The problem
Parents message at all hours and instructors are on the mat, so replies take days. If 12 enquiries a month come in and 3 go to another club because nobody answered quickly, at £40 a month each, that's £120 a month of lost fees.
What the AI does
Bookwhen's pricing page shows a Free plan with 50 bookings a month, one team member and one booking page, limited to free events. A free trial class is a free event. Set up each trial class as a free event with a capacity, put the booking link on your website and social profiles, and parents pick a class themselves. Check what details Bookwhen collects at booking and keep them to what you need: a parent's contact and the child's first name. Bookwhen's plan table lists no reminder emails on Free, so your instructor contacts each family before the class. Ask no medical questions at booking. Safeguarding, health information and consents are handled when a child joins, by people.
A worked example
A martial arts club in Swindon with 80 students gets about 12 trial enquiries a month from parents by message, and replies take 2 to 3 days.
Before
12 enquiries a month, 3 lost to slow replies at £40 a month each: £120 a month
After
Parents book a trial slot straight away; if 2 of those 3 are kept: 2 x £40 = £80 a month
What it's worth
About £80 a month in fees, if booking straight away keeps 2 of the 3 enquiries lost to slow replies (an assumption): 2 x £40. They keep paying while they train. Bookwhen's Free plan is free forever for free events, up to 50 bookings a month, which covers about 12 trial bookings. Only paid events and extras need Lite or above.
How to set it up
- Set up a free Bookwhen account and create your trial class sessions as free events with a capacity.
- Put the booking link on your website, social profiles and in replies to enquiries.
- Make a test booking and check what a parent sees and receives.
- Before each trial, an instructor contacts the family to confirm the time, what to wear and that parents are welcome to stay, if your policy allows.
- At the class, handle health information and parental consent in person and on your joining forms.
What goes wrong
- This collects a child's first name and a parent's contact details. Keep it minimal, tell parents how you use it and delete it if they don't join.
- Safeguarding, health and photo consent are handled by people when a child joins; don't try to cover them in the booking.
- The Free plan has 50 bookings a month, one team member and free events only; reminders and waiting lists are on Standard.
- Check your bookings daily at first. A booking nobody reads is no better than an unanswered message.