Choose and understand automations

Use an automation when a message should follow a participant’s activity, response or lifecycle date. A scheduled campaign uses dates you choose directly; an automation derives its audience and timing from records and rules.

Choose the trigger

Reader goal	Automation
Prepare people for the first or last class	Activity start or end
Remind people before each scheduled occurrence	Class reminder
Follow a completed submission	Form response
Help someone finish a saved attempt	Abandoned form
Welcome a member or discuss expiration	Membership start or renewal
Send birthday greetings or party promotions	Birthday wish or birthday marketing
Contact people based on recorded attendance	Attendance-based automation
Tell clients when a booking package has availability	Booking availability notification, see Set up resources and booking packages

Connected systems such as Amilia also have dedicated workflows. Choose the source-specific guide when the trigger comes from that integration.

Build the rule before writing the message

First decide which event or date matters, who should receive the message and who should be excluded. Confirm that the required data exists: a birth date, activity occurrence, membership date or form response. Then choose the offset, sending time and message content.

Use conditions deliberately. An attendance requirement cannot be satisfied until attendance is recorded. A promotional follow-up should be classified as marketing even if it was triggered by a registration.

Preview and enable

Save the configuration and use the simulation where available to inspect representative dates and recipients. Check the organization timezone, placeholders, links and contact fields. Enable only after reviewing those results.

A simulation describes eligibility at the time it runs. Different automation types have different refresh behavior; do not assume every scheduled audience is rechecked immediately before delivery. The focused guides explain important exceptions, including abandoned-form reminders.

Monitor and maintain

Open the automation’s Messages tab to review actual sends. Revisit the rule when dates, programs, forms or membership offerings change. Turning an automation on is not a substitute for monitoring delivery and consent.

Continue with the trigger guide that matches your goal, or use scheduled messages for a campaign with dates you set yourself.

Settings reference

Setting	Where	Default	Effect
Name	Communications › Automations › Create	Empty (required)	The name shown in the Automations list and menu.
Description for internal use (not shown to customers).	Create form	Empty	A note for your team.
Type	Create form	None selected (required)	The trigger: Happy birthday wish, Birthday party marketing, Activity start (first class), Activity end (last class), Class reminder (every class), Booking availability notification (only when the bookings module is on), Membership renewal, Membership start, Form response, Abandoned form, Inactive clients. More... adds the Amilia types, which are selectable only when Amilia is connected.
Let Activity Messenger send… (Yes / No)	The automation's Settings tab	No	Yes turns the automation on; No turns it off. The wording follows the type, for example "Let Activity Messenger send an email or text message on each day of a recurring class."
Class, list or form	Settings tab	None (required)	The source of the participants or responses. For activity start, activity end and class reminders you can pick a class or a combined list, which covers several classes at once.
Send day(s) before or after the event	Settings tab (the label changes with the type)	0, which means the same day	The offset from the event date, with Before and After buttons. The on-screen note says: reminders can only be sent at most one hour before, and follow-ups at least one hour after. Abandoned form starts at 1 day after (minimum 1) and Inactive clients at 180 days after.
Time	Settings tab	2:00 PM when none is saved	The time of day the message goes out, in 15-minute steps. It is not shown when Right after response is on.
Configure the message	Settings tab	Not configured	Opens the Message window to choose the channel, subject and content. The message must be configured before you can save.
Use participant contact information	Settings tab, for Class reminder, Activity start, Activity end and Form response	Off	Uses the participant's email and mobile instead of the account owner's.
Save	Settings tab	Appears only when there are unsaved changes	Saves the rule. Unsaved changes are not applied.
Automation Bot Simulation › Pick a day	Bottom of Settings, once the rule is saved	Today	Lists the people who would be scheduled that day. It does not show the rendered message.
Schedule now	Automation Bot Simulation	Shown only when people qualify but nothing is scheduled for that day	Schedules the messages for the chosen day immediately.
Messages tab	The automation page	All	Lists scheduled and sent messages for this automation. Filters: All, Today and not sent, Not sent.
Analytics tab	The automation page	Not applicable	Shows sent, opened and clicked counts, and a conversion rate when the message links to a form.
Archive / Restore	The automation page, ⋮ menu	Active	Archive puts the automation away; Restore brings it back. An automation tied to a Zoom class cannot be archived directly.

Common questions

When do automations actually run? Each day at 4 a.m. Eastern time the automation synchronizes its list, finds who qualifies that day and schedules the messages for the time you chose. If nobody is scheduled yet for a day and people qualify, the simulation offers Schedule now. See Build the rule before writing the message.

Why did my automation not send anything? Check four things on the automation's Settings tab: the switch is on Yes, the rule is saved, a class, list or form is chosen, and the message is configured. Then pick the day in Automation Bot Simulation to see whether anyone qualifies, and open the Messages tab to see what was scheduled. See Preview and enable.

How do I turn an automation off? Set the switch at the top of the Settings tab to No. This affects what is scheduled in the future; messages already sent cannot be recalled. To remove one scheduled message, open it from the Messages tab. See Monitor and maintain.

Can the same automation send an email and an SMS? Yes. The channel is chosen in Configure the message, and the Messages tab lists the type of each send (email, SMS or both). See Build the rule before writing the message.

Can I send the message immediately after someone submits a form? Yes, for a Form response automation that uses the Answer date. Turn on Right after response and optionally set Trigger delay (hours); leave it empty to send immediately. The simulation is not shown in this mode. See Choose the trigger.

Can I keep one automation for several classes? Yes for activity start, activity end and class reminders: attach the automation to a combined list based on class tags or several classes instead of a single class. See Choose the trigger.

Can I delete an automation? You can archive it and restore it later from the ⋮ menu. An automation created for a Zoom class cannot be archived directly; delete the Zoom class instead. See Monitor and maintain.

Does the simulation show the message itself? No. It lists the people and their scheduling status for the day you pick. Check the text and links in Configure the message. See Preview and enable.