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How do Member Referrals work in Optix?

As an admin, learn how Member Referrals work, how to set up referral automations, and how to reward members who refer new users

Written by Raul Zhou

The Member Referrals feature in Optix lets you reward members who refer new users to your space. Each account is automatically assigned a unique referral code that can be shared with others. When a referred user signs up using that code and later pays their first invoice, Optix can trigger an automation to reward the referrer — whether that's allowance, invoice credit, or any other action you configure.

With Member Referrals, you can:

  • Grow your community organically: Encourage existing members to bring in new users through word-of-mouth

  • Reward loyal members: Automatically give referrers allowance, invoice credit, or other incentives when their referrals convert

  • Track referral activity: See which members are referring others and which referral codes are being used

  • Automate the entire process: Use Automations to handle rewards without any manual work

How Member Referrals work

Member Referrals connects three key pieces: referral codes, signup tracking, and automation triggers.
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1. Every account has a unique referral code

Each account in Optix is automatically assigned a unique referral code. This code is a short, human-readable string (e.g., ABC-1234) that members can share with others. Referral codes are visible to admins in the user's account panel in the dashboard.
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2. New users sign up with a referral code

Referral codes can be entered by new users across multiple Forms, including Sign-up, Tour, Drop-in, and Inquiry forms, as well as on mobile. When a new user enters a referral code during signup, Optix stores that code on the new user's account as the used referral code. This creates a link between the new user and the person who referred them.
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3. Payment triggers an automation

The Referral revenue generated automation trigger fires when an invoice is paid by an account that was referred by another account. The account enrolled in the automation is the referrer, not the referred account.

Note: By default, this trigger fires each time the referred account pays an invoice. Whether the referrer is enrolled once or multiple times depends on the Re-enrollment setting.

How to find and share referral codes

Admins can view referral information for any user in their dashboard:

  1. Navigate to Users from the left-hand menu
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  2. Click on a user to open their profile
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  3. In the Details section, you'll see two fields:
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    • Referral code — This user's unique code that they can share with others

    • Used referral code — The code this user entered when they signed up (if any), indicating who referred them

Members can access and copy their own referral code directly in the iOS Optix app by tapping More, then Details. This is not yet available in the Android app.

Note: Referral codes are visible to admins in the Optix dashboard and via the API. Members can view and copy their own referral code under More > Details in the iOS app; Android app support is not yet available.

How to set up a referral reward automation

To automatically reward referrers when their referrals convert:

  1. Go to Automations from the left-hand menu
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  2. Click New Automation and select Start from Scratch
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  3. Choose the trigger: Referral revenue generated
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  4. Add the actions you want to perform for the referrer, such as:
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    • Add allowance — Grant the referrer a fixed amount, or a percentage of the referred account's paid invoice, as allowance

    • Add invoice credit — Apply a credit to the referrer's next invoice

    • Send email or message — Notify the referrer that their referral has converted

    • Create task — Create an admin task to follow up with the referrer
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  5. Save and activate your automation

Note: With the Referral revenue generated trigger, use the Add allowance action with a percentage-based allowance amount to create a commission-style reward. For example, setting the allowance to 10% means if the referred account's invoice is $200, the referrer receives $20 in allowance.

Note: Automations also support the Account referral code variable, which you can insert into email and message templates to include the referrer's code in automated communications. The workflow builder's condition options also include Used valid referral code and Not used a valid referral code, which let you branch automation logic based on whether an account used a valid referral code at signup.

FAQs

Who gets enrolled in the referral automation — the referrer or the referred user?

The referrer (the person who shared their code) is enrolled in the automation. The referred user's invoice payment is what triggers it, but the automation actions are performed on the referrer's account.
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Can I also reward the referred user?

