SMS templates and messaging

Deep dive on sending text messages from Dispatch CAD call detail: built-in templates, merge fields, recipients, delivery status, and how Web Admin configuration fits in.

Screenshot placeholder: Send SMS sheet open on call detail with template dropdown and recipients

Overview

Dispatch SMS is manual, call-scoped texting to agency users (field officers, supervisors, etc.) — not the same as texting a reporting party from a personal phone. Messages are tied to the open CFS, logged on the call, and sent through your agency’s configured SMS service. Three layers work together:

Layer	What it is	Where configured
Quick templates	Four starter messages in the Send SMS sheet	Built into Dispatch CAD picker
Merge fields	`{{variables}}` expanded from live call data when you send	Typed in the message box; expanded at send time
Notification templates	Reusable Incident SMS / Critical Alert SMS bodies for automated or policy-driven notifications	Web Admin → Notification Templates

This guide focuses on the Send SMS workflow. Automated incident SMS (assignment alerts, critical notifications) uses Notification Templates and per-user preferences — see User notification preferences.

Prerequisites

SMS must be enabled for your deployment (agency SMS provider configured by Cadmus/IT). If Send SMS is missing or sends always fail, escalate to your administrator — admin toggles alone do not enable texting. Recipients must have a mobile phone number on their user profile. Users without a number are skipped silently when resolving groups. Dispatchers need permission to send SMS when your deployment assigns send SMS capabilities to the dispatcher role.

Open Send SMS

Open call detail

Open call detail for the CFS you want to message about.

Launch Send SMS

Click Send SMS (SMS icon in the call toolbar). The sheet header shows Send SMS and a one-line call description summary for context.

Screenshot placeholder: Send SMS toolbar button on call detail

Built-in quick templates

The Template dropdown pre-fills the Message box:

Template	Pre-filled text (concept)
Status Update	Call status update: `{call description}`
Unit Dispatch	Unit dispatched to: `{call description}`
Priority Change	Priority changed for call: `{call description}`
Custom Message	Empty — write your own

The picker inserts the call’s description field where the template says “description.” You can edit the text before sending.

Screenshot placeholder: Template dropdown with Status Update selected

When to use each

Status Update — general situational text to field units (“RP on scene,” “cancelled,” etc.).
Unit Dispatch — notify off-duty or secondary units of an assignment context.
Priority Change — after elevating or lowering priority on the call.
Custom Message — anything else; use merge fields below for structured data.

Merge fields (variables)

If you type {{variable}} placeholders in the message (in any template or custom text), they are replaced with live call data when you tap Send SMS.

Primary fields (recommended)

Variable	Replaced with
`{{agency_cfs}}`	Agency CFS / call number
`{{incident_type}}`	Incident type name
`{{RP_FullName}}`	Reporting party name
`{{phone}}`	Reporting party phone (may format as a dial link)
`{{address}}`	Incident address / location
`{{CallDescription}}`	Call description / narrative

Additional fields (legacy / optional)

Variable	Replaced with
`{{incidentId}}`	Internal incident identifier
`{{location}}`	Location text
`{{priority}}`	Priority level
`{{description}}`	Description (same family as call narrative)
`{{timestamp}}`	Call created time

Example custom message

CFS #{{agency_cfs}} {{incident_type}}
RP: {{RP_FullName}} {{phone}}
{{address}}
{{CallDescription}}

After send, recipients see resolved values — not the curly-brace placeholders.

Use Preview before sending when you rely on merge fields, so you confirm the message box looks right. Final merge happens at send time on the server.

Message length

The Message field shows a 160-character counter in Dispatch CAD. Standard SMS is one segment at 160 GSM characters; longer or Unicode text may split into multiple billable segments on the carrier. Keep critical info (CFS number, address) in the first segment when possible.

Recipients

Recipients section with a count badge (e.g. “3 selected”).

Groups tab

Checkbox list of groups defined in Web Admin (when Groups management is available):

Group name
N members subtitle

Selecting a group includes every member with a phone number. Duplicate numbers across groups or individuals are deduplicated.

Screenshot placeholder: Groups tab with two groups selected

Individuals tab

Checkbox list of organization users:

Name
Email subtitle (for identification)

Only users with a stored phone number receive SMS.

Screenshot placeholder: Individuals tab with user checkboxes

You may select both groups and individuals in one send.

Preview and send

Button	Action
Preview	Dialog: recipient count + message text as entered (merge may still apply at send)
Send SMS	Sends to all selected recipients; label shows Sending… while in progress

Validation:

Message cannot be empty.
At least one group or individual must be selected.

Send results dialog

After send, SMS Send Results shows:

Total Recipients
Sent / Failed counts
Per-number rows: phone, sent or failed, optional error text

Screenshot placeholder: SMS Send Results dialog with mixed sent/failed rows

Partial success is possible — review failed numbers and retry or contact IT.

SMS history on the call

Scroll call detail to SMS History (below History & Logs).

