Notification Flows are how Kilo GMS sends automatic emails and SMS to your athletes, coaches, and staff when specific events happen in your gym. They're built in the Automation Flow Builder and give you a way to communicate consistently without having to remember to send each message manually.
Kilo GMS ships with a set of pre-built flows that cover common gym scenarios (class reminders, waitlist notifications, payment confirmations), and you can create your own to fit anything else your gym needs.
What You Can Do with Notification Flows
Send automatic email or SMS notifications when GMS events happen
Choose who receives each notification (athlete, coach, or staff)
Enable or disable pre-built flows without deleting them
Edit an existing flow's trigger, recipient, or message
Name each flow so it's easy to identify in your list
Reuse message templates across multiple flows
An Important Note on SMS Usage
The same Twilio phone number connected to your Gym Lead Machine account is also connected to Kilo GMS for the purposes of SMS notifications. Your agreement includes 1,200 SMS segments per month, and overage charges apply beyond that limit.
Use SMS notifications thoughtfully to avoid overages. When you do use SMS, keep the messages short and specific so each send uses as few segments as possible.
Notification Flows vs. the Kilo GMS-GLM Integration: Which Should You Use?
Kilo GMS has two ways to trigger automatic actions in response to gym events, and they work together but do different things. Here's how to tell them apart.
Notification Flows live inside Kilo GMS and produce a single, linear outcome: one email or one SMS goes out when the trigger fires. You'd use a Notification Flow when the action you want is simply "send this message to this person."
The Kilo GMS-GLM Integration connects Kilo GMS events to your Gym Lead Machine account so a GMS event can kick off something more complex on the GLM side, like a multi-step workflow, a pipeline stage change, or a task assignment. You'd use the integration when the outcome you need is bigger than a single message.
Notification Flows | Kilo GMS-GLM Integration | |
|---|---|---|
Where it lives | Kilo GMS | Kilo GMS with actions in Gym Lead Machine |
Type of outcome | Single-action (one email or one SMS) | Multi-step (workflow, task, pipeline change) |
Triggered by | Kilo GMS business events like check-ins, payments, memberships, documents | Kilo GMS business events sent over to Gym Lead Machine |
Best for | Simple, direct communications like class reminders, receipts, and waitlist notices | Complex outcomes like starting a re-engagement workflow, assigning a coach a task, or moving a contact to a new pipeline stage |
A quick way to decide: if the outcome is "send someone a message," it's a Notification Flow. If the outcome is "do a bigger series of things," it's the Kilo GMS-GLM Integration.
Pre-Built Flows in Kilo GMS
Kilo GMS ships with a library of pre-built flows organized by category. All pre-built flows start out disabled, so you can review them and turn on only the ones your gym wants to use.
Categories of pre-built flows include:
Class Notifications for reminders, cancellations, and schedule changes
Athlete Reservations for confirmations and updates when athletes book in
Athlete Appointment and Waitlist notifications for one-on-one sessions and waitlist movement
Athlete Payment notifications for successful payments, failures, and payment method updates
To see the full list, go to Notifications → Automation Flow Builder in your Kilo GMS menu.
Creating a New Flow
Go to Notifications → Automation Flow Builder in your Kilo GMS menu.
Select your triggering action from the Trigger menu.
Select the recipient type for this flow:
Athlete — the athlete assigned to the class, appointment, or payment.
Coach — the coach assigned to the class or appointment.
Staff — the Notification Email listed in your Kilo GMS account settings.
Select the notification type: email or SMS.
Select an existing message template or create a new one for this flow.
The Description helps you identify this template for future use or editing.
For email flows, set the Subject line.
Build the body of the message using the text editor and available custom values, which fill in the correct information for each notification.
A flow name is now required before you can save any automation.
Save the new flow.
Once saved, the flow is automatically enabled and starts running the next time its trigger fires.
