A class management system is designed for lesson-based businesses, helping to reduce manual admin, optimise teacher-led classes and create a better experience for your students and staff. Read on to find out more about the features and benefits of the software and whether it's the right tech for your business.
What is class management?
Before we dive deeper into the software side of things, let’s first look at what class management actually is.
If you teach students, run regular sessions and take course bookings, chances are your business falls under the category of class management. Day-to-day tasks might be anything from scheduling classes and booking people in to taking payments, analysing business data and answering email and phone queries. This list is by no means exhaustive, which means that while you and your staff are spending hours on admin, you’re spending less time where it really matters: with your customers.
Solutions for class and lesson based businesses
Providing exceptional service is key to building loyalty and extending each customer’s lifecycle. That’s where a class management system can help; by taking some of the time-consuming processes off your hands and streamlining other areas of your business, it enables you to take control of your time so you can focus more on your customers.
Features to look for in class management software
Class management software, also known as a school management system or class booking software (plus many others) is a great tool for automating some of your manual processes, such as online bookings, check-ins and invoices.
Here are some top features to look for during the research stage:
Customer information management - one of the biggest must-haves when it comes to school booking software is an intuitive database that stores all your customer information and makes it easy to add people (including family members), assign them to courses and cancel lessons/book a make up
Booking and scheduling capabilities - at a minimum, you should be able to create classes (and holiday programs if you run them), allocate instructors, set class capacity and view lesson attendance, with information scannable in a calendar or list format
Data-driven reports - running real-time reports for things like billing and booking stats helps you to identify strengths as well as areas for improvement
Automated payments - this gives your customers the option to pay online and removes the inconvenience of queuing
Customer/parent portal - providing access to an online portal allows your students and/or their parents to manage their memberships, bookings and payments
Benefits of using cloud class booking software
Most lesson-based businesses started out with pen and paper before moving onto spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are fine for singular tasks but when it comes to running a business, they’re not a great solution. School booking software that is designed specifically for class-based businesses provides a much more efficient way to manage business, bookings and billings from a single application. Cloud-based systems are even better as you can access the data from anywhere.
Here are 6 other benefits:
| Reduce pressure on staff | Think about the areas of business that drain your resources - perhaps it’s taking payments over the counter, sending invoice reminders or making/cancelling bookings over the phone - once you’ve completed a workflow audit, you can identify which processes can be automated, striking a better balance between technology and teamwork. |
| Enhance customer experiences | Some class management software has inbuilt email platforms and SMS functionality, allowing you to better connect with your customers and keep them up to date with what’s happening. Further enhance their experience with an online portal, which gives them full control over their bookings and saves them time. |
| View information at a glance | Rather than trawling through endless spreadsheets or notebooks, a school management system has everything in one place making it easy to find the information you’re looking for. Customisable dashboards are an even better way for you to organise elements of the business that you need to glimpse on a regular basis, such as upcoming sessions, customer search or customer check-ins. |
| Gain deeper business insights | Running regular reports across all areas of the business gives you a real-time overview so you can make more informed decisions. |
| Increased productivity | By introducing software that takes time-consuming tasks away from your staff, they can refocus their energies into providing the best possible customer service rather than getting weighed down by manual admin. |
| Scalability | If you are an enterprise business or are mobile and work out of multiple facilities, then choose a course management system that lets you oversee each facility within the application. This is a huge benefit as it means you have complete visibility over your business on the go, from anywhere, at any time. Scalability is also great for small businesses as the software is designed to grow with you. |
Who is class management software for?
Versatile class booking software can suit a range of lesson-bases businesses of all sizes, across different industries including:
Sports academies
Cheerleading squads
Music schools
Language schools
Education-based businesses
How to choose the right system for your business needs
Many school management systems can be adapted to your business but it’s important to do plenty of research and organise demos with your shortlisted providers to ensure the software ticks all your boxes. Before you book a demo, create a list of essentials, desirables and functionality you will potentially need in the future, and share with each provider to compare what can be delivered.
While researching, remember to take into account ad-hoc costs, such as migration, set-up, support and training fees. If you are on a tight budget, look for vendors that offer some or all of the above free of charge.
How much does classes management software cost?
The price of school booking software varies depending on a number of factors, including the provider, whether you are a single or multi-facility business, whether you upgrade to certain modules, etc. Some providers might charge a set-up and onboarding fee while others will charge every time you call support.
Udio’s school management software for example is a monthly subscription with no lock-in contracts, no set-up, migration or onboarding fees and free phone and email support. It offers a standard base module that has everything you need to run your business, as well as upgrades that you can add to your subscription as you grow.
The software should be an investment but it should also be flexible and fit seamlessly into your business. Book a free demo or consultation with Udio and then start your free trial to see how it can integrate into your business.
