How Geofences Work

How Geofences Work

A Brief Explanation

Geofences display to the user in the same way as push notifications, but with a different workflow process. They are based on the user's location and are triggered when they cross through a GPS area designated by the app's administrator. When this event occurs, they receive a push notification like the one below:


Setting Up A Geofence Message

To set up a Geofence, follow these steps:
  1. Log into your Gallus admin dashboard.
  2. Navigate to the Geofences page.

  3. Click Create towards the top of the page.

  4. On the ensuing page, Fill out the following sections:
    1. Give your Geofence a Name. (This is only for your reference as an app admin.)
    2. Search Google Maps for the location you'd like to create a message for.
      1. NOTE: If the map is not displaying correctly, check that you are running on Google Chrome and that Flash is enabled.
    3. Adjust the circle to the proper size by clicking/holding the white dots on the edge and dragging in or out.
      1. NOTE: Geofences can be as small as 250 meters or as large as 5 kilometers. If you're asking us, the smaller the better as it makes the message more targeted.
    4. Notification Type should always be set to Push.
    5. Choose an Action, which is where the message will take a user when they tap on it. Choose from the following:
      1. Open Home Screen (Takes the user to the Home Screen of your app).
      2. Open Website (Takes the user to a specific website url you designate).
      3. Go To App Page (Takes the user to a specific page in your app). Choose from the following:
        1. Food & Beverage
        2. News (Allows you to link to a specific News item instead of just the section)
        3. Tee Times
        4. Leaderboard
        5. Offer Locker
        6. Mobile Check-In (if enabled for your app)
        7. Custom Button (any button in the Side Menu)
      1. TIP: For off-course Geofences, set the Action to Open App Page ---> Tee Times to get them there faster.
    6. Enter your Default Message, which will display to users as a push notification when they trigger the Geofence.
      1. NOTE: Limited to 120 characters
    7. Set your Notification Frequency to limit how often a user can receive the message.
      1. NOTE: The least amount of time that must pass between a user receiving a message and receiving again is 24 hours. Through this setting you can extend that up to 30 days.
    8. Active controls whether or not the message is sending out.
  5. Click Create to finish setting it up!
After creating your first Geofence, continue adding up to 20 depending on your market and specific needs.
Need ideas? Click HERE to view some!

Changing a Message For a Period of Time

Sometimes you want to change the Default Message to something different for a period of time (to promote an event, seasonal special, etc.) For more on Custom Geofence Messages, read our Custom Geofence Messages article.

What Is Required For Users to Receive Geofence Messages?

The following are required for a user to receive a Geofence Message:
  1. Your app downloaded to their phone.
  2. Push Notifications for your app set to Allow.
  3. Location Services set to Always Allow.

Tutorial Video



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