The features that pay for themselves

Automatic waitlist promotion is the clearest example. When someone cancels four hours before a class, software that immediately offers the space to the next person recovers revenue that a manual process loses.

Attendance reporting by class slot is the other. Without it, timetable decisions are guesswork, and the cost of running half-empty classes for a year dwarfs any software subscription.

  • Automatic waitlist promotion on cancellation
  • Attendance and fill-rate reporting by slot
  • Recurring membership billing with failed-payment retries
  • Cancellation window enforcement
  • Client notes visible to teachers before class
  • Data export — you should be able to leave

Cancellation policy needs enforcement, not just wording

A twelve-hour cancellation window that the software does not enforce is not a policy. Late cancellations that go uncharged mean empty spaces that could have gone to the waitlist.

Set the window, let the software apply it automatically, and let staff waive it occasionally rather than enforcing it manually every time.

Client notes are underrated

A teacher who can see "left knee replacement 2024, no deep flexion" before a class programs safely without asking in front of the room. This is a safety feature as much as a convenience.

Check that notes are visible to teachers on the class roster, not buried in an admin-only client record.

Own your data

Client lists, attendance history and payment records should be exportable in a usable format. Studios that cannot export are locked into whatever price increases follow.

Test the export before committing, not when you want to leave.