1. Provide the information needed to choose a group
A first-time participant should know whether a class suits them. Include dance style, level, instructor, duration, location and price. A group name familiar to regulars may mean little to a newcomer.
In Studio, start by creating your school and adding rooms, instructors and offerings. Then plan specific sessions. Check that class names and levels also make sense to people outside your team.
2. Set capacity and payment arrangements
Set capacity according to comfortable teaching conditions, not just room size. Solo practice and partner work require different amounts of space. If you need to hold back a few places for organisational reasons, account for that before opening bookings.
Make clear what the price covers. In the current Studio version, staff record received payments manually. A booking does not automatically charge a card; payment arrangements must be communicated separately.
3. Define cancellation rules
Participants should know the cancellation deadline before confirming. Set it to give the school time to respond to a freed place. Keep the rules consistent across messages, the schedule and booking screens.
Example: if a class starts on Tuesday at 18:00 and online cancellation closes 24 hours earlier, the deadline is Monday at 18:00. This is an example, not Studio’s default setting. Check the rule configured for your school.
After the deadline, customers should contact the school. Provide a specific contact method and make sure staff know how to handle these requests.
4. Publish the schedule and test it as a participant
Once sessions are ready, enable bookings and open the public school page. Also use a phone to check that prices, times and the booking button are readable.
Before inviting customers, make a test booking for a dedicated session. Sign in as a participant, confirm it and check both the customer area and staff dashboard. Afterwards, clean up the test booking.
- Does the participant see the correct room, instructor and price?
- Are cancellation rules clear before confirmation?
- Is the booking visible after reopening the customer area?
- Can staff find the booking and record a payment?
5. Share one correct link
Share your school’s public schedule address. You can place it on the school website and social profiles. A staff dashboard link would confuse customers.
Briefly explain how to choose a session, sign in and confirm a booking, and where to find bookings later. Do not promise email notifications until their configuration and delivery have been checked for the school.
6. Establish your team’s daily routine
Assign someone to check bookings and changes before classes. Decide who records attendance and payments so staff do not keep competing lists.
After the first week, collect participants’ questions. If choosing a level is a recurring issue, clarify the description. If customers confuse booking with payment, improve the payment instructions. Refine the process using real situations at your school.