Question

Some devices seem to give more information in the message than others, why is this different?

Answer

xMatters lets you tailor message content separately for each delivery channel so you can optimize how information is presented for each medium. This can make it look like some devices are getting "more" or "less" information, when in fact each channel simply has its own configured content.

In the form's Layout (or Message) settings, you can configure content for each channel independently:

• Email / Fax / Push (HTML-based content)

• SMS (text messages)

• Voice (phone calls)

There are a few key reasons these can differ:

• Channel limitations: Hyperlinks and rich formatting don't translate well to voice calls, and SMS has strict character limits. Voice and SMS messages often use shorter, more concise text than email or push.

• Separate templates per channel: Each channel has its own message template. It's common for one channel (for example, Email) to have a detailed template while others (for example, SMS or Voice) have only a brief or default message configured.

• Default text per channel: If a default or "placeholder" message keeps appearing on some devices, that text may be hard-coded in the message settings for that specific channel (for example, the Email or SMS section of the form layout).

As a form designer, you should:

• Review and align the channel templates: Open the workflow form in xMatters and review the Message/Layout settings for each channel (Email, SMS, Voice). Update or remove any default text that you no longer want to appear, and ensure each channel includes the essential information needed for recipients to act.

• Optimize for each medium:

  • Email / Push: Use more detail, including hyperlinks and rich formatting where helpful.

  • SMS: Keep it short and include only critical details.

  • Voice: Keep the spoken script concise.

• Make sure all required channels have content: Add appropriate content and save the form so future alerts include that information.

• Check default device selection: If some recipients aren't getting mobile calls, verify the form's device selection includes Mobile Phone by default. You can set which device types are preselected when sending an alert and allow senders to adjust them as needed.

For more information:

• Message content

• Email / Fax / Push notification content

• Text / SMS / Pager notification content

• Voice notification content