Element	Meaning
Refresh	Reload history from server
Empty state	No SMS messages sent for this call
Status badge	SENT, FAILED, PENDING, DELIVERED, etc.
Timestamp	Local time and “time ago”
Recipient	Destination phone or address
Error line	Carrier or provider error when failed
Metadata line	Recipients: N \| Sent: X \| Failed: Y for bulk sends

Screenshot placeholder: SMS History block with two entries and status badges

Successful sends also appear in History & Logs on the call (dispatcher name and message summary when available).

Web Admin setup (administrators)

Notification Templates

Web Admin → Notification Templates (/notification-templates) OrgAdmin can create templates by type:

Type	Use
Incident SMS	Standard incident notification body (160-char guidance in editor)
Critical Alert SMS	High-urgency short alerts
Incident Email / Critical Alert Email	Email counterparts

Template editor supports the same {{variable}} family as manual sends (see tables above). Use Preview in admin to test rendering. Default Incident SMS pattern (example agencies use):

CFS #{{agency_cfs}} {{incident_type}}
RP: {{RP_FullName}} Phone: {{phone}}
Address: {{address}}

{{CallDescription}}

These templates drive automated SMS where your deployment wires incident events to notifications — separate from the manual Send SMS sheet, but the same variable names keep wording consistent.

Recipient groups

Web Admin → Groups (when available in your deployment)

Create named groups (e.g. “Patrol Sergeants,” “Fire mutual aid”).
Add members with phone numbers.
Groups appear on the Groups tab in Send SMS.

If the Groups page is not in the sidebar, contact Cadmus support — you may still send to Individuals only.

User phone numbers

Web Admin → Users → edit user → ensure phone number is populated for anyone who should receive dispatch SMS.

User notification preferences

Per-user SMS scope (assigned calls only, all calls, critical only) affects automated notifications, not necessarily manual Send SMS from dispatch. See User notification preferences.

API reference

Manual send and history (authenticated dispatcher session):

Action	Method	Path
Send SMS for call	POST	`/incidents/{incidentId}/send-sms`
SMS history	GET	`/incidents/{incidentId}/sms-history`

Send body (JSON):

Field	Required	Description
`incidentId`	Yes	CFS / incident ID
`message`	Yes	Final or templated message text
`recipientUserIds`	One of users or groups	Array of user IDs
`recipientGroupIds`	One of users or groups	Array of group IDs
`correlationId`	No	Optional tracking ID

Response: success, sentCount, failedCount, correlationId, and per-recipient results (phone, status, error). Recipient lists for the UI:

Action	Method	Path
List groups	GET	`/groups`
List users	GET	`/users`

Notification templates (admin):

Action	Method	Path
List templates	GET	`/notification-templates`
Template variables help	GET	`/notification-templates/variables/incident_sms`

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Action
No Send SMS button	SMS not enabled for deployment	Contact IT / Cadmus admin
Failed to load data on open	Groups/users API error	Check network; verify org access
Please select at least one recipient	No checkboxes selected	Pick group or user
All recipients failed	SMS provider misconfigured	IT checks provider credentials
Some numbers failed	Invalid or missing mobile number	Update user profile in Web Admin
Merge field shows literal `{{agency_cfs}}`	Typo in variable name	Match spelling exactly (case-sensitive)
Empty groups list	No groups created	Web Admin → Groups
History empty after “success”	Refresh needed or logging delay	Tap Refresh in SMS History

Chat, SMS, and comms — chat vs SMS overview
Admin and manager setup guide — go-live checklist
User notification preferences
Messaging commands — MSG / BC (unit chat, not SMS)

Warnings

SMS to field units is not a secure CJIS channel — do not include NCIC returns, SSNs, or criminal history in text.

Reporting party phone numbers in messages may be PII — follow agency policy on sharing RP data with third parties.

Confirm recipient list before send — group selections can include many numbers at once.

Carrier delivery is not guaranteed — use radio or unit status for life-safety confirmations.

Getting Started

Call Handling

Units & Dispatch

Tools

Command Line

Support

SMS templates and messaging

Overview

Prerequisites

Open Send SMS

Built-in quick templates

When to use each

Merge fields (variables)

Primary fields (recommended)

Additional fields (legacy / optional)

Example custom message

Message length

Recipients

Groups tab

Individuals tab

Preview and send

Send results dialog

SMS history on the call

Web Admin setup (administrators)

Notification Templates

Recipient groups

User phone numbers

User notification preferences

API reference

Troubleshooting

Warnings

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Open Send SMS

​Built-in quick templates

​When to use each

​Merge fields (variables)

​Primary fields (recommended)

​Additional fields (legacy / optional)

​Example custom message

​Message length

​Recipients

​Groups tab

​Individuals tab

​Preview and send

​Send results dialog

​SMS history on the call

​Web Admin setup (administrators)

​Notification Templates

​Recipient groups

​User phone numbers

​User notification preferences

​API reference

​Troubleshooting

​Related pages

​Warnings

Overview

Prerequisites

Open Send SMS

Built-in quick templates

When to use each

Merge fields (variables)

Primary fields (recommended)

Additional fields (legacy / optional)

Example custom message

Message length

Recipients

Groups tab

Individuals tab

Preview and send

Send results dialog

SMS history on the call

Web Admin setup (administrators)

Notification Templates

Recipient groups

User phone numbers

User notification preferences

API reference

Troubleshooting

Related pages

Warnings