> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveinspect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automations, Emails and Text Messages: Hive Inspect FAQ

> Why an automation did not send, how to check and resend emails, stop spam with your own domain, use placeholders, texts, review requests and alerts.

Real questions inspectors asked our support team, with the answers. Tap a question to open it; each one has its own link you can share.

## Checking, resending and one-off emails

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I see which emails and texts were sent for an inspection?" id="see-sent-emails-for-inspection">
    Open the inspection and click **Automations** under **Quick Actions**. The **Automation History** page lists every message for that inspection, with its status:

    * **Waiting**: the trigger has not happened yet. For example, a reschedule notice waits until you reschedule.
    * **Scheduled**: it will go out at the time shown.
    * **Sent**: it went out. Click **View Sent** to see exactly what the recipient got. You can also see when it was opened.
    * **Bounced** or **Failed**: it did not reach the recipient.
    * **Cancelled**: it was stopped and will not send.

    The same automation appears once per recipient. If two clients and an agent are on the job, you see three entries.

    See [Set up automations](/contacts-and-automation/automations#setting-up-automations-for-inspections).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I resend an email, for example after fixing a client's email address?" id="resend-email-after-fixing-address">
    Use **Send Again**:

    1. Fix the contact's email or phone on the inspection page.
    2. Click **Automations** under **Quick Actions**.
    3. Find the message, such as the inspection scheduled confirmation that carries the agreement and payment links, and click **Send Again**.

    **Send Again** looks up the contact's current details, so the message goes to the corrected address. It also uses the automation's current wording. Messages that are still scheduled also use the latest details when they send.

    Hive emails your company admin when an email bounces. If a mistyped address belongs to a real mailbox, there is no bounce, so check the address if a client says nothing arrived.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I send a one-off email to a client or agent?" id="send-one-off-email">
    Use **Compose Email**:

    1. Open the inspection and click **Automations** under **Quick Actions**.
    2. Click **Compose Email** at the top right.
    3. Add the recipients. Contacts on the inspection can be added with one click.
    4. Write your message, or start from one of your automations, then send.

    You do not need to pick a template. Placeholders such as the payment link work here too. The email is saved in the inspection's history.

    For people with no inspection yet, click **Compose** on the [Automations](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/automations) page.

    See [Compose an email without picking a template](/whats-new/sep-21-2026#compose-an-email-without-picking-a-template).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I stop an automation for one inspection, like the report email to the agent?" id="stop-automation-one-inspection">
    Cancel it on that inspection before it sends:

    1. Open the inspection and click **Automations** under **Quick Actions**.
    2. Find the message, such as the report published email to the buyer's agent, and click **Cancel**.

    To stop every message for that inspection, click **Delete All Automations**. Other inspections are not affected.

    To stop an automation for every inspection, turn off its status toggle on the [Automations](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/automations) page. Emails that were already sent cannot be unsent.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Getting automations to send

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can an automation send only for certain services or add-ons?" id="automation-for-certain-services-add-ons">
    Yes. Open the automation and expand **Advanced Settings**:

    * **Services**: pick the services it should run for. Leave it empty to run for all current and future services. This is the safest choice for confirmations and report emails.
    * **Service or Add-on Name Filter**: type part of the service or add-on name as it appears in your services, for example `radon` or `sewer`. Capital letters don't matter.
    * **Custom Field Filters**: send only when a custom field has a certain answer, such as a client answering Yes at booking.

    To tell a subcontractor or yourself about an add-on, use the **Add-ons Updated** event for add-ons added after booking. Add a copy with **Inspection Scheduled** for add-ons ordered at booking.

    See [Automation Settings: Advanced](/how-tos/automation-advanced-settings#which-settings-you-see-depends-on-the-event-type) and [Automate subcontractor emails](/how-tos/subcontractor-emails#set-it-up).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why didn't my automation send for an inspection?" id="why-automation-did-not-send">
    Most of the time it is one of these:

    1. **The automation was added after the inspection was booked.** New automations apply to inspections booked afterwards, unless you chose **Include existing future inspections** when you saved it.
    2. **The automation is turned off.** Check its status toggle on the [Automations](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/automations) page.
    3. **It is limited to other services.** If the automation lists specific services under **Advanced Settings**, it skips every other service.
    4. **A filter or condition blocked it.** **Send Conditions** (for example, only if payment has been made) or a filter that does not match can stop it.
    5. **It is waiting.** Sleep hours hold a message until morning. **Report Published** emails wait at least 5 minutes so the PDF is ready.
    6. **The contact is in a different role.** For example, the agent was added as the listing agent, but the automation goes to the buyer's agent.

