What you will accomplish

You will create a community channel—a shared space in the customer portal where customers read announcements or join discussions. When you finish, customers who use the portal can open the channel from their community area.

When to use community channels

• Facility-wide announcements (hours, weather closures, policy updates).
• Event reminders after you create a social event.
• Member discussion for car clubs or interest groups.

Before you start

• Decide the channel purpose (announcements only, event updates, or open discussion).
• Confirm the customer portal community feature is on in Settings > Customer portal.
• Decide whether customers may post, or only staff.
• Prepare a one-sentence description customers will understand.

Step 1: Open Community

1. Open Marketing & Events

   Go to Marketing & Events.

2. Click Community

   Click the Community tab. You can also open Marketing & Events > Community directly.

3. Review existing channels

   The Community Channels list shows each channel name, description, member count, and message count.

Expected result: You see channels your team already uses, or an empty list ready for your first channel.

Step 2: Create a channel

1. Click Create Channel

   Click Create Channel in the top-right area.

2. Enter Channel Name

   Type a short name customers will understand. Examples: Announcements, Event Updates, Member Discussion.

3. Add a Description

   Explain what belongs in this channel. Example: "Important facility updates and event reminders."

4. Add an Icon Emoji (optional)

   Pick one emoji so the channel is easy to spot in the portal list.

5. Choose Default Channel

   Turn on Default Channel if every new customer should join automatically—good for announcements.

6. Choose Read-only

   Turn on Read-only if only staff should post. Leave it off if customers may reply.

7. Click Create Channel

   Click Create Channel to save.

Expected result: The new channel appears in the list. You can open it and post a welcome message.

Step 3: Use the channel after it is created

1. Open the channel

   Click the channel card (for example Announcements) to open the message thread.

2. Post a welcome message

   Add a first post that sets expectations.

   Example: "Welcome to Announcements. We post facility updates and event reminders here."

3. Watch unread badges

   A number badge on a channel means unread messages. Check channels regularly so customer questions are not missed.

4. Edit or remove a channel when needed

   Use the three-dot menu on a channel card to edit settings or delete a channel you no longer use.

Expected result: Customers see the channel in their portal community area and can read posts (and reply when the channel is not read-only).

Troubleshooting

What to do next

Promote an event by creating it with Create a social event, then paste the Share link into your channel.

For a broader email blast, use Create a campaign.