Service interruption alerts

Tell customers and crews the moment a route is delayed or changed

Built for haulers, utilities, transit and delivery fleets, and the supervisors who run them.

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A pickup reschedule alert broadcast and its results panel: most texts delivered, a few invalid numbers, some replies.
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The short answer

How service interruption alerts work in Text-Em-All

 

A service interruption alert is a mass text, or a recorded call, that tells customers or crews a route, pickup, or service has been delayed, moved, or stopped. Text-Em-All sends it to a saved list in one broadcast, so a missed route is explained before the first call comes in. Choose a combo send and the message goes by text to the numbers that can take one and by call to the numbers that can't.

  1. 1 Pick who needs to know. Choose the customers on the affected route, or the crew on the changed shift.
  2. 2 Write one clear message. Say what changed, when, and what to do. Start with your company name.
  3. 3 Send it by text, voice, or combo. Choose combo to reach every number: a text where a text can go, a call where it can't.
Sample messages

Three route-change texts you can copy

Fill in the brackets and send. Each one starts with your company name, so nobody wonders who sent it.

A route runs late

Sample · customers on that route

[Company]: Pickup on your route is running late today. Please leave your cart out. We expect to finish by 6 p.m.

A service day moves

Sample · customers whose day moved

[Company]: A truck breakdown moves your pickup from Tuesday to Wednesday this week. No action needed.

A crew route changes

Sample · drivers and crew on the shift

[Company] dispatch: Route 14 is closed at Mill Bridge. Use Route 9 to reach the north yard. Stops after 10 a.m. move to Route 22.

When the cause is the weather, see the weather closure message templates for the wording.
Text and voice

Add a recorded call for the people a text won't reach

Choose combo when you send: a text goes to every number that can take one, and a call goes to every number that can't. It won't send both to the same number unless you ask. Without combo, voice is its own send. Voice is for information and emergencies, never promotions.

Phones that can't take a text

A landline can still ring. A recorded call reaches it with your message.

Crews with their hands full

In a yard or at a dock, the phone is in a pocket. A call rings where a text sits unread.

A change that can't wait

When a bridge closes or a route stops, one channel isn't enough. Send the text and the call together.
35.7% of messages from waste and recycling organizations go by voice, August 2025 to July 2026
1 in 3 organizations that text about closures and delays also send voice, August 2025 to July 2026
“We use Text-Em-All if there is any water/sewer issues or if there are road closures. We used it in the fall to let residents know that leaf pick-up would be delayed. The major benefit is the saved time. Instead of spending the whole day fielding phone calls or making phone calls, I can just send a quick message to all.”
Ashley G., Utility Billing Clerk, G2 review

Questions about service interruption alerts

How do I notify customers a route is delayed?

Send one text to everyone on the affected route, and say what changed, when, and what to do. Pick the customers on that route, write the message with your company name first, and send it. Add a recorded call for any number that can't take a text.

What does combo messaging do, and when should I choose it?

Combo sends a text to every number that can take one and a call to every number that can't. Pick it when your list mixes mobile numbers and landlines, or when the change can't wait. It doesn't send both a text and a call to a number that takes texts unless you ask for that. Voice carries 35.7% of the messages waste and recycling organizations send, and about 1 in 3 organizations that text about closures and delays also send voice, both from August 2025 to July 2026.

How many messages does one credit send?

One credit sends one text of up to 160 characters, or one 30-second voice message, to one person. A longer text uses more than one credit.

Do texts need carrier registration first?

Yes. Texts wait for a one-time carrier registration, and the carriers approve most registrations in 1 to 2 business days. If you're planning to start sending around a certain date, leave room.

What should a driver notice say?

Start with your company name, then say what changed, where, and what the driver should do instead. Keep it to one change per text, and put the new route or time where it can't be missed. The crew sample above shows the shape.

Can voice carry a sales message?

No. Voice is for information and emergencies, not promotions. A route change, a missed pickup, or a closed road is the right use.

Send your first route alert today

16,000+ organizations send with us, with no contract on credits or the monthly plan. Set up the account, load your list, and tell people what changed.

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