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Set up notification rule configurations

In this article you will learn how notification rule configurations and notification rules work together, how to create a configuration and activate it for your studio, and how to add individual rules that map events to communication channels and templates.

Contents

Fast lane

  1. Open Communication / Administration / Notifications / Notification rules.
  2. Click Create configuration, give the configuration a clear name, and save.
  3. Open the configuration and click Add notification rule.
  4. Pick an Event, a Type (Email / Letter / SMS / App), a Shipping method (Automatic dispatch without confirmation or Confirmation before dispatch), and a Template. Save.
  5. Toggle the rule to Active when you are ready for it to fire.
  6. Back in the configuration list, open the three-dot menu and click Activate for the current facility to make the configuration the one that drives notifications for your studio.

For the full catalog of events that the system fires and which channels each event supports, see the Notification events reference.

Prerequisites

Before you create or activate notification rules, the following must be in place:

  • Permission: Configure rules for automatic notification of members on specific events. Assigned in Settings / Resources / Roles.
  • Email channel: the email app must be activated and configured in the App Store. Without it, Email-based rules cannot send.
  • Text message channel: an SMS provider must be configured for your studio. SMS sends are charged per message; long messages are split into multiple billable parts.
  • Letter channel: a letter design with your brand assets (logo, return address, footer) must be configured under Communication / Administration / Designs.
  • App message channel: the App option only appears for events that support it and only when the Member App push notifications feature is enabled on your tenant. If you do not see App in the channel dropdown, contact support to confirm the feature flag.
  • Templates: at least one active template exists for the channel you want to use. Templates are managed under Communication / Administration / Templates.

How the hierarchy works: configurations and rules

Automatic notifications use two levels:

  • Notification rule configuration (the container): a named bundle of notification rules. You can have several configurations on your tenant. Each studio activates exactly one configuration at a time, which then drives all automated communication for that facility.
  • Notification rule (inside a configuration): a single mapping of Event + Type (Email, Letter, SMS, App) + Shipping method + Template + Status. A configuration can hold many rules, one rule per event-and-channel combination.

What this means in practice:

  • A rule only fires if its configuration is the active one for the studio and the rule itself is set to Active. A rule sitting in an inactive configuration never fires, even if its status is Active.
  • For multi-studio operators, you can build one master configuration and share it across facilities through the configuration's sharing settings, or you can give each studio its own configuration.
  • Switching the active configuration is a single click in the configuration overview ("Activate for the current facility"). All rules in the new configuration take over immediately.
  • The configuration list always shows which configuration is currently active (a small Active badge) and how many facilities it covers (the facility badge).

The four communication channels

Inside a notification rule the channel is called Type. There are four channels, each with different costs, formatting, and deliverability:

  • Email: HTML template, the standard digital channel. No per-message cost beyond the email app subscription. Use for confirmations, reminders, receipts and most member communication.
  • Letter: generated PDF. Used for legal or formal documents such as cancellations, dunning, contract adjustments and SEPA mandates. Letters are added to the member's document history and can be queued for batch printing or postal dispatch.
  • SMS: text message via the configured provider. Per-message cost; reserve for short urgent communication (appointment reminders, returned debit alerts, gym-closed notices).
  • App: push notification to the Member App. Free, but requires the member to have the app installed and notifications enabled. Visible in the channel dropdown only for events that support it and only when the Member App push feature is enabled.

Not every event supports every channel. See the Notification events reference for the channel matrix per event.

Shipping method: direct vs. confirmation before dispatch

Every notification rule has a Shipping method that decides whether the message goes out automatically:

  • Automatic dispatch without confirmation (also called direct): the system creates and dispatches the message as soon as the event fires. Recommended for high-volume, low-risk events such as appointment confirmations, reminders, online invoices.
  • Confirmation before dispatch (also called on user interaction): the system creates the message and parks it in the outbox under Communication / Communication center. Staff review the content (and the attached PDF for Letter rules), then send, print, save for later, or discard it. Recommended for legal or sensitive events such as cancellations, contract adjustments, dunning letters.

For some events, only one of the two shipping methods is selectable. The default value per event is documented in the Notification events reference.

