Methodology

Book one-to-one appointments against an individual staff member's availability.

Also known as: appointments, private sessions, 1:1, personal training sessions, services, bookable services

Mark who actually attended a class — check-in, roster marking, or self check-in.

Also known as: check-in, check in, sign-in, roster, attendance, class roster, kiosk check-in, mark attendance

Control how far in advance, and how close to start time, clients may book.

Also known as: booking rules, booking cutoff, advance booking, lead time, booking restrictions, how far ahead

The embedded schedule can be restyled (colours, fonts, layout) to match the business's brand rather than showing vendor styling.

Also known as: customizable widget, branded calendar, styled schedule, white-label schedule, custom CSS

Cancel many classes at once, e.g. a holiday closure or a whole series.

Also known as: bulk cancel, cancel series, cancel multiple, holiday closure, close schedule

Create many classes at once — recurring rules, repeating schedules, or multi-add.

Also known as: recurring classes, repeat schedule, bulk add, recurring event, series creation, schedule template

Set a deadline before class after which cancelling incurs a penalty or forfeits the credit.

Also known as: cancellation policy, late cancel, cancellation cutoff, cancellation deadline, late cancellation fee

Set a maximum number of attendees per class or session.

Also known as: class size, max capacity, spots, places, limit attendees

Schedule and take bookings for group classes on a timetable.

Also known as: group classes, class schedule, timetable, sessions, group sessions

Sell a multi-session series as a single purchase, where the client enrols once and is booked into every session.

Also known as: course, series, program, multi-week course, enrollment, workshop series, term, block booking

Copy an existing class to create another like it.

Also known as: copy class, duplicate, clone, repeat class, copy event

Embed the schedule or booking flow into your own website.

Also known as: widget, embed, iframe, website integration, embed schedule, booking plugin, WordPress plugin

Record and optionally penalise clients who booked but did not attend.

Also known as: no-show, no show fee, missed class, absence, late cancel fee, did not attend

A client permanently holds the same recurring slot without rebooking each week.

Also known as: recurring reservation, standing booking, auto-book, permanent spot, recurring appointment, repeat booking

A direct URL that opens a booking page for a class, service, or the whole schedule.

Also known as: booking link, direct link, share link, booking page URL, link in bio

Reassign a scheduled class to a different instructor.

Also known as: sub, substitute, cover, reassign instructor, change teacher, sub request

Full classes take a waitlist; clients are promoted or notified when a spot opens.

Also known as: waitlist, wait list, standby, queue

Memberships or packages renew and charge automatically without manual intervention.

Also known as: auto-renew, autopay, recurring billing, auto-charge, rollover

Prepaid bundles of class credits that are consumed per booking.

Also known as: class pack, punch card, punch pass, credits, package, pack of classes, multi-pass

Packages can be configured with custom rules — expiry, which classes they cover, credit counts, pricing.

Also known as: custom packages, pricing options, configurable packages, package rules, expiry

Sell a single class or session without requiring a membership or pack.

Also known as: drop-in, drop in, single class, casual, pay as you go, one-off

Declined payments are retried and/or flagged, with dunning notifications or automatic suspension.

Also known as: failed payment, declined card, payment retry, dunning, payment failure, outstanding balance

A single client can hold several different entitlements at once (e.g. membership plus a pack), and the system picks the right one to draw from.

Also known as: combined access, multiple passes, add-ons, stacked memberships, linked packages, credit priority

Recurring paid memberships that grant ongoing access or booking rights.

Also known as: membership, subscription, recurring plan, autopay contract

See a client's past and upcoming bookings on their record.

Also known as: visit history, attendance history, past bookings, activity history, class history

Export the client list out of the system, typically to CSV/Excel.

Also known as: export clients, export customer list, download contacts, data export

Bulk-import an existing client list, typically from CSV or another platform.

Also known as: import clients, CSV import, data import, migrate clients, upload contacts

Free-text staff notes attached to a client record.

Also known as: customer notes, member notes, notes, alerts, flags, comments

A per-client record holding contact details, purchases, and activity.

Also known as: customer profile, member profile, client record, contact record, CRM

Search or filter to find a client record.

Also known as: search, find client, lookup, filter clients, advanced search

Charge recurring fees automatically on a schedule.

Also known as: autopay, recurring billing, auