Notification Hub

The Notification Hub is Fr8Labs' centralized platform for managing automated email notifications and reports. It allows you to configure scheduled reports, event-driven alerts, and customer communications—all from a single self-service dashboard.

Key capabilities:

• Scheduled Reports – Automatically send periodic shipment reports (daily, weekly, monthly) to customers or internal teams.

• Event-Driven Alerts – Trigger notifications when specific events occur (e.g., vessel arrival, partner approval requests).

• Customizable Email Templates – Personalize subject lines, headers, signatures, and table columns.

• Multiple Email Accounts – Use your own SMTP or OAuth-connected email, or Fr8Labs' default sender.

https://www.loom.com/share/ac2e6420b4984e3f8019f02e54ee15c1

Getting Started

Accessing the Notification Hub

1. Navigate to: https://notification-hub.fr8labs.co/client/login

2. Log in with your credentials (separate admin login that is passed to you)

3. You will see the main dashboard with your existing notifications.

💡 Tip: Bookmark the Notification Hub for quick access. You can also access it via the Fr8Labs portal.

Dashboard Overview

The dashboard provides a summary of your notification activity and a list of all configured notifications.

Stats Cards

At the top of the dashboard, you'll see key metrics:

⚠️ Note: Fr8Labs provides a default email account for testing. For production use, we recommend setting up your own email account in Email Settings.

Notifications List

The main table displays all your notifications with:

• Name – The notification name you defined

• Type – Scheduled or Event-Driven badge

• Category – Internal or External classification

• Status – Active (green) or Inactive (grey) toggle

• Last Sent – When the notification was last triggered

• Actions – Edit, Delete, or Send Test

You can filter and search notifications using:

• Search box – Filter by name

• Status filter – All, Active, or Inactive

• Type filter – All Types, Scheduled, or Event-Driven

Creating a Notification

Click the + Create New button to start creating a notification.

Step 1: Select Notification Type

Choose from the available report types. Each card shows:

• Name – The report type name

• Description – What this notification does

• Category badge – Internal or External

• Execution badge – Scheduled or Event-Driven

Step 2: Configure Basic Details

Step 3: Configure Parameters (For Parameterized Reports)

Some report types have configurable parameters that filter the data. These may include:

• Customer Code or Name – Filter by specific customer

• Report Frequency – DAILY, WEEKLY, or MONTHLY

• Include Completed Shipments – YES or NO

• Direction – ALL, IMPORT, or EXPORT

• Shipment Mode – ALL, SEA, or AIR

💡 Tip: Parameters determine what data is included in the report. Choose values that match your reporting needs.

Step 4: Select Columns

Click the Load Columns button to fetch available data fields from the report.

• Check/Uncheck columns to show or hide them in the email table

• Drag and drop to reorder columns as desired

• Selected columns appear at the top of the list

💡 Tip: For new notifications, all columns are selected by default. Deselect any columns you don't need to keep the email clean and focused.

Step 5: Configure Email Settings

Email Subject

Enter a subject line for the notification email. You can use placeholders:

• {{date}} – Current date

• {{time}} – Current time

• {{datetime}} – Date and time combined

• {{report_name}} – The notification name

• {{ref}} – Reference value (for legacy reports)

Example: Weekly Shipment Report - {{date}}

Email Header / Intro

Add an introduction message that appears above the data table. Use the rich text editor to format text, add links, or insert images.

Email Signature

Add a closing message or signature. Click "Load default signature" to use your saved default.

Step 6: Configure Recipients

Recipients (To)

Enter email addresses separated by commas:

john@customer.com, mary@customer.com

CC and BCC (Optional)

Click "Show CC/BCC" to reveal additional recipient fields:

• CC – Visible copy recipients

• BCC – Hidden copy recipients (useful for internal tracking)

💡 Tip: Use BCC to copy yourself on customer reports without the customer seeing your email address.

Step 7: Select Email Account

Choose which email account to send from:

• Your configured accounts – SMTP or OAuth accounts you've set up

• Fr8Labs Email – Default shared account (limited usage)

⚠️ Important: The Fr8Labs default email has a usage limit (typically 2 notifications per user). For production use, configure your own email in Email Settings.

