Replying in a conversation
To reply, open the conversation and type in the box at the bottom. GymOS offers the channels that will reach that person, suggests the one they last used, and tells you who will see your reply. This article explains each part.
Choosing the response channel
The buttons above the box are the media channels available for this person: Chat, SMS, WhatsApp and Email. Only those that can reach them are shown. Where one is missing, a grey line explains why, for example Chat isn’t available – Sam doesn’t have the app.
| You are writing to | Channels offered |
|---|---|
| A member, as your gym | Chat (if they use the FitnessHub app), SMS, WhatsApp (if your gym has it and they have a mobile number) and Email |
| A lead, as your gym | SMS, WhatsApp and Email. Chat needs the app, which leads do not have. |
| A member, as yourself | Chat (if they use the app) and Email from your own address |
| A lead, as yourself | |
| A group, or the community | Chat only |
“Uses the FitnessHub app” means the member has downloaded and signed in to the mobile app it at least once.
The channel suggested
- If the last message in the conversation came from them, the reply starts on the channel they used. A text gets a text back, an email gets an email.
- Otherwise it starts on Chat where that is available, and SMS where it is not.
- You can change it at any time. Switching channel keeps what you have typed.
Send messages as your gym, or as you as an individual
Chat and email can be sent in the gym’s name or in your own. Two buttons let you choose, and a line beneath tells you exactly where the reply will go:
- As your gym. Replying as your gym – shared with your colleagues. The reply joins the gym’s conversation with that person, where your whole team can see it and answer whatever comes back.
- As you. Replying privately – only you and Sam see it. The reply joins your own conversation with them, and is marked with a violet Private badge. An email sent this way comes from your own address, so their answer returns to you. See Your own email address.
Texts and WhatsApp messages always come from your gym’s number, so they are always the gym’s. The buttons are hidden for those.
“Privately” means the message is yours rather than the gym’s. Your colleagues will not see it in their own list, but they can read it on the person’s record.
Writing your message
- Chat, SMS and WhatsApp: press Enter to send, and Shift+Enter for a new line.
- Email: Enter starts a new line. Press Ctrl+Enter to send, or use the Send button. A Subject box appears, already filled with Re: Your message, and the box becomes taller.
Formatting
The same three commonly used marks work on every channel. Put them tight around the words you want formatted:
| Type | To get |
|---|---|
| *bold* | bold |
| _italic_ | italic |
| ~strike~ |
Chat, email and WhatsApp show the formatting. An SMS text cannot, so GymOS the marks are removed before a text is sent.
Maximum reply length
| Channel | LENGTH Limit |
|---|---|
| Chat | 4,000 characters |
| SMS | 1,600 characters |
| 4,096 characters | |
| Email reply | 20,000 characters |
As you type a text, a counter shows how many texts it will be sent as, for example 172 characters · 2 texts. A single text holds 160 characters, and 153 each when a message is split across several. An emoji, or an unusual character, reduces that to 70 and 67, and the counter adds (special characters).
Replying by WhatsApp
If the person has messaged your gym on WhatsApp within the last 24 hours, you can reply in your own words. Otherwise the box is replaced by a button, Choose an approved template. See WhatsApp templates, the 24-hour window and the text fallback.
Ticks, typing and the New line
- Ticks. In a conversation with one member, a message from your side shows a single tick once it is sent, and ✓✓ Read once the member has opened the conversation in the FitnessHub app. That is true of emails and texts as well as chat: it means they have seen the conversation in the app, not that they opened the email itself. Leads, groups and the community have no ticks.
- WhatsApp messages show WhatsApp’s own ticks instead: Sent, Delivered and Read.
- Typing. While somebody is writing a chat message, the other side sees Sam is typing…
- The New line. When you open a conversation, a line marked New shows where the messages you have not yet read begin.
If a reply is not sent
A problem is shown under the box, and your message stays where it is, so that you can put it right and send it again. For example:
- Not sent – check they have a mobile number that can receive texts.
- Not sent – check they have an email address.
- Not sent – they do not have the app, so chat is not available.
- Not sent – the connection failed. Your message is still here; try again.
Nothing is added to the conversation for a reply that was not sent.
Scenarios where you cannot reply
- A colleague’s own conversation. Only they can reply in it. Use the gym’s conversation with that person.
- An unrecognised sender. Replying is not available yet. Match them to a member or a lead first.
- A lead who has become a member. Message them from their member record, where their history has moved.
- A lead whose record is closed. Their conversations can be read, but nothing can be sent.
Where the notice reads Replies are turned off for this conversation – members cannot answer, but staff can still post, you can reply as normal. It is the member who cannot.
What a reply cannot do
A reply is simpler than a new message composition. A reply is sent immediately, to that one conversation. To attach a file, schedule a message for later, save a draft, or write to several people at once, use New message. See Sending a new message.
Common questions
Why can I not choose Chat?
The member has not signed in to the FitnessHub app, or the person is a lead. The grey line under the buttons says which.
Why is there no SMS button?
Either you are replying as yourself, and texts always come from the gym, or you are in a group or the community, which are chat only.
Where did my reply go?
As you puts it in your own conversation with that person, marked Private. As your gym puts it in the gym’s conversation, for your colleagues to see.
Can my colleagues see my private messages?
Not in their own list, but they can read them on the member’s or lead’s record. This is intentional. No gym communication is ever hidden.
What does “Read” mean?
The member has opened that conversation in the FitnessHub app since you sent the message.
I pressed Enter and it sent before I had finished.
In chat, SMS and WhatsApp, Enter sends. Use Shift+Enter for a new line. In an email, Enter is a new line.
Can two of us reply at the same time?
Yes. Nothing is locked. You will each see the other’s reply appear.
Does opening a conversation mark it as read for everyone?
A message to the gym, yes, except for a member’s mentor, who must read it themselves. Your own conversations are yours alone.