In this article, you will learn how to create and configure a referral program.
Contents
- Configure a referral program
- Follow invitation and apply code
- Reward requests
- Redeem rewards
- The "Members recruit members" widget
- Overview: Manual add/remove
Quick guide:
- Settings / Leads / Referral Program
- Click on “Create configuration”
With the referral program, you can easily and effectively attract new members to your gym. It's simple: once you activate a configuration for a referral program, every member will find an individual invitation link in their self-service area under "Invite friends," which they can share with friends and acquaintances. Bookings made through a referral are then registered in the software. This allows you to track which of your members referred which new customers and reward them accordingly.
Important for multi-studio operators
Please note that members from Studio A can only refer members for Studio B if the same referral program configuration is active in both studios.
Configure referral program
Creating a referral program starts with creating a configuration under Settings / Leads / Referral Program. You can create a new configuration via the "Create configuration" link. Give it an internal name, define the validity period, and decide whether you want to exclude certain member groups from participating in the program.
The saved configuration is now displayed in the overview. Clicking on the configuration will take you to the detailed view where you can define the specific settings of your referral program.
Define rewards
Here you can create all the rewards you want to offer in your program. To add a new reward, click on the three-dot menu in the "Define rewards" section and select "Add". You can create the following types of rewards:
- Discount on membership fee: This reward provides a percentage or absolute reduction on the recurring membership fee. You can decide if multiple discounts can be combined. If so, percentage discounts are applied multiplicatively (e.g., two 10% discounts on a €50 fee reduce it to €40.50). You can also limit this discount to specific rates, contract terms, or payment frequencies.
- Credit on membership fee: This option grants a credit that is applied to the membership fee. You define the frequency (e.g., monthly) and the duration (e.g., for 3 months) for which the credit is valid.
- Bonus period: This allows you to offer a free period of time (e.g., days, weeks, or months) as a reward. You can configure this as a "Bonus period with membership extension," which adds the free period to the end of the member's current contract term.
- General credit: This is a fixed monetary amount that is credited to the member's account. This credit can typically be used for various purchases within the studio, not just the membership fee.
- Consumption credit bonus: This reward provides a specific amount of credit that is exclusively for on-site consumption, such as drinks, snacks, or other items from your POS.
- Benefit: With this reward, you can offer a specific non-monetary benefit, such as a "Bring a friend" pass or a free personal training session. You link this reward to an existing product or service from your catalog.
For every reward type, you can choose the option "Redeem reward automatically after minimum period". This allows for an automatic redemption that will happen after the minimum period you can configure when assigning this reward to an event.
Assign rewards
Next, you determine which rewards are given to the referring member and the recruited new member when a specific event occurs. You can assign rewards for events like "New contract" and "Trial training". You can also define whether the reward should be credited directly or if it requires manual approval.
Optionally, you can specify a minimum period between the event and when the reward becomes active. This is useful, for example, to account for a cancellation period after a contract is signed. This ensures rewards are not credited before a cancellation period has passed. If you select "0" as the minimum period, the reward is credited immediately (if set to automatic approval). If you enter "15", the reward will become active after 15 days.
Whether a reward requires an active contract at automatic activation depends on the reward type. Rewards that concern a running contract (Discount on membership fee, Credit on membership fee, and Bonus period) are only activated automatically if the respective recipient still has an active contract at the scheduled activation time. Each side is evaluated separately: the recruiting member’s reward depends on their own active contract, and the recruited member’s reward on theirs. If the respective recipient is no longer active, their reward is not activated automatically.
A special case applies to the Discount on membership fee reward: because it reduces a running fee, it requires both parties (the recruiting and the recruited member) to have an active contract. If either side later loses their active contract, a discount that has already been granted is automatically removed again. The Bonus period is not affected by this: it depends solely on the recipient’s own contract and is not withdrawn afterwards if the other side becomes inactive.
Presentation on the member platform
Here, you enter the description of your referral program for your members. This text will be displayed on the member platform in the self-service area under "Invite friends". Describe as precisely as possible which rewards are offered for which type of referral. You can also add separate participation conditions. The "Share-Link" text is the pre-filled message that a member can send when sharing their personal invitation link via apps like WhatsApp or email.
Teaser on the member platform
To promote your referral program to your members, you can activate teasers on your member platform's home page. The headline and content are fully customizable. You can choose the teaser's position: either as the last element in the main content area or in the right-hand sidebar. The teaser can also be active in both positions simultaneously.
Teaser on the member platform after booking process
You can create another teaser that will be displayed after a new member successfully completes a contract booking on the member platform. This is a great way to make new customers aware of your referral program right from the start.
Follow invitation and apply code
To track which new member was referred by whom, a new section, "Invite friends," is included in the online contract signing process. There, the new member can manually enter the personal referral code of the referring member. If the new member used a personal invitation link, this field will be pre-filled.
The referral code can also be entered in the sales tool in your studio, allowing prospective members to provide a code during an in-person sales consultation.
Reward requests
You can set rewards to be reviewed manually before being credited or to be released automatically. If you choose manual checks, you will find reward applications under Tasks / Requests / Granting of rewards. For each request, you will see key information like the event, date, referrer, and referred person, as well as the defined rewards. You can then "Accept" or "Reject" the request.
Redeem rewards
Approved rewards can be redeemed by members on the member platform in the self-service area under the "Rewards" tab in the "Invite friends" section. Here, members see an overview of all their approved rewards. They can redeem any outstanding rewards by clicking the "Redeem now" button.
Your staff can also redeem rewards on behalf of a member, for example for members without access to the Member Platform. To do this, open the referral program area in the member profile and redeem the reward via the context menu. The reward status changes from Redeemable to Redeemed and shows which employee redeemed it.
The "Members recruit members" widget
In the member profile, you can find the member's personal referral code in the "Members recruit members" widget. You also have the option to exclude the member from the referral program. If you do this, the "Invite friends" section will no longer be visible to that member on the member platform.
Overview: Manual add/remove
To get a better overview of your members' referral activity, a new overview is available under Members / [Member Name] / Referral Program. Here you'll find a table listing the new customers referred by the member. A second tab shows who referred this member.
Each entry includes information about the awarded rewards for both the referring and the recruited member. Rewards can have the following statuses:
- Approval pending: The reward application has been received.
- Accepted: The reward application has been approved, but any defined minimum period is not yet over.
- Rejected: The reward application has been denied.
- Redeemable: The reward application has been approved, and any defined minimum period has passed.
- Redeemed: The reward has been redeemed and credited by the member.
You can also make manual changes by adding or removing referral entries.