Naming and Navigating your Flows
The Name column is now shown on the main Flows table
Rename a Flow by clicking the pencil icon
Update name and save
Available Triggers
Flows can be built around a range of GMS events. Available triggers include class check-ins, appointment bookings, athlete status changes, package changes, payment successes and failures, payment method updates, and unsigned documents, among others. New triggers are added over time as new features ship.
Two triggers worth flagging for staff who work closely with billing and paperwork:
Payment Method Updated fires whenever an athlete adds a new payment method or updates an existing one. It's useful for keeping staff aware of billing changes without having to check each athlete's profile manually.
Unsigned Document Reminder fires when a document has been created but remains unsigned after a number of days you choose. Set the window when you configure the trigger, and the flow fires automatically once that window passes for any unsigned document.
Enabling, Disabling, Editing, and Deleting Flows
Enabling and disabling a flow. When a new flow is created and saved, it's enabled automatically. To disable a flow you no longer want to run without deleting it, use the blue arrow action button to the right of the flow and select the disable option. Disabled flows stay in your list but do not fire when their trigger occurs.
Editing a flow. Click the blue arrow action button and select Edit. You can change any element of the flow except the message template. To update the message itself (email or SMS), edit the notification template in Templates — the new version updates automatically in every flow that uses it. If you want a one-off message just for this flow, you can also enter a new message directly from within the flow to override the template.
Deleting a flow. Click the blue arrow action button and select Delete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Notification Flows the same thing as Workflows in Gym Lead Machine?
No, they're separate systems. Notification Flows live in Kilo GMS and produce a single email or SMS in response to a GMS event. Workflows live in Gym Lead Machine and can produce multi-step outcomes across the GLM system. The two can work together through the Kilo GMS-GLM Integration when you need a GMS event to trigger a bigger GLM outcome, but the systems themselves are distinct.
Why send business-event notifications from Kilo GMS instead of from Gym Lead Machine?
Because Kilo GMS is where the business data lives. Attendance, memberships, payments, documents — all of this is tracked in Kilo GMS. When you want to send a notification based on one of those events, it's most reliable to send it directly from GMS. Gym Lead Machine doesn't have direct access to those same business metrics, so it's not the right tool for those notifications.
When should I use the Kilo GMS-GLM Integration instead of a Notification Flow?
Use the integration when your desired outcome is more complex than sending a single message. If you want a GMS event to start a full workflow, assign a task, or move a contact to a new pipeline stage in Gym Lead Machine, that's what the integration is for. Notification Flows are for single-action email or SMS sends.
Can I create flows for business metrics like attendance milestones or membership anniversaries?
Yes, you can build additional flows for business metrics directly in the Automation Flow Builder. Because Kilo GMS is the source of truth for those metrics, it's the right place to build triggers around them.
What happens to a message template when I edit it?
Every flow that uses the template updates automatically when you save the new version. You do not need to edit each flow individually. If you only want to change the message for one specific flow, override the template from inside that flow rather than editing the template itself.
Where do 'Staff' notifications go?
Staff notifications are sent to the Gym Email address configured in your Kilo GMS account settings. They're not routed to individual staff members. If you need to notify a specific person, use the Athlete or Coach recipient type when their user is assigned to the relevant class, appointment, or profile.
Helpful Tips
Review the full list of pre-built flows before creating custom ones. Many common scenarios are already covered and just need to be enabled.
Use the Description field on message templates to explain what each template is for. Future you will thank present you when you're editing flows six months from now.
If you want the same message to go out for several different triggers, build one template and reference it from each flow rather than duplicating the message.
Keep SMS messages short. Every SMS you send counts toward your monthly segment allowance, and longer messages use more segments per send.
When Notification Flows Are Most Helpful
Reminding athletes about upcoming classes or appointments
Confirming reservations, cancellations, and waitlist movement
Notifying staff about payment failures or successful payments
Alerting staff when an athlete adds or updates a payment method
Chasing down unsigned waivers or contracts automatically
Sending automatic milestone messages tied to attendance, membership renewals, or package changes
If you have questions about Notification Flows in Kilo GMS, our Support team is happy to help. Reach us at hello@usekilo.com.