If you operate a Pilates studio or teach pilates to groups of students, then you most probably use a pilates studio software. Although you can use most class scheduling software for your general needs, having software specific for pilates studios will accelerate the growth of your pilates business.

So, what are the essential features every pilates studio software must have? The core features that a pilates studio software must have:
1. Offer online and offline classes
2. Branded class schedules and purchase pages
3. Sell punch passes and memberships online
4. Swapboard
5. Cancellation, waitlists and waiver management
6. Member and staff management
7. Attendance tracking

In this article, I will explore why these seven features are core to any pilates studio management software. After reviewing this article, you will be in a position to choose the right pilates studio for you and not settle for a generic class scheduling software built for a hundred different use cases.

Offering Online & Offline Classes

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, offering online pilates classes was an afterthought or was being done by niche apps. However, since all the pilates studios closed during the pandemic and private in-person classes were not possible, pilates studios and pilates teachers began offering their sessions online.

We have all seen how the pilates community swiftly moved online, using YouTube Live, Instagram Live, and Zoom to offer live virtual classes to their member.

However, pilates studio owners and pilates teachers soon found out that their pilates studio management software or class scheduling software that they were using had no way to account for online classes.

There was no way to sync class-packs/membership usage to online class attendance and no simple way to share the online Zoom/YouTube/Instagram class link with people who purchased passes.

So, one of the core features you must look for in a pilates studio software is the ability to offer pilates classes both online and offline.

You should also check for the ability to create punch passes and memberships of various types:
• Group classes
• Private 1-on-1 classes
• Events
• Workshops
• Class series
• Teacher training

Branded Public Page

Any pilates studio software worth its salt must offer the ability to create branded public class schedules and purchase pages.

You could already have a website for your pilates studio, but how effective is the website in converting people into customers? You perhaps have a Wix or a Squarespace site that requires a monthly payment, and there is no way for you to know if the website is converting customers.

Or you could just be operating without a website and using social media as your online presence.

A modern pilates studio software must offer you the ability to create public class schedules and purchase pages where your members can view your calendar, reserve classes, and pay for punch passes and memberships.

Additionally, such public pages must be brandable. The pilates industry is highly competitive. A large city like New York or London has hundreds of pilates studios. Having your own Pilates brand is essential to the success of your pilates business.

StudioGrowth is one such pilates studio software provider with a focus on helping pilates studios and pilates teachers build a brand. They offer tried and tested, high converting funnels built around your public class schedules and purchase pages.

Make sure the pilates studio management software you choose gives you the ability to brand your public-facing pages. The branding has to be detailed and not just allowing you to upload your logo.

Sell Punch Passes & Memberships Online

The pilates studio management software you choose should allow you to not only accept cash but also will enable you to sell passes/memberships online using debit and credit cards.

If you are only taking class reservations without online payment options, you are limiting the growth of your business. Today, a majority of consumers prefer to pay online rather than transact with cash.

When choosing a pilates studio software, look for an integration "Stripe." Stripe is a payment gateway and a payment processor that allows you to take online payments (credit and debit cards). If the pilates software integrates with Stripe, you will be able to sell punch passes and memberships online.

Swapboard

A swapboard is a requirement specific to pilates studios. A swapboard allows your students to swap classes without involving you.

In case you don't have a swapboard, you will find that you are contacted by students or trainers often requesting to change their classes. In such a scenario, you have to contact other students or trainers to swap classes with the student/staff requesting the swap.

As you can imagine, this process can become time-consuming. A swapboard takes away the complexity of managing swaps by allowing the students and trainers to manage their swaps without you getting involved.

Although a swapboard is not essential, it can be a huge time saver in your business. Look for pilates studio software that has swap capability in-built.

Cancellation, Waitlists & Waiver Management

You cannot run a pilates studio without the ability to manage cancellations, waitlists, and waivers.

Waivers are essential for any pilates business. You need a way to share your waiver with your students, obtain signatures, and store the waivers in a central location for easy retrieval.

You also need a way to allow your students to cancel their reservations and enforce specific policies. For example, students cannot cancel their booking with 24-hours remaining for the class.

You should also display the number of slots open in any given class, and for a fully booked class, you should allow the students to sign up for a waitlist. And all of this should happen automatically, without your involvement.

Look for a pilates studio software that manages all this for you automatically. You will need to set-up cancellation policies and waiver documents once, but after that, the whole process should happen automatically.

Member & Staff Management

Member and staff management is a core feature of any pilates studio software. You need a central database of all your members and their history with your business.

Look for a pilates studio software that creates profiles for each member and allows you to track their history with your business. For example, you should be able to see their attendance record, the classes they attend, they membership start and end dates.

Similarly, the software should provide you with a central database of your teachers and staff. Your teachers should be able to input their availability allowing you to assign them to classes.

Make sure the pilates studio software you choose has essential CRM capability to manage your customers, teachers, and staff. This feature is necessary even if you only teach 1-on-1 private classes.

Attendance Tracking

Attendance tracking is a core and essential feature of any pilates studio management software. The software must provide a simple and non-intrusive way to track attendance.

For example, the software must provide a simple interface displayed on a tablet device at reception where students can find their names and check-in with a click of a button. Or perhaps the students can be signed into classes by the person at the reception.

Manually tracking attendance is a time consuming and thankless task. If you don't use pilates software, then most likely, you track attendance by taking signatures on paper and then later manually entering attendance into a software system. This process is time-consuming and detracts from the core task of teaching your students.

Conclusion

Although you can use any class scheduling software for your pilates studio, you should aim to use pilates studio software explicitly built for pilates studios and teachers if you want to give your pilates business an edge. We recommend StudioGrowth if you're going to create a brand and grow your pilates business.

Look for the following seven critical features before choosing the pilates studio management software for your pilates business:
1. Offer online and offline classes
2. Branded class schedules and purchase pages
3. Sell punch passes and memberships online
4. Swapboard
5. Cancellation, waitlists and waiver management
6. Member and staff management
7. Attendance tracking

Author's Bio: 

Svets is an avid wellness practitioner and has helped yoga, pilates, and fitness studio owners grow and expand their small wellness businesses. Svets has traveled across the world learning and teaching yoga.