Automations in Coachway allow you to build sequences that trigger automatically based on specific events that you set. You set them up once, and they run for every client that matches - save a lot of time as no manual sending is required.
Most coaches use this when onboarding new clients: you sign up a new client, and Coachway automatically sends your welcome message, a getting-started guide, a check-in reminder on day three, and so on.
What can automations do?
Automations can send:
Text messages to the client’s chat
Video messages
Audio messages
Documents and PDFs - delivered to the client’s chat, their vault, or both
Important: Automations cannot assign workout programs or meal plans. They are designed for sending content and communication, not building training or nutrition plans.
Triggers - what starts an automation
There are 5 trigger types:
Trigger | When it triggers |
Client activation date | When a client is activated on the platform |
Coaching start date | Based on the date coaching officially begins |
Payment start date | When the client’s first payment is processed |
Onboarding form completed | When the client submits their onboarding form |
Manual trigger | You fire it yourself on a specific client |
Each step in the sequence is set a number of days after the trigger - Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and so on.
Send modes - how automations act
Each automation has three send modes to choose from:
Auto-send - fully automatic. The message goes out at the scheduled time with no input from you.
Smart send - If the client has an unread message, the step will not be run, and will be marked as blocked. Prevents messages landing at awkward times when an active conversation is already happening.
Review first - you approve each message before it goes out. Useful for sequences where you want to personalise before sending.
Setting up an automation
Go to Automations in the main navigation
Click Create automation
Select "Timeline Automation" or "Calendar Automation"
Give it a name (e.g. “New client onboarding - weight loss”)
Select your target mode
Select your trigger
Add your first step - choose the delay (e.g. day 1 or day 2), the action type (message, video, document), and the content
Add further steps as you need
Set your preferred send mode
Set the automation to Active in the top right
Once active, it runs automatically for every client that fits the trigger from that point forward.
Using tags for different client types
If you coach different types of clients, for example weight loss clients and muscle gain clients, you can use tags to organize them and streamline your potential automation setup.
When you create an automation and assign a tag to it (e.g. "Weight Loss"), Coachway will automatically suggest that automation when you activate a new client with the same tag.
This makes it easy to match the right onboarding flow to the right client type without having to remember which automation goes where.
Important: Tags do not retroactively trigger automations. Meaning if you have 50 existing clients tagged "Weight Loss" and you create a new automation with that tag, it will not automatically be assigned to those 50 clients. It only works moving forward.
Tips for a good onboarding sequence
A simple onboarding flow that works well:
Day 1 - Welcome message with what to expect in the first week
Day 1 - Welcome PDF or getting started document sent to vault
Day 2 - Short video from you explaining how the app works
Day 4 - Check-in reminder or motivational message
Day 8 - First week check-in prompt
Keep messages short and personal in tone. Smart send mode is recommended for most onboarding sequences so messages do not pile up if the client is actively chatting with you.
⚠️ Automations run from the moment you activate them. Clients who were activated before you set up the automation will not receive it retroactively. You would have to manually sent it.
Note: Automation Status Sync
By default, automations in Coachway follow the client's status. This means that if a client is in a pending, paused, or ended state when a step is scheduled to send, the automation will be blocked and the message will not go out.
To take one example: if you are using the "Onboarding form completed" trigger, this can sometimes cause steps to be blocked if the client has not yet been activated on the platform.
To prevent this, go to Settings and change Automation Status Sync to Always Send. This ensures your automations fire regardless of the client's current status.
