In this article, we show you: What the Communication Center includes
The communication is divided into four main areas:
Under the main menu item Communication, you will find the central place for your customer communication.
Here you get an overview of your letters, emails, and SMS that are currently in progress or already on their way to the customer. Moreover, you can create new templates for future messages.
If you want to address a larger number of customers, here you will also find the entry point for serial messages. You can also set notification rules, for example, to send birthday greetings or appointment reminders automatically.
Would you like to upload your own template for emails or your own letterhead? No problem! Under "Designs," you have all the options available.
Overview Communications
The Overview informs you about the current status of a message to your customers.
For better clarity, we have divided the Overview, like an email inbox, into five categories:
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Drafts= Every message created that has not yet been sent through the system or marked as sent by you.
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Outbox= Every message in the outbox.
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Sent= When and to whom was the message sent? You can view this information here.
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Archive= Messages you have archived are stored here.
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Errors= If a message could not be delivered or generated, you will find it here.
In each category, you have the option to retrieve the messages.
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In this example, you see the "Sent" section and the letters that have been sent.
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The "Status" informs you about the delivery status of the letter.
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"Type" shows you the medium, in this case, a letter.
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The "Price" of each letter is listed individually. This varies depending on the number of pages, medium, and printing method.
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The "Date" defines the shipping date.
In this image, you also see the opened three-dot menu of the welcome letter to "Laura Weber" and the options available to you.
Returns
A sent letter has returned to your mailbox, the letter could not be delivered. In this section of communication, you can centrally record and track this.
The following options are available:
Scan returned letters
For high postal volumes, it is advisable to activate the function "Return letter barcode in letterhead." Additionally, there is a dialog for scanning these barcodes via reader (keyboard emulation). The letters are immediately marked as returned after scanning.
Manually record returned letters
You can also manually search for the affected customer via the search. Once found, a list of the postal correspondence to date will be displayed, and you can mark the returned letter.
In both variants, the return of the letter is recorded in the history, along with the accompanying data (Sent / Returned / *Reason).
The letters have been digitally stored in the customer card since the creation period, ensuring a long-term digital archive.
Messages
serial Messages
Options: Letter (via E-Post in Germany), Email, SMS
Go to Communication / Messages / serial Messages. At the top of the line, you will find various options for creating serial messages.
If you want to send a message like a newsletter or birthday greetings to multiple members, you can use "serial Messages". These can be sent via email, SMS, or through the E-Post interface as a letter.
A dunning run also falls under the serial messages category. Since these messages are automatically generated by the system and already assigned to the corresponding member, you don't have to create a serial message yourself. These are automatically available and can then be sent to the respective members collectively.
How to create and manage serial messages is shown here with the example Create serial Letter.
The process in brief:
1. Choose the communication medium
2. Give your message a title
3. Choose the recipient list or multiple lists
4. Choose the desired template
Start by defining the following parameters
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Title of the letter
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Select the recipient lists (you can select both preset and individually created lists)
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Select a template (you can use system templates or your own templates)
Recipient list
In the next step, you will see an overview of your recipients and have the option to remove individual people from the recipient list.
You will also be notified if a selected recipient has opted out of this communication channel.
Non-included members will be listed in a second tab separately.
Preview and generation process
All letters for the serial message are generated first and can then be reviewed by you. Canceling the sending process is still possible at this point.
You also have the option to download the first letter as a PDF or create a test print, allowing you to review your message.
If you decide to send the letter, the cost will be invoiced along with the monthly PerfectGym Next fees. The price includes printing, folding, envelope, and postage.
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You can choose the print settings as follows:
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Standard letter (B/W, single-sided print)
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Standard letter (Color, single-sided print)
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Large letter (B/W, single-sided print)
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Large letter (Color, single-sided print)
Depending on the selection, the price of the shipment varies. -
"Save serial letter" creates the letter in the overview
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Overview
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Your serial message is now displayed in the overview
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Clicking on the serial message opens the detail view
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You can now send your serial message via "Send Message"
Studio Messages
The studio messages are automatically displayed both in the app and on the online member portal on your studio page.
You can send pictures or media links.
Through the visibility setting, you can determine whether only your customers or all other visitors to your Studio page can see your message.
The send date allows you to plan the message for a future date and time, should you not want to send it immediately.
You can also decide whether to send a push notification to app users.
Once you've created your message, you will find it on the studio messages overview page.
If the message has been scheduled, you can still edit or remove it until it's sent.
Administration
In the "Administration" section, you will find three subsections that form the backbone of your communication:
1. Templates
2. Designs
3. Notification Rules
All three areas are pre-configured and ready to use. Adjust the settings to your needs and unlock the full potential of PerfectGym Next's communication features!
Templates
The basis for each message is a template. In the PerfectGym Next Communication area, there is a dedicated section under Administration for managing your studio templates.
PerfectGym Next distinguishes between two different types of templates:
System Templates
These templates are provided directly by PerfectGym Next and are linked to specific actions you perform in your studio’s daily operations. They are marked with a lock icon in the template overview. Here, you'll find cancellation confirmations, dunning letters, pause confirmations, and notifications about returned direct debits. All system templates are easy to edit and can be customized with your own text. However, deleting system templates is not possible.
Custom Templates
You can also create your own templates for individual or serial letters at any time. These templates won’t be generated automatically for specific actions like system templates, but can be selected for self-created single or serial messages. You can delete your custom templates at any time and also set which of your locations this template should be available for (if you have more than one location).
Furthermore, there are various editing options:
Insert placeholders
By inserting a hash (#), you can add placeholders that pull information from the member's data record when generating the letter. If you type in a hash (#), a menu will appear.
