Why WhatsApp doesn’t scale
- Every booking takes 2–4 messages: question, answer, confirmation, reminder.
- The information lives in your head or a notebook: if you’re away, nobody knows who’s coming.
- Last-minute cancellations don’t get refilled: the spot is lost.
Before you start: decide your rules
- Cancellation window For example, up to 12 hours before. After that, the class counts.
- Capacity per class Your real number of machines, mats or barre spots.
- What can be booked without paying Simplest: only with a pack, a membership or by paying for the drop-in.
The transition week
- Day 1: set up the schedule Your weekly schedule with capacities and prices. Add your regulars with their packs.
- Day 2: announce it One message to everyone: “From Monday, bookings are here: [link]”. Put the QR code up at the front desk.
- Days 3–7: reply with the link Answer every booking message with the link (save it as a quick reply). If someone struggles, book them in yourself from the panel.
And clients who don’t get along with phones
There’s always someone. Book them in yourself from the panel in one tap, or give them a recurring spot that books itself every week. What matters is that the booking lives in the system, whoever makes it.
How to know it worked
- How many bookings are self-service versus the ones you enter.
- How many booking messages you get per week (they should drop sharply within a month).
- How many cancelled spots get refilled from the waitlist.