Step 8: Set Schedule (For Scheduled Reports)

Example configurations:

• Daily report at 8:00 AM every day

• Weekly report every Monday at 9:00 AM

• Monthly report on the 1st of each month at 7:00 AM

Step 9: Save and Activate

1. Review your configuration

2. Ensure Active is checked (toggle is green)

3. Click Save

Your notification is now live and will send according to the schedule.

Report Types

Scheduled Reports

Scheduled reports run on a fixed schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly) and send aggregated data in a table format.

Best for:

• Regular customer shipment updates

• Periodic internal reports

• End-of-day or end-of-week summaries

Example: Customer Shipment Report (HBL) – sends all House BLs for a customer on a weekly basis.

Event-Driven Alerts: How They Work

Event-driven alerts are triggered by user actions in the Fr8Labs system, not just by time schedules. This gives you control over when notifications are sent.

Milestone/Task Trigger Mechanism

For alerts like the Arrival Notice, the system uses a task-based trigger:

1. When you create an Ocean Import job, the system automatically creates shipment activities (milestones/tasks)

2. One of these tasks is the notification trigger (e.g., "Mass Send Print for Arrival Notice")

3. When you mark this task as Completed, the system detects the change and sends the notification

💡 Tip: The system refreshes every minute to detect completed tasks and send notifications automatically.

Opt-Out Logic for Sensitive Customers

Not all customers want to receive automated notifications. Fr8Labs provides an opt-out mechanism at the House BL level.

How it works:

1. Each House BL has an associated Opt-Out task in the shipment activities

2. If a customer is sensitive or prefers not to receive automated emails:

   • Mark the Opt-Out task as Completed first

   • Then mark the notification trigger task as Completed

3. The system will skip sending to that specific House BL

Example scenario:

💡 Tip: Use this for customers who prefer personal phone calls or have specific communication requirements.

Automatic Recipient Detection from Master Data

For event-driven alerts, you don't need to manually enter recipient emails. The system automatically detects the correct contact from your Partner Master Data.

How it works:

1. The notification is linked to a specific contact type (e.g., "Import Main Representative")

2. When the alert triggers, the system looks up the Partner record

3. It finds the contact person marked as the main representative for that operation type

4. The email is sent to that contact's email address

Setting up contacts for automatic detection:

1. Go to Partners → Select the customer

2. Navigate to Contact Persons

3. Add or edit a contact

4. Set them as Main Representative for the relevant operation type:

   • Import Operations

   • Export Operations

   • General

⚠️ Important: Ensure your Partner records have the correct contact persons set up, or the notification will not be sent.

Scheduled vs. Event-Driven: When to Use Which

Email Settings

Access Email Settings from the top navigation to manage your email accounts.

Adding an Email Account

1. Click + Add Email Account

2. Choose provider type:

   • SMTP – Manual server configuration

   • Google OAuth – Connect your Google Workspace account

   • Microsoft OAuth – Connect your Outlook/Office 365 account

3. Enter the required credentials

4. Click Save

SMTP Configuration

⚠️ For Gmail: You must use an App Password, not your regular password.

Setting a Default Account

Toggle "Set as Default" on your preferred account. This account will be pre-selected when creating new notifications.

Activity Log

The Activity Log tab shows a history of all sent notifications.

Viewing Activity

• Select a time period: 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days

• View stats: Total Sent, Unique Recipients, Success Rate

• See individual send records with:

  • Notification name

  • Recipient email

  • Subject line

  • Status (Sent or Failed)

  • Timestamp

Troubleshooting Failed Sends

If a notification shows "Failed" status:

1. Check the error message in the activity log

2. Verify the recipient email address is valid

3. Confirm your email account credentials are correct

4. Check if your email provider has sending limits

Managing Notifications

Editing a Notification

1. Find the notification in the list

2. Click Edit

3. Make your changes

4. Click Save

💡 Tip: Changes take effect immediately. The next scheduled run will use the updated configuration.

Enabling/Disabling a Notification

Toggle the Active switch in the notifications list to quickly enable or disable a notification without deleting it.

Sending a Test Email

1. Save your notification first

2. Click the Test button (paper plane icon)

3. The system will send a test email immediately with sample data

💡 Tip: Always send a test email before activating a new notification to verify the format and content.

