The problem
Enrolling adults on 10-week evening courses by email and bank transfer is slow: 80 enrollments an intake at 10 minutes each is over 13 hours, four times a year. And when a student drops out in week one, the place usually stays empty because nobody kept a list of who wanted it.
What the AI does
Bookwhen is an online booking system for classes and courses: students book and pay on your booking page. Standard (€19, about $21£16€19A$31C$30 a month plus VAT) adds a waiting list, reminder emails and attendance tracking, and allows 800 bookings a month and 5 team members. Set up each course (Spanish Beginners Tuesday, Italian Intermediate Thursday) with its places and price. When a course fills, later bookers join the waiting list, and a canceled place can go to the next person.
A worked example
A language school in Brighton runs 8 adult evening groups of 10 students per intake, 4 intakes a year, at $239£180€214A$346C$338 for a 10-week course, enrolling by email and bank transfer.
Before
80 enrollments at 10 minutes: about 13.3 hours an intake, 4.4 hours a month; about 2 dropped places an intake left empty
After
Online enrollment and payment, about 1 hour an intake checking; dropped places offered to the waiting list
What it's worth
About $237£178€212A$342C$335 a month, against about $21£16€19A$31C$30 for Bookwhen Standard (about $25£19€23A$36C$36 with VAT). Time saved is about 4.1 hours a month at an assumed $27£20€24A$38C$38 an hour, $109£82€98A$157C$154 plus 2 refilled places an intake at $239£180€214A$346C$338 $479£360€428A$691C$677 an intake or $160£120€143A$230C$226 a month, at an assumed 80% margin, $128£96€114A$184C$180. Card fees are separate.
How to set it up
- Open a Bookwhen account on Standard and add your school's details and refund policy.
- Create each course with its day, time, level, places and price.
- Turn on the waiting list and reminder emails.
- Ask students to take your placement test before booking any level above beginner.
- Use attendance tracking in week one and offer any no-show's place to the waiting list.
What goes wrong
- Bookwhen shows prices in your local currency; check the sterling price before budgeting.
- The waiting list only helps if your refund rules let you release a place; set them before term.
- Card payments need Bookwhen Payments, Stripe or PayPal, each with fees.
- Courses booked online are distance contracts, so consumers usually have a 14-day right to cancel; check how this applies to your start dates.