Class scheduling for your pilates studio
A pilates studio with reformers has a luxury problem and a real problem at the same time. The luxury problem is that your classes are often full. The real problem is that the number of spots is hard capped, so every spot left empty never comes back.
In group classes with no equipment a no-show barely registers. With twelve reformers it is eight percent of your revenue for that class. Below is how to set up your schedule, waitlist and cancellation rules so those spots get filled.
In short
- A waitlist that moves up automatically is the cheapest revenue increase there is.
- Set your cancellation window so there is still time to fill the spot.
- Let members book and cancel in the app, or it all runs through your phone.
- Measure occupancy per class and per time slot, not per week.
The waitlist does the work
If somebody drops out an hour before class, that is no problem as long as somebody else is ready. A waitlist that automatically messages the next person in line and assigns the spot usually fills that seat within minutes.
Do it by hand and in practice it does not happen, because an hour before class you are busy with other things. Let the system do it and make sure the message goes by push or WhatsApp, because an email will not be read in time.
Choose your cancellation window deliberately
A window of 24 hours is strict for your members and comfortable for your occupancy. Two hours is pleasant for your members and virtually impossible to fill. Where you land is a choice about which of those two matters more to you.
A middle road that works well: a generous window in which cancelling is free, and outside it the class or the spot is charged. Put that clearly in your terms and let your system apply it, so it does not become a weekly conversation at the desk.
Let members do it themselves
As long as booking and cancelling run through you, you are the waitlist. That costs you time at the most awkward moments and it slows down exactly the action that has to be fast.
In an app where members book their spot, see their waitlist position and cancel in two taps, all of that happens without you. You only see the result: which classes are full and which are not.
Measure per class, not per week
An occupancy of 78 percent across a week tells you little. It becomes useful when you can see that Tuesday at half past eight is structurally half empty while Thursday at six has had a waitlist for weeks.
That is a scheduling decision, not a marketing decision. In REQUR you see occupancy per class and per time slot, so you can move or double a class based on what is actually happening.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. As soon as a spot frees up, the next person on the list is messaged automatically and the spot is assigned. That message goes by app, SMS or WhatsApp, so it gets read in time.
Yes, you decide how long before the start cancelling is free and what happens after that to the class or the spot. The system applies that rule, so you do not have to argue about it at the desk.
Yes. Occupancy is visible per class and per time slot, not only as a weekly average, so you can see which slot to move and which one calls for an extra class.
Want to see for yourself?
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Discover REQUR
Member management
Members, memberships and direct debits in one place.
Class scheduling
Schedules, waitlists and planning with AI.
POS system
Card terminal and sales at the front desk.
App for your members
Booking, paying and messages in the REQUR app.
Reports
Revenue, churn and visits in view.
Website
Online sign-up that brings in members.
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