The MagicBell Way
At MagicBell, we have a set of beliefs that guide our actions.
We believe...
Notifications are essential to our lives.
Alerts and notifications get a bad rap these days. Sure, it’s easy to overdose on them in our always-connected world. But essential notifications provide important reminders of pending work, upcoming birthdays, need-to-know news, and more. When people don’t receive the right notifications, they drop the ball on things they care about. Notifications aren’t the enemy. We just need to do a better job separating the wheat from the chaff.
App creators shouldn’t have to write a notification system from scratch.
As the creators of multiple products, we’ve learned the hard way how long it takes to build a notification system. You can spend months developing one and still not wind up entirely satisfied. After years of hoping someone else would create the perfect notification system, we decided to do it ourselves.
Onboarding needs to be fast.
MagicBell works out of the box for most companies, making their products instantly more useful. In fact, setting up MagicBell takes 15 minutes or less. We do this by creating opinionated software so getting started is easy. That doesn’t mean MagicBell is overly simple though. Once customers are up and running, we expose additional features power users might want so they can level up as needed.
Notification systems need to work for all stakeholders.
Multiple people need to be considered when it comes to notifications: Product managers want them to measure impact, designers want their UI/UX to remain consistent with the rest of the brand, and engineers want easy integration that yields reliability and performance. And, of course, the end-user must be satisfied too. A wise notification system takes a 360-degree view and considers all parties mindfully.
Notifications should work the same across all channels.
Notifications need to be consistent, whether received in-app, via email or pushed. For example, a notification read on one platform should be marked as read on all other platforms too. And users should also be able to act upon messages within the platform they’re received. Wise apps don’t make users hopscotch around to get things done.
Your notification system should work with your existing toolset.
Change is hard. It’s why MagicBell doesn’t expect customers to replace everything they’re using just to get started. That’s why, for example, MagicBell works seamlessly with existing email infrastructures – whether it’s an in-house or external system. We’re not about walled gardens, we’re about creating the best notification experience possible for you and your users.
Customers should be able to use third-party providers and custom components.
While MagicBell works out of the box, we also allow you to customize it, so it’s a perfect match. We provide UI components, API wrappers, and more – along with clear, detailed documentation. That way you can tweak your notification system, so it fits like a glove.
Educated customers are the best customers.
There can be a big learning curve surrounding notifications and alerts. While that topic may be boring to some, we’re pretty obsessed – and we want to share what we’ve learned. That’s why we continually offer top-notch educational content and examples of notification systems done well. We also publish guides for crafting a best-of-breed experience. We believe the more you know about notifications, the more you’ll see MagicBell as the optimal solution.
The in-app inbox is the heart of the notification system.
The notification Inbox allows users to see notifications, manage preferences, opt in to push alerts, and more. Email and push notifications should be used sparingly. The goal should be to avoid bombarding customers and clogging up their emails, phones, and minds. By offering notifications inside the app, customers get 1) real-time information in context and 2) a clear place to start their work.
Apps shouldn’t use notifications to mindlessly increase engagement.
Too many app creators try to leverage notifications to increase the amount of time users spend in their apps. While we understand this mindset, apps shouldn’t abuse notification systems in a way that hamstrings the user experience. Tools should deliver the right notifications on the right channels at the right time to users without overwhelming them. If your app needs to increase engagement, we urge you to find another way to do it; notifications should aim for clarity, not distraction
Users benefit from standardized notifications.
Too often, notification systems behave wildly differently on different apps (and sometimes even on different platforms within the same app). Other times, app creators cobble together a system of emails and notifications that leave users confused. We believe in creating a standard framework for notifications so app creators can implement them simply in a way that’s effective for customers.
Real humans deliver the best customer support
We aim to provide exceptional customer service during onboarding and throughout our relationship with customers. As your business evolves, we’ll be here to answer any questions and provide guidance. And yes, there’s a real person on the other end. Bots and AI may save time, but they’re no match for an informed person who truly cares.
Launch in an hour
Let us prove that building a great notification system doesn’t have to take months.