Messaging and notifications

Keep every conversation with families and coaches in one place instead of WhatsApp groups, email threads and texts. Messages are instant, every conversation is saved, and the right people see the right threads.

Find your way around Messages#

Open Messages from the left menu.

• Left: all your conversations, most recent first, each with a photo, name, last message and date.
• Right: the open conversation. Your messages appear on the right in teal and others on the left in grey, each with a timestamp.
• Top: + New Message and search.

At the bottom of a conversation you can type a message, add an emoji, attach a file or record a voice message.

Messages work like the chat apps parents already use, with reactions, editing, deleting, mentions and search.

Send a message#

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1. Click + New Message.
2. Search for or scroll to the person, and click their name.
3. Type your message and tap send.

They get a notification straight away and can reply in the same thread.

Message several people#

1. Click + New Message.
2. Tick everyone you want to include.
3. Click Next, type your message and send.

Everyone gets the message and sees each other’s replies.

Narrow the list with filters#

When choosing people, click Filters to narrow the list by:

• Contact type: coach, parent, member, admin
• Level: for example Red, Blue, Advanced
• Event type: a program
• Age: a minimum and maximum

Click Apply Filters, then select the people you want. For example, parents of children aged 8 to 12, or every coach at Red level.

Messaging groups#

A group is a saved conversation with a set list of people, so you don’t pick them again every time.

1. Start a message with several people (see above).
2. Name the group so its purpose is obvious: “Red Level Coaches” or “Monday Class Parents”, not “Group 1”.
3. Send your first message. The group is saved in your conversations.

To add someone, open the group and click Add Members (or +). They’re notified and can see the full history. To remove someone, open the group’s settings, choose Edit Members and click Remove. They won’t see new messages.

Class chats are automatic. Every class gets its own chat group for its coaches and students.

Groups that work well:

• By level: “Red Level Coaches”, “Blue Level Parents”
• By schedule: “Monday Class Parents”, “Weekend Program Coaches”
• By purpose: “Tournament Committee”, “New Enrolments”, “Admin Team”
• By cohort: “Term 3 New Students”, “Scholarship Program”

You can also build groups in the Directory. See Groups.

Search conversations#

Click the search bar and choose:

• Search Chat to find a conversation by person or group name.
• Search Messages to find a keyword inside messages, like “makeup” or “tournament”, when you can’t remember who said it.

Announcements by push, email and SMS#

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Send an announcement to one person, a group, a program or the whole club, by push notification, email or SMS.

• Push notifications are free and unlimited.
• Email is sent through Outcoach. Replies go to your admin account, so your personal address stays private.
• SMS reaches parents who don’t have the app open. Use it for things that can’t be missed.
• Parents see every past announcement and SMS in the Announcements tab of their app.

To notify everyone in one class, open the class and use Send Notification.

SMS costs#

SMS is included under a fair use policy of about 2 texts per student per month. If you need more, talk to us and we’ll pass the cost on at cost, about 5 cents per SMS.

Automatic reminders#

Outcoach sends reminders for you, with nothing for coaches to manage:

• Before every class. You choose how many days ahead. Parents get a version with their child’s name, students get their own.
• Before invoice due dates.
• When goals and tasks are due.

Notification inbox and settings#

Every user has a notification inbox in the app, grouped by day: payments, schedule changes, goal feedback, new photos and messages. Each person can choose which types of notification they get.

Communication settings#

If you want all parent communication to go through the head coach, turn off direct parent-to-coach messaging in settings.

Good messaging habits#

• Be clear. “Tuesday’s class moves to 4:30 pm (was 4:00 pm) because of venue maintenance” beats “Class might be at a different time”.
• Ask for a specific reply. “Please reply YES or NO by Friday.”
• Keep it warm and professional. Not too formal, not too casual.
• Send at sensible times, between about 7 am and 9 pm, unless it’s urgent. Send routine updates at a regular time, like Monday morning.
• Don’t flood groups. Once a week is often enough for routine updates.
• Reply quickly to direct questions from parents.
• Respect privacy. Only add people to groups they should be in, and don’t share private details in group chats.

When to use what#

Example workflows#

Schedule change. Open the “Red Hotshots Tuesday Parents” group and send: “Tomorrow’s Red Hotshots (Tuesday 4:00 pm) moves to Court 3 because of maintenance. Everything else is the same.”

Tournament numbers. Click + New Message, filter to parents in your tennis program, select the eligible families and send: “We’re running a tournament on [date] at [venue]. Please reply YES or NO by [date].” Replies arrive in one thread.

Weekly tips. Create an “All Parents: Weekly Tips” group and post a tip or short video every Monday. Parents can ask questions in the thread.

Coach planning. Create a “Red Level Coach Team” group to agree on who’s ready to move up next term.

Troubleshooting#