Create and activate a configuration

  1. Open Communication / Administration / Notifications / Notification rules. You see the list of all configurations on your tenant.
  2. Click Create configuration. Enter a clear name that tells operators what the configuration is for (for example "Standard rules", "Promo period 2026", or one named per facility). Save.
  3. Build out the rules inside the configuration (see the next section).
  4. To make the configuration drive notifications for your studio, return to the configuration list, open the three-dot menu next to the configuration row, and click Activate for the current facility. The system automatically deactivates any previously active configuration for that studio.
  5. The active configuration is marked with the Active badge in the list. Only one configuration per studio is active at any time.

To swap to a different configuration later, repeat step 4 on the new configuration. Rules in the previous configuration stop firing immediately; rules in the new configuration take over.

You can delete a configuration only if it is not currently active. Edit a configuration's name at any time through the three-dot menu.

Add a notification rule to a configuration

  1. Open the configuration you want to extend.
  2. Click Add notification rule.
  3. Select an Event. The dropdown lists every event the system fires. Use the Notification events reference to decide which event matches the trigger you want to react to.
  4. Select a Type (Email, Letter, SMS, App). The dropdown only shows channels the event supports. If you expected a channel that is missing, check Prerequisites for that channel and confirm any feature flag.
  5. Select a Shipping method: Automatic dispatch without confirmation for hands-off automation, Confirmation before dispatch for review-before-send.
  6. Select a Template. If no template fits, create one first under Communication / Administration / Templates and return.
  7. Optionally set a Delay. The system supports delays in days, hours, or relative to the event time (for example, send the reminder 24 hours before the appointment).
  8. Save. The rule appears in the configuration with Status Inactive by default for most events. Toggle it to Active when you are ready for it to fire.

Only one active rule per event and channel within a configuration. The system will reject a second active rule for the same event-and-channel combination. To change the active template, edit the existing rule or deactivate it first.

Share a configuration across studios

If you operate several facilities and want them to use the same set of rules, share one configuration instead of duplicating it:

  1. Open the configuration in Communication / Administration / Notifications / Notification rules.
  2. Open the three-dot menu and click Edit configuration.
  3. Adjust the sharing settings to whitelist the facilities that should be allowed to use this configuration.
  4. Save. The configuration is now selectable in each whitelisted facility.
  5. In every facility where you want this configuration to take effect, switch the active facility (top of the screen), open the configuration list, and run Activate for the current facility on the shared configuration.

Edits to a shared configuration apply to every facility that has it active. If different facilities need different rules for the same event, do not share a single configuration. Create one per facility instead.

Common pitfalls

  • Rule active but nothing is sent. Check that the configuration containing the rule is the active configuration for the current facility. A rule inside an inactive configuration never fires.
  • Multiple configurations show "Active" in the list. Only one configuration per facility can be active at a time. When the list shows several, each one is active for a different facility. Use the facility badge next to the row to see which.
  • "Activate for the current facility" is missing. The configuration is either already active for that facility or you do not have the permission to change the active configuration. Check your role for Configure rules for automatic notification of members on specific events.
  • Only one active rule per event and channel. If saving a new rule fails, an existing rule is already active for that event-and-channel combination inside this configuration. Edit the existing rule or deactivate it first.
  • App channel option missing. The App option is hidden when the Member App push feature is not enabled on the tenant. Email and SMS still work.
  • Email not delivered. The email app must be activated in the App Store and the studio must have a valid sender address configured. Check the App Store status before debugging individual rules.
  • SMS not delivered. An SMS provider must be configured. Long messages are split into multiple billable parts; keep templates short for cost control.
  • Letter rule fires but no Letter appears. Letters land in the outbox under Communication / Communication center. Staff must explicitly print, send, or save them for later.
  • Wrong shipping method. Switch the rule to Confirmation before dispatch for any legal or financial event that needs staff review (cancellations, dunning, contract adjustments). Existing messages already in the outbox are not affected by the change.
  • Templates that use unavailable placeholders. If a template references data not available at the event time, the message creation fails. Review the placeholder set against the event's data provider.
  • Inactive default rules. Reminders (contract ending, contract renewal, entry card usage, appointment reminders, class reminders, successful trial training, loyalty events) are created inactive by default. Activate them once you have reviewed the linked template.
  • Edit on a shared configuration applies everywhere. Changes to a configuration that is active in multiple facilities take effect for all of them. If only one facility should change, create a separate configuration for that facility first.

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