Deleting a Notification

1. Click Delete on the notification row

2. Confirm the deletion

⚠️ Warning: Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive names that indicate:

• The report type

• The recipient or customer

• The frequency

Good examples:

• "Weekly Shipment Report - ABC Logistics"

• "Daily Arrival Alerts - Internal Ops"

• "Monthly Summary - XYZ Trading"

Column Selection

• Include only relevant columns to keep emails concise

• Order columns by importance (most important first)

• Consider your recipient's needs—customers may need different columns than internal teams

Scheduling Tips

• Daily reports: Schedule early morning so recipients have data when they start work

• Weekly reports: Monday morning for previous week's summary

• Monthly reports: 1st or 2nd of the month for previous month's data

Email Account Management

• Use your company email for customer-facing notifications

• Set up a dedicated "noreply" or "reports" email for automated sends

• Monitor your email provider's sending limits

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my notification not sending?

1. Check if the notification is Active (green toggle)

2. Verify the schedule time hasn't passed for today

3. Check the Activity Log for any error messages

4. Confirm your email account is properly configured

Can I send to multiple recipients?

Yes, enter multiple email addresses separated by commas in the Recipients field.

What's the difference between Fr8Labs Email and my own email?

• Fr8Labs Email – Shared account provided for testing; has usage limits

• Your Email – Full control, no limits, appears as "from" your company

How do I change the columns after saving?

Edit the notification, click Load Columns again, adjust your selections, and save.

Can I duplicate a notification?

Currently, you need to create a new notification manually. Copy the settings from an existing one as reference.

Why didn't my event-driven alert send?

1. Check if the trigger task was marked as Completed

2. Verify the opt-out task was NOT completed

3. Confirm the Partner has a valid Main Representative contact with email

4. Check the Activity Log for any error messages

5. Wait up to 1 minute - the system polls for changes periodically

Can I have different arrival notice settings per customer?

Yes, you can:

• Use the opt-out task to exclude specific customers

• Create separate notification configurations for different customer groups

• Work with Fr8Labs to set up customer-specific templates if needed

What if my customer doesn't have a contact person set up?

The event-driven notification will not be sent. You should:

1. Add the contact person to the Partner record

2. Mark them as Main Representative for the relevant operation

3. The next triggered notification will then be sent successfully

Can I send the same report to multiple customers?

For Scheduled Reports: You need to create one notification per customer (since each has different filter parameters).

For Event-Driven Alerts: The system automatically handles this - each qualifying record triggers its own notification to the appropriate contact.

Tips from the Fr8Labs Team

Start with Testing

• Use the Fr8Labs default email (limited to 2-3 notifications) for initial testing

• Send test emails to yourself before going live

• Verify the email format and content looks correct

Email Account Setup

We highly recommend setting up your own email account because:

• Fr8Labs shared email has sending limits

• Emails will come "from" your company domain

• Better deliverability and trust with recipients

• Full control over sender name and signature

Progressive Rollout

• Start with one report type to learn the system

• Add more notification types as you get comfortable

• Use folders to organize notifications by customer or type

Master Data Hygiene

For event-driven alerts to work properly:

• Keep Partner contact information up to date

• Set Main Representatives correctly for each operation type

• Review contacts periodically to remove outdated entries

Need Help?

If you encounter issues or have questions:

1. Check this documentation for common solutions

2. Contact Fr8Labs support via Mattermost or email

3. Provide details including:

   • Notification name

   • Error messages (if any)

   • Screenshots of your configuration

Coming Next

Fr8Labs is continuously adding new notification types. Here's what's planned:

Statement of Accounts (SOA)

Automated sending of customer statements showing outstanding invoices and payments.

Date-Triggered Arrival Notice

Arrival alerts based on ETA date rather than manual task completion. System will automatically send X days before arrival.

Task/Milestone External Notifications

Notify customers automatically when specific milestones are completed (e.g., customs cleared, cargo released).

Delivery Order Release Notification

Alert customers when their delivery order is ready for collection.

Generic Job Reports

Option to separate generic jobs from ocean/air shipments in reports.

💡 Have a notification idea? Contact the Fr8Labs team to request new notification types. Features requested by clients are added for everyone!

Documentation owner: Fr8Labs Customer Success. Text reviewed: 21 September 2026.