Placeholder Types
There are two types of placeholders that you can add to the templates:
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Type 1 – “Placeholders without additional information”: These are placeholders you can insert into any message. This type of placeholder does not require any additional information from the customer’s data record, such as a registered pause, cancellation, etc.
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1. General:
#CurrentDate – Inserts today’s date into the letter.*Once the message is sent, this value is permanently set and will not update.
#Signature – Inserts a signature element into the letter. This includes the studio’s location, the current date, and a space for a handwritten signature. -
2. Member Information:
#FirstName
#LastName
#MembershipNumber
#Salutation – Based on the member's gender: “Dear Mr.” or “Dear Ms.”
#Birthday
#Age
#QRCode(Member) *Requires hardware -
3. Member Contact Information
#Email
#PhonePrivate
#PhoneBusiness
#MobilePrivate
#MobileBusiness
#Street
#HouseNumber
#PostalCode
#City -
4. Member Bank Details
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5. Studio Contact Information
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6. Studio Information
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7. Studio Contact Information
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8. Studio Bank Details
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Type 2 – “Placeholders with additional information”: These placeholders refer to specific information about your member that must be entered into the customer’s data record, such as a cancellation, pause, or appointment.
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1. Cancellation
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2. Pause
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3. Returned Debit
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4. Dunning Process
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5. Appointments
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In the template overview, you can always click the three-dot menu of your templates to edit or delete them later.
When editing a template, familiar editing options similar to word processing programs are available to you.
The design of the letter can also be changed here afterward.
Designs
To ensure that your communication also visually matches your preferences, this section allows you to customize the designs for the respective templates.
1. Email – Simple (Without logo and graphical elements)
2. Email – Modern (With graphical elements)
3. Business Letter – Simple (Without footer and graphical elements)
4. Business Letter – (With footer and logo)
5. Letter – (A freely uploaded design PDF, similar to letterhead)
Certain layout elements in the letters are unchangeable as they must conform to the respective letter standards – for example, DIN 5008 in Germany
Create Design
A "Design" in PerfectGym Next can be thought of like a type of letterhead.
You can upload a design that fits your business, for example, using your brand's colors.
There are no limits to your creativity! Create a design for Christmas with tinsel or for birthdays with balloons.
If you create a template for birthday messages, for example, you can choose the appropriate balloon design for those greetings.
Create Letter Design
- How do I create such a Design?
- You design the "letterhead" that you want to use and create a PDF of it. This PDF will later be placed as a "background" beneath the body of the text.
- Ensure that the template you create follows DIN 5008 standards for formal letters.
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The page dimensions of the template should also conform to A4: 210 × 297 mm.
- Select a PDF as a template
- Choose the location of the PDF file you want to use as a template.
- By clicking "Open," the PDF file will be uploaded into PerfectGym Next.
- Choose your design in the design template overview
- You can now select your design from the design template overview.
- You can make adjustments to your design template at any time or delete the design altogether.
- Use the created design
- If you select one of your own or a system template, you can switch between the saved designs by clicking on the "brush" icon at the top right: "no rocket science – just MAGIC."
Email Design
- Mandatory placeholders
- It is important to include two mandatory placeholders when creating a new design:
- ${content.content} – Marks the content area within the email design. All text entered when creating the email will be placed in this area.
- ${footer.unsubscribeLink} – Link to the unsubscribe form for email notifications. Legally, this function must be provided in every email.
- Both placeholders must be used in the HTML design and will be checked before saving.
- Once saved, the new design can be selected in the email templates or for individual emails.
- It is important to include two mandatory placeholders when creating a new design:
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Select your design in the design template overview:
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You can now select your own design in the design template overview.
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At any time, you can still make changes to your design template or delete the design.
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Use the created design
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If you select one of your own or a system template, you can switch between the saved designs by clicking on "Design" at the top right.
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Additional Placeholders
In addition to the mandatory fields, there are a number of optional placeholders that allow you to dynamically expand the design. Due to the large number of placeholders, we provide them in the appendix of the document.
You can find more about this topic in the Help Center article "Creating Email Templates"!
Notification Rules
To keep track of everything, you can find all notification rules in one place. This overview provides the following information about each rule:
1. Event – What event triggers this rule?
2. Template – Which template is used?
3. Dispatch Type – Automatic or with confirmation?
4. Type – Communication channel
5. Status – Active or inactive?(Only one rule can be active per event!)
In the communications center under Administration/Notification Rules, you will find a pre-configured list of all events – for letters, SMS, and emails. You can activate new rules and deactivate existing ones.
To do this, go to the top right and click Create Configuration. Give the configuration a name and click Save.
Your new rule will now appear in the overview. Using the three-dot menu, you can make adjustments as usual or delete the configuration.
To set the parameters, select the configuration.
A new overview will open, showing all the events and notification rules already set for your configuration. To add more rules, click Add Notification Rule at the top right.
In the next step, you can select the events in PerfectGym Next, as well as Dispatch Type, Communication Channel, and Template you want to associate with your notification rule.
How do notification rules work?
Notification rules link a specific event (e.g., "Freeze period added") to a communication channel (e.g., email) and a suitable template (e.g., "Freeze confirmation"). PerfectGym Next automatically detects when a defined event occurs and generates a message for the member using the selected template.
Example Use Case
When creating an appointment, a dialog appears with the option to "remind before the appointment." Simply check the box and define the lead time, and the pre-set template from the rule will be used.
The participant will now receive a reminder for their appointment at the selected time and via the channel set in the rule's conditions.
Example Use Case for Fully Automated Notifications
The second variant is fully automated and sends the message to the member without any confirmation dialog. This variant is typically used for birthday events. On the day of the birthday (or the day before for letters), a birthday message is automatically generated based on the template and sent directly to the member – completely without user action.