Punchpass integrates with Zoom to let you offer online classes.
With the Zoom integration turned on:
You can turn any Punchpass class into an online class hosted with Zoom;
Your instructors can start the online class with one click;
and Punchpass will send out automated email reminders with the link to join.
Preparation: Setting up a Zoom account
First, sign up for a Zoom account.
In your Zoom account settings, please make sure:
your Personal Meeting ID (PMI) is TURNED OFF. Here is how to ensure the settings are correct: https://www.notion.so/punchpass/Zoom-Punchpass-Problems-with-Personal-Meeting-ID-b457d0ba8f384656839f6e979c14ccaf
to remove any modifications you have made to require stricter passwords. When using the Punchpass Zoom integration, Punchpass will automatically generate secure passwords for your Zoom meetings.
You can review this setting in Zoom by navigating to Account Management and then Account Settings and removing any requirements.
Connect Zoom to Punchpass
Log into Punchpass with your Admin account, click Manage > Settings, and navigate to the Integrations section.
Press the Connect To Zoom button and use your Zoom credentials to authorize Punchpass as an app on your Zoom account.
When Zoom is successfully connected to your Punchpass account, you'll see the following:
Using Zoom with Punchpass
Here's how to turn your classes into online classes using the Zoom integration:
Turn Individual Classes into Online Zoom Classes
From the Schedule, click on the class you want to enable, click the Actions dropdown and select "Turn Class into Online Zoom Class":
The class details page will now show that the class is Online, and include the Zoom Meeting/Class Join URL. Punchpass automatically creates the Zoom meeting in your account too!
You can also quickly turn the class into a Zoom class from the calendar
From the public schedule, click on the three-dot icon to the right of the class name:
This opens a pop-up on the calendar, select the link to Turn into a Zoom Online Class:
And you'll see a status message to show that the class has changed to an online class. The class now has the flag "online" on the schedule too.
Starting Zoom Classes in Punchpass
To START the class, you or your instructors with access navigate to the class and will press the Click here to START online class button.
This button will appear 20-30 minutes before the class time and will be active for 2 hours. If the button does not appear then we recommend refreshing your browser.
You can also log into your Zoom account, click on the meeting and start the meeting from directly from Zoom.
We recommend sharing your host Zoom account login credentials with your instructors who need to host a meeting so if they need to, they can start the meeting from Zoom.
Note: If your instructor is using Windows, this button will not allow them to start a meeting unless they have the Zoom host login credentials.
The Customer Experience
If in the class settings, you have turned on email reminders, the customer will receive the link for the online class when they make a reservation.
They will also receive an email reminder with the link to join, which is automatically sent 20-30 minutes prior to the class.
In the My Reservations section of their customer account, customers can access the online class links at any time and also add the events to their favorite calendars.
When it's time for class, they'll click on the link to join!
If the online class is happening with our Zoom integration, Zoom will prompt them to download their app, but they will not need a Zoom account to attend!
Here's an example of what a link looks like in an email:
Recording Zoom Classes
We are working on trying to record the sessions automatically - however we recommend you change your settings to ensure that happens. Log into Zoom and go to Settings, Recordings, then turn on Automatic Recording.
This integration makes it VERY easy to create online classes - give it a try for your studio.
Here is a video for you to send to your customers on how to access the zoom class:
Mark Attendance
We recommend marking all reservations as attended if you are sending a link to the recording or using the Class Content feature to provide the video to everyone who registered. That way you can mark them as attending even if they weren't there 'live'.
Limitations To Keep In Mind
Meeting Limit on Zoom Free Plan
The primary limitation for the FREE Zoom plan is the meeting can only be 40 minutes long. So you can really only teach a 30 min class. You are also limited to 100 participants...but that isn't much of a limit!
You may want to look into the paid Zoom plans if you want to support longer classes, record to the cloud, and allow more attendees!
Classes Cannot Overlap
Because a host can only have one meeting going at a time, online classes cannot overlap.
Using the Waiting Room feature
You can turn this feature ON or OFF in your Zoom account.
The changes you make to your Zoom settings will affect future meetings Punchpass creates. This means that any pre-existing online classes already on your schedule will need to be updated in Zoom to use this feature.
Using an Alternative Host is not supported
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm changing Zoom accounts; I will be disconnecting my current Zoom account and connecting to a new Zoom account. What do I do?
When you connect a new Zoom account to Punchpass, you'll notice the pre-existing meeting links will still be there for your online classes.
This is because the Punchpass integration with Zoom creates the class meeting links two weeks in advance.
You have two options for how to handle this!
Option 1: You can manually recreate the online class links.
To create new Zoom links for individual classes: Navigate to the class details page, and from the Actions menu, select the option to Disable Online Class.
This turns an online class into an in-person class and removes the link.
Now to create a new Zoom link, you'll once again select the Actions menu, and now you'll see a new option, to Turn Class into Online Zoom Class; select this option and you'll have a new Zoom link for the class.
Option 2: You can reach out to the team and we'll rebuild your online class links for you!
Yes, really!
My Zoom account disconnected, what happened?
There are a couple of reasons that Zoom can disconnect, but usually, it means that the Zoom account is signed in somewhere else.
And if you've set up Alternative Hosts with your Zoom account, please remove them.
Zoom has pretty strict authentication guidelines now, so this disconnects the connection with Punchpass and triggers us to send that email notice to you!