    To see what happened, open the inspection, click **Automations** under **Quick Actions**, and look at the status of each message. To send it now, click **Compose Email** in the same place.

    See [Why didn't my automation send?](/how-tos/automation-settings#why-didnt-it-send) for a full checklist.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I have to set up automations before Hive sends anything to my clients?" id="do-automations-need-setting-up">
    Yes. Hive sends confirmations, agreement and payment links, reminders and report emails only through automations you set up. Nothing goes out until you add them.

    You do not have to write them from scratch:

    1. Go to [Automations](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/automations) and click **Browse**.
    2. Import the ready-made automations you want, such as the inspection scheduled confirmation, the reschedule notice, the pre-inspection reminder and report published.
    3. Edit the wording if you like.

    Do this before you book real inspections. Emails and texts are included in the free trial.

    See [Automation Starter Pack](/how-tos/automation-starter-pack) for which ones to import first and why.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Spam and sending from your own domain

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why are my emails going to spam, and how do I send from my own domain?" id="emails-going-to-spam-own-domain">
    Verify your sending domain. By default, emails go out as "Your Company via HiveInspect". Verified emails come from your own company address, which helps them land in the inbox.

    1. Go to [Org Settings](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/settings/organization) and open **Sender Email Verification**.
    2. Click **Step-by-step setup guide** and follow it.
    3. Enter an address on your company domain and click **Start verification**.
    4. Copy the DNS records into your domain provider (GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap and so on). The 3 DKIM records are required. The Return-Path and SPF records are optional.
    5. Click **Check verification**. DNS changes can take a few minutes or up to about 48 hours.
    6. Once DKIM shows **Verified**, turn on **Activate sending from your domain** and send yourself a test email.

    You need an address on your own domain, such as yourcompany.com. A Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook.com address cannot be verified. Without verification, Hive still sends your emails, and client replies go to your company email.

    Until you activate it, emails keep sending through Hive, so nothing breaks while you wait. If you get stuck, ask in the chat bubble in your dashboard and our team will help.

    See [Send emails from your own domain](/whats-new/jun-6-2026#send-emails-from-your-own-domain).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Wording, placeholders and timing

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I add agreement links, payment links or the inspection date to my emails?" id="add-links-dates-placeholders">
    Use placeholders. They fill in the real details for each inspection.

    1. Open the automation and click in the message where you want the detail.
    2. Click **Insert Placeholder** and search for what you need, such as the agreement link, payment link, report link or inspection date.

    The full list is on the [Placeholders](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/business-tools/placeholders) page under **Business Tools**. Hive placeholders use three braces, for example `{{{client_first_name}}}` or `{{{inspection_date}}}`. Placeholders from other software do not work.

    Prices and links fill in when the message is sent, so do not type prices into your emails. Use `{{{client_full_name}}}` when an inspection can have more than one client.

    See [Use custom fields as placeholders](/how-tos/custom-inspection-fields#use-custom-fields-as-placeholders).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I control when a message goes out, and stop texts at night?" id="control-timing-sleep-hours">
    The **Event Type** sets the timing, and the delay adjusts it:

    * **Inspection Scheduled** sends right after booking, or after the delay you set.
    * **Pre-Inspection Reminder** sends a set number of hours before the start time, for example 24.
    * **Post-Inspection Follow-up** sends a set time after the inspection.
    * **Event Scheduled** and **Pre-Event Reminder** cover inspection events such as a radon pickup.

    To keep messages from going out overnight, open the automation, expand **Advanced Settings**, and set **Sleep Hours**. Anything triggered in that window goes out shortly after it ends, in your organization's timezone. Sleep hours are set per automation, so set them on each one that needs them.

    See [Event types and delays](/how-tos/automation-settings#event-type) and [Sleep Hours](/how-tos/automation-advanced-settings#sleep-hours).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Review requests and notifications to you

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I ask clients for a Google review after the inspection?" id="ask-clients-google-review">
    You have two options:

    * **Free:** import a post-inspection follow-up automation from **Browse** and add your Google review link to the email.
    * **Review Engine:** a separate subscription that asks every client to rate the inspection. It sends an email and text 2 hours after the inspection is complete, then up to two reminders. High ratings are invited to post on Google, Facebook or Yelp. Low ratings come to you as private feedback.

    To set up Review Engine, open [Review Engine](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/business-tools/review-engine) under **Business Tools**, connect a review site, and subscribe. If you use it, remove review requests from your own automations so clients are not asked twice.

