Activity Messenger Help Center

Go live checklist

Use this checklist when a new organization moves from testing to real use. Each item says what to check, where to find it, and what happens if you skip it. Work through the items in order; most take a minute.

Open the settings menu beside your organization name and choose Modify organization settings. The settings are grouped under General, Finance, Team & operations and Web & integrations. Tabs you do not see require a permission you do not have. See Set up your organization for the full overview.

Before you start: organization approval

A new organization that signed up on its own is not approved until Activity Messenger approves it. While it waits, every page shows Your organization is pending approval. Once approved, you will be able to send emails and SMS. Forms and templates can still be built.

• Check: the banner is gone.
• If skipped: every email and SMS send is refused with Your organization is not yet approved.

1. Stripe test mode

• Check: the switch reads Test mode is OFF and the message below it reads You are in LIVE mode. Credit card transactions are real.
• Where: Finance › Stripe. The switch appears only after a Stripe account is connected. In test mode the message is red and lists the test card numbers to use.
• If skipped: card payments taken in test mode are not real. The invoices look paid, but no money moves. Those payments stay flagged as test payments after you switch to live mode; Activity Messenger then suggests deleting them so they do not skew reports.

Test mode and live mode each keep their own Stripe connection. If you connected Stripe while test mode was on, turning it off shows Create/connect Stripe account again: connect your real Stripe account at that point. Toggling the switch reloads the page immediately; there is no separate save.

2. There is no messaging test mode

Activity Messenger has no test mode for email or SMS. Every email and SMS you send goes to its real recipients, whether or not Stripe test mode is on. To test a message, send it to your own address or mobile number.

The only other setting called Test mode is the e-commerce test email:

• Check: the Test mode field is empty.
• Where: General › Messaging, last field of the form, placeholder test@example.com. The same field is on the Communication tab of the Online store settings in your product list.
• What it does: while an address is entered, purchase and cancellation confirmation emails that carry an invoice go to that address instead of the client. SMS are not redirected. A red Test mode is ON banner with a Review test mode settings link appears on the Forms, Templates, Automations and message composer pages.
• If skipped: clients never receive their purchase confirmations or invoices.

3. Stripe account and currency

• Check: Stripe account connected. is shown, Payments enabled and Payouts enabled both read Yes, and Currency matches your bank account.
• Where: Finance › Stripe. Country and default currency come from Stripe. The Currency list offers CAD and USD; click Save after changing it. Changing the currency here also changes the organization's currency.
• If skipped: without a connected account, clients cannot pay by card online. While payments or payouts read No, finish the onboarding in Stripe before taking real payments.

See Set up payments and financial tracking.

4. SMS sender number

• Check: Your mobile number shows the number your SMS are sent from, and whether it is shared or a Dedicated number. Fill in Reply-to mobile (optional) and choose an SMS reply preference.
• Where: General › Messaging. Your mobile number is read-only. People with Billing access can use Manage your SMS number in Billing to reserve a dedicated number.
• If skipped: SMS still go out from the shared number assigned to your organization. Replies are handled according to the reply preference, which may be to do nothing.

See SMS sender numbers and reply-to numbers.

5. From email and DKIM

• Check: your domain shows Verified. Your domain DNS is configured to allow Activity Messenger to send emails on your behalf. and at least one address under Verify email addresses is Verified.
• Where: General › From email. Enter the Domain and click Verify. While the status is pending, the page lists the DNS records, including the DKIM records, with Download DNS records as CSV. Then add each sender address and click Verify; the owner of the address must open the confirmation email.
• If skipped: the page reminds you that you currently send email from info@activitymessenger.com. Messages still go out, but from that address rather than yours.

See Send email from your own domain.

6. Identity and branding

• Check: on Information, the Name, Alias (used in SMS, 20 characters maximum), Language, website, address, phone and Reply-to email are correct. On Branding, upload your Logo, optionally a Full width logo, and set the Button color.
• Where: General › Information and General › Branding. Click Update on Information and save your changes on Branding.
• If skipped: forms, the microsite and emails show no logo and the default button colour, and replies go to the address entered at signup.

