🎥 Create links & calendar invites with Zoom as you schedule online activities.
Virtual events are in high demand, which is why we've made it possible to organize virtual session or drop-in activities that work with any online meeting platform. Simply paste your meeting link in SmartRec to give participants and staff secure access to join the online fun.
In this article:
1. How to set up an online activity
The main difference when you set up an online activity vs an in-person one is the Activity location. An online activity happens on a video platform (not in a facility). In-person activities can only be assigned to facilities and online activities to platforms.
In the Schedule & Resources section, click + Add Schedule:
Recurrence: As usual, choose between one time only, daily, weekly or every month.
Activity location: Here's where you choose In-person or Online. An online activity occurs on a meeting platform instead of at a facility. Get the meeting link from the video conferencing platform (preferably right away) and paste it in the 'Link to join activity' field before the activity starts. You can click to modify the occurrence(s) if you need to tailor individual occurrences with a different online meeting platform, meeting link, start/end time, and/or staff.
📹 Pro tip: If you want to automatically create meeting links and calendar invites as you schedule online activities, try SmartRec's Zoom integration!Assign staff: Online activities show in the staff's schedule.
Save the schedule. For Holidays, put a check on Display Location on invoice so the meeting link shows on the participant's invoice confirmation. Save the activity.
💡 An effective way of giving staff access to the meeting link is by having
a calendar invite emailed to staff when the first participant registers.
2. How to register & attend an online activity
A camera icon in the store means the activity is hosted online. The meeting link never shows in public.
After purchasing an online activity, an email with the meeting link is sent to the client's inbox, as well as their personal account (under Communications). On the day of the activity, staff and registered participants just need to click the meeting link to join.
2.1 How do staff join
Admins with permission to configure activities in the back office can see the link to join in the activity's schedule. However, since not all staff necessarily have access to the organization's back office, the easiest way to share the meeting link with assigned staff is by enabling a calendar invite when the first participant registers to the online activity. Not only does the invite get sent to the staff's email account, but it's also saved in the Communication tab of their personal account.
After staff have joined the meeting, they can take attendance on the virtual attendance list or with the Amilia app.
📽️ When hosting the online activity, staff must log into the meeting
platform with the organization's login details.
If not, they'll join as a participant rather than as the host.
2.2 How do participants join
Registered participants can find the meeting link in their personal account:
Home tab
Scroll to My calendar and check the Upcoming events for an online meeting link.
Communication tab
In the Communication tab, click View on the invoice notification and/or the calendar invitation (if one was sent). These messages should also be sent to their email inbox.
3. Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which video conferencing platforms can I use to host online activities?
1. Which video conferencing platforms can I use to host online activities?
All of them! If you don't see the video conferencing platform in the drop menu, choose 'Other' and then provide the name so it shows in the store.
We recommend Amilia SmartRec's Zoom integration which connects your Zoom account to your SmartRec back office so that meeting links and staff calendar invites are generated as you create online activities!
2. What if participants can't see the link(s) to join?
2. What if participants can't see the link(s) to join?
Check the activity's configuration to see if the location is checked to appear on the invoice. If so, the link appears on the copy of the invoice confirmation in the Communication tab of their personal account (The meeting link needs to have been added to the activity by the time the participant registers).
Otherwise, the meeting link shows in their calendar's next 5 Upcoming events. If a meeting link has been added by an admin but doesn't show in the registered participant's personal account, please contact us at support@amilia.com.
3. What if I don't want to use online activities?
3. What if I don't want to use online activities?
If you're not interested in online activities at this time, contact us at support@amilia.com and we'll turn it off for you. Keep in mind the intention is to make online activities available to all in the near future so we encourage you to take advantage of this early access opportunity!
4. How can I find online activities in the store?
4. How can I find online activities in the store?
As we work on filtering for online activities in the store, we recommend creating and linking tags in the interim to make it easier for clients to find and register to online activities.
* Last updated in January 2024