The problem
Holiday crash courses sell out, but taking bookings by phone and bank transfer means lists, chasing payments and places lost while you wait for a reply. A swim school running 6 crash-course weeks a year can spend about 6 hours a week on bookings, and parents who can't book in the evening go elsewhere.
What the AI does
ClassForKids is booking software for children's activity clubs. Its UK pricing page lists a Camps Only plan at $160£120€143A$230C$226 a year, pay as you go, with bookings, payments and waitlists in one place, and transaction fees from 2.5% including Stripe, with the final rate confirmed by ClassForKids. Its features page lists individual days, payment that secures the booking and emergency contact details to hand. Set up each crash course as a camp with its days, level and capacity. Parents book and pay at any time, and you see the register for each group. Teachers still check each child's level in the water before placing them.
A worked example
A swim school in Southampton runs 5-day crash courses in 6 holiday weeks a year, 40 places a week at $80£60€71A$115C$113. It moves crash-course bookings from phone calls and bank transfers onto ClassForKids' Camps Only plan.
Before
About 6 hours of bookings and chasing per crash-course week; places lost to slow replies
After
Parents book and pay online; about 1 hour a week checking registers, and about 2 more places filled each week
What it's worth
About $132£99€118A$190C$186 a month, averaged over the year, against about $53£40€48A$77C$75 a month in costs. That is 30 hours a year saved (5 hours on each of 6 weeks) at an assumed $33£25€30A$48C$47 an hour, $83.13£62.50€74.38A$120C$117.50 a month, plus $48£36€43A$69C$68 a month in profit at an assumed 60% margin on $958£720€857A$1,382C$1,354 a year from 2 more $80£60€71A$115C$113 places a week. Costs: $13£10€12A$19C$19 a month for the plan, plus fees from 2.5% on $19,152£14,400€17,136A$27,648C$27,072 of bookings, about $40£30€36A$58C$56 a month.
How to set it up
- Contact ClassForKids about the Camps Only plan and confirm your transaction fee in writing.
- Set up each crash-course week with its days, times, level, price and capacity per group.
- Collect only what you need at booking: parent contacts, emergency contacts, the child's current level and any medical needs the teacher must know.
- Send the booking link to existing families and post it on your website before each holiday.
- Check each group's register the evening before and brief teachers on any medical needs.
What goes wrong
- Fees are a percentage of every booking, so they cost more than the $160£120€143A$230C$226 plan in a busy year. Build them into your prices.
- Parents may book the wrong level. Say how levels are decided, and let the teacher move a child on the first day.
- Children's medical details are special-category data under UK GDPR; limit who can see them and check ClassForKids' data terms.
- Pool hire and teacher availability must be confirmed before you open bookings, or you'll be refunding.