The "Referral revenue generated" trigger is designed to reward the referrer. To reward the referred user, you can create a separate automation using a trigger like New Active User or New Plan, then add conditions to narrow down who should receive the reward. The Automation builder's condition options also include Used valid referral code and Not used a valid referral code, which let you branch automation logic based on whether an account used a valid referral code at signup. You can then use actions like Add allowance or Add invoice credit to reward them. Depending on how you want to identify referred users, some manual review or a workaround may be needed.
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Where can users enter a referral code, and how do I control where it appears?

The referral code field is a User Property, which means you control exactly where it appears using the same User Properties settings you use for any other field. In User Settings → User Properties, you can enable or disable the referral code field for each of the following contexts, and set it as optional or required for each:

  • Sign-up, Tour, Drop-in, and Inquiry Forms — shown to users filling out web-based forms, regardless of whether the field is required or optional

  • User sign-up (mobile onboarding) — shown during the onboarding flow in the mobile app. See the note below about invite-only mode.

Important — invite-only mode: If your space uses "Users must be invited to gain access" and an admin adds a user directly as an active member, the user bypasses the standard onboarding flow and the referral code field will not be shown — even if it is enabled in User Properties.
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​The referral code field only appears during mobile onboarding for users who go through the standard signup flow (e.g., leads completing their onboarding).
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​If the referral code field is set as required in User Properties, it will be shown during onboarding; if it is set as optional, it will be skipped for active users.

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Does the trigger fire every time the referred account pays an invoice?

By default, the Referral revenue generated trigger fires each time the referred account pays an invoice. Whether the referrer is enrolled once or multiple times depends on the Re-enrollment setting.
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What format are referral codes?

Referral codes are short, human-readable strings based on the account name (e.g., ABC-1234). They are generated automatically for every account.
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Can I customize or change a user's referral code?

Referral codes are generated automatically by the system and cannot be manually changed at this time.
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Can members see their own referral code in the app?

Members can currently access and copy their own referral code in the iOS Optix app by tapping More, then Details. This is not yet available in the Android app. Referral codes are also visible to admins in the Optix dashboard and via the API.
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What automation variables and conditions are available for referral codes?

Automations support the Account referral code variable, which inserts the referrer's code into email and message templates. The workflow builder also includes two condition options: Used valid referral code and Not used a valid referral code, which let you branch automation logic based on whether an account used a valid referral code at signup.
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What does "percentage of generated revenue" mean in Add allowance?

With the Referral revenue generated trigger, the Add allowance action supports a percentage-based allowance amount, calculated as a percentage of the referred account's paid invoice total. For example, if set to 10% and the invoice is $500, the referrer receives $50 in allowance.
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Troubleshooting

The referral automation didn't trigger after the referred user paid.

  • Confirm the referred user has a used referral code on their account — this must be entered during signup via one of the supported Forms

  • Verify the automation's re-enrollment setting allows the referrer to be enrolled again if they've already been enrolled previously

  • Ensure the referring account exists in the same organization

  • Check that the automation is active and not paused

The referrer didn't receive their allowance or credit reward.

  • Check the automation enrollment history to confirm the referrer was enrolled

  • Verify the Add allowance or Add invoice credit action is configured correctly

  • If using percentage of revenue, confirm the referred user's invoice had a non-zero total

I don't see the "Used referral code" field on a user's profile.

  • This field only appears if the user entered a referral code during signup. If they signed up without one, this field will be empty

A member says they can't find their referral code in the app.

  • Referral code visibility for members is currently only available in the iOS Optix app. If the member is on Android, this is not yet supported

  • In the iOS app, the referral code is under More > Details, not on the main profile screen. Confirm the member checked there

  • Admins can always look up a user's referral code in their profile in the dashboard

The referral code field is not showing during mobile onboarding.

  • Go to User Settings → User Properties and confirm the referral code field is enabled for user sign-up (mobile onboarding)

  • If your space uses "Users must be invited to gain access" and the user was added directly as an active member, the referral code field will not appear — active users skip optional fields during onboarding. Setting the field as required (rather than optional) will cause it to appear. If the user was added as active and skipped onboarding entirely, the referral code must be recorded manually by the admin

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