    See [Automate review requests](/how-tos/review-engine#setting-it-up).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why isn't the Review Engine sending review requests?" id="review-engine-not-sending">
    Check these in order:

    1. **It is turned on.** The [Review Engine](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/business-tools/review-engine) page shows **Enabled** at the top. If it says the engine is disabled, it needs an active Review Engine subscription.
    2. **A review site is connected.** Nothing sends until you connect Google, Facebook or Yelp under **Review Sites**.
    3. **The inspection is complete.** Every report is published, payment is received, every agreement is signed, and the scheduled end time has passed.
    4. **2 hours have passed** since the inspection became complete. Texts also wait out quiet hours in your organization's timezone.
    5. **The client can be reached.** Only contacts on the inspection as the client get requests, not agents. They need an email or a phone number.

    Each client gets one request per inspection. The **Review Requests** table on the Review Engine page shows the status of every request.

    See [Automate review requests](/how-tos/review-engine#how-it-works).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where do I see the private feedback from low ratings?" id="review-engine-private-feedback">
    In two places. When a client gives 1 to 3 stars, every inspector and admin in your organization gets an alert email with the rating and the client's comments. The feedback is also saved in the **Private Feedback** card on the [Review Engine](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/business-tools/review-engine) page, with the client's name and the inspection address.

    Low ratings are never posted publicly. The client sees a thank-you message only.

    See [Lower ratings come straight to you](/how-tos/review-engine#lower-ratings-come-straight-to-you).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change the wording of the Review Engine emails and texts?" id="review-engine-message-wording">
    No. The messages are the same for every inspector, which keeps them short and helps them get delivered. The client's first name, the inspection address and the rating link fill in automatically.

    Review emails come from Hive Inspect, not your company name. Texts come from the Hive Inspect shared number, not your dedicated number. To ask for reviews in your own words, use a post-inspection follow-up automation instead.

    See [Example messages](/how-tos/review-engine#example-messages).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if a client never rates the inspection?" id="review-engine-no-rating-expires">
    Hive follows up twice, then stops. If there is no rating, the client gets a reminder email 48 hours after the first request, then a reminder text 72 hours after that. The sequence stops as soon as they rate.

    14 days after the request was created, it shows as **Expired** and no more messages go out.

    See [How it works](/how-tos/review-engine#how-it-works).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I turn off the Review Engine?" id="turn-off-review-engine">
    Ask in the chat bubble in your dashboard. Our team turns it off for you and takes care of the subscription. Clicking **Enabled** on the Review Engine page shows the same message.

    See [Automate review requests](/how-tos/review-engine#setting-it-up).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I get notified when a client signs, pays or adds an add-on?" id="notify-me-sign-pay-add-on">
    Create an automation for yourself:

    1. On [Automations](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/automations), click **Create**.
    2. Pick the event type: **Agreement Signed**, **Payment Received** or **Add-ons Updated**.
    3. Under **Recipient**, choose **Specific email address** and enter your email.
    4. For add-ons, put `{{{addon_services}}}` in the message to list them.

    Hive also notifies you without any setup:

    * You get a notification when someone starts an online booking and when they complete it.
    * Your company admin gets an email when a client's email bounces.
    * To get an email when someone opens a report, turn on **Email me on report activity** in the **Business Management** section of **Org Settings**.

    See [Email notifications for report activity](/whats-new/sep-7-2026#email-notifications-for-report-activity).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Texts and phone numbers

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Which number do my texts come from, and can clients reply?" id="text-sender-number-replies">
    Without a dedicated number, automated texts come from a shared Hive number, and replies do not reach you. Put your own phone number in the message so clients can call or text you.

    For two-way texting, add a dedicated phone number:

    1. Activate the add-on on the [Subscriptions](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/business-tools/subscriptions) page under **Business Tools**.
    2. Fill in the **Dedicated Number Form**. It can take a few days to approve.
    3. Replies then reach you in [Messages](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/messages), by text and by email.

    The number is for texts only, and calls to it do not connect. You cannot bring an existing number, such as one from your old software.

    Clients don't see your personal number unless you type it into a message. Automated texts come from the shared Hive number or your dedicated number, never from your own phone.

    Texts cannot have clickable words, so links show as full web addresses. Keep texts short and put long links in the email.

    See [Set up a dedicated number](/how-tos/dedicated-phone-number#setting-up-your-dedicated-phone-number).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Still stuck?

<div className="hive-rows hive-rows-sm">
  <a className="hive-row" href="https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
    <span className="hive-row-main">
      <span className="hive-row-title">Ask in the chat bubble</span>
      <span className="hive-row-line">Open your dashboard and use the chat bubble. Our team answers seven days a week</span>
    </span>
  </a>

  <a className="hive-row" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1202950231646461" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
    <span className="hive-row-main">
      <span className="hive-row-title">Ask the inspector community</span>
      <span className="hive-row-line">Other inspectors answer in the Facebook group</span>
    </span>
  </a>
</div>


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