See Organization identity and branding.

7. Timezone

• Check: Timezone on Information is your organization's business timezone.
• Where: General › Information, then Update.
• If skipped: a new organization starts on America/New_York unless another timezone was chosen at signup. Class times, booking slots, automations and scheduled sends run on the wrong clock.

8. Microsite and website visibility and password

• Check: decide what should be public on launch day.
  • Web & integrations › Microsite: Prevent search bots from crawling your Microsite keeps search engines away but does not block visitors. Show My account link in the Microsite and Show staff portal link on client portal control the links clients see.
  • Web & integrations › Website (website builder only): Password protection › Require a password on the public website and Website password. The admin editor stays accessible while it is on.
  • Online store page: in your product list, open Online store, then Microsite page › Protect page with a password.
  • Each form: Who can fill this form in the form's settings. A closed form is listed as Closed in the forms list.
• If skipped: a site still locked from testing turns clients away, and a test store or form left open can take real orders.

See Configure microsite settings.

9. Users and permissions

• Check: every colleague has their own user, with a role and permissions that match their work.
• Where: Team & operations › Users & permissions, then Add a user. Send an invitation email is a checkbox; keep it unchecked to invite the person later. The invitation text is the User activation email.
• If skipped: the team shares one login, and you cannot tell who did what.

See Invite users and manage their access.

10. First form published and tested

• Check: fill in your first form yourself, from the link clients will receive to the confirmation. If it takes payments, do it in the mode you intend to launch in: with the test card while test mode is on, or with a real card and a refund afterwards. Then open Respondents and Analytics and confirm the invoice, payment status and confirmation message.
• Where: open the form and click Share for the link, QR code or embed code.
• If skipped: a missing required field, wrong price or blank confirmation is found by the first client instead of you.

See Payment forms, section "Check the full purchase before launch".

11. Payment methods and fees

• Check: each form, package or store offers the methods you want: Credit card, Interac e-Transfer (by email) or Other. Decide whether to charge a Credit card convenience fee.
• Where: payment methods are set on each form or offer. The convenience fee is under Finance › Fees, with Apply by default to choices for Payment forms, Microsite checkout, POS, Admin invoices and Membership renewals. Finance › Stripe shows the Transaction fee for credit card payments that applies to your account.
• If skipped: clients see only the methods enabled on each offer, and offline methods leave invoices unpaid until someone records the payment.

See Payment methods.

12. Taxes and ledger codes

• Check: each tax exists with its Name, Percentage and Inclusive setting, and your Default taxes are chosen. Create the ledger codes you report on.
• Where: Finance › Taxes and Finance › Ledger codes. Both tabs require their own permission.
• If skipped: invoices go out without tax, and sales reports cannot be split by program or department.

See Set up payments and financial tracking.

Settings reference

Common questions

Is there a test mode for emails or SMS? No. Activity Messenger sends every email and SMS to its real recipients. Stripe test mode only affects card payments, and the e-commerce test email only redirects purchase and cancellation confirmations that carry an invoice. Send a test to yourself instead.

How do I leave test mode? Open Finance › Stripe and set the switch to Test mode is OFF. If the page then shows Create/connect Stripe account, connect your live Stripe account. Also clear the Test mode email field under General › Messaging, which is a separate setting.

Do test payments disappear when I go live? No. They stay in Activity Messenger flagged as test payments. Open each one and delete it so it does not skew reports.

Why can't I send emails or SMS? A pending organization is blocked until it is approved. Use the support form linked in the banner to request approval from Activity Messenger.

Does blocking search bots make my microsite private? No. It only asks search engines not to index it. Use the website password, the store page password or a form's Who can fill this form setting to restrict access.

Can I launch without Stripe? Yes, when you only run free registrations or record payments collected elsewhere with the Other payment method. Clients then cannot pay by card online.

Related guides

• Welcome to Activity Messenger
• Set up your organization
• Organization identity and branding
• Send email from your own domain
• SMS sender numbers and reply-to numbers
• Set up payments and financial tracking
• Payment methods
• Payment forms
• Configure microsite settings
• Invite users and manage their access