or that the business withdrew it.
Why the bell is sometimes quiet
The bell tries not to tell you things twice.
While you're inside a business, direct messages from that business don't show in the bell. The Chat link in the menu already carries the count, from the same moment. Open another business, or go to your home screen, and the bell picks them up, because there it's the only thing that knows.
A mention in the chat you have open on screen isn't counted either. The message is in front of you.
A mention anywhere else always shows in the bell. Chat's count tells you there are new messages. It doesn't tell you that one of them asked for you by name.
A chat you've muted stays quiet.
Choosing what you're told
Open Settings from the menu under your name, then Notifications.
There's a switch for every kind of notification in the tables above, grouped the same way. Turn one off and that kind stops arriving. Each switch saves by itself, and your choices cover every business you're in.
One switch can't be moved: Invitations. An invitation is the only way into a business, so Tabs always shows it.
What to keep on
It depends on your job.
An owner usually wants everything, with one exception. In a busy shop, New orders can be a row every few minutes. If the bell becomes noise, turn that one off and read your sales on the dashboard.
A manager should keep Low stock, Mentions, and Shifts and tasks.
A cashier needs Tasks for you and the three shift notifications. Low stock is useful only if they're the one who reorders.
Turn off whatever you've stopped reading. A bell you ignore is worse than a bell that says less.
Notifications when Tabs isn't in front of you
The bell lives inside Tabs. For new chat messages, Tabs can also show a notification from your computer or phone while you're in another app or another tab.
This is a separate switch from the ones above, further down the same Notifications page. Turn on New chat messages. Your browser asks for permission the first time. Allow it.
Two things to know:
- It's per device. Turning it on at the shop computer doesn't turn it on for your phone. Do each one.
- If your browser is blocking Tabs, the switch tells you. Allow notifications for Tabs in the browser's site settings, then turn the switch on again.
Today this covers chat messages only. Orders, stock, shifts and tasks reach you through the bell.
Notifications and roles
You're only told about things your role lets you open. New orders go to people whose role can view orders. Low stock goes to people whose role can view products.
When you change what a role can do, what its people are told changes with it. See members and roles.
What notifications don't do yet
Tabs doesn't send these notifications by email or SMS. They live in the bell.
If something goes wrong
The number on the bell doesn't match what you see. Direct messages from the business you're in are counted on Chat in the menu, not on the bell.
You weren't told about a shift. A shift tells nobody while it's a draft. You're told when the week is published. If it was published, check the three shift switches in your settings.
A row won't open anything. It's about something that's gone, or that you can no longer open: a business you were removed from, or an invitation that expired. Press it to mark it read.
You never get low stock notifications. The item has no reorder level, or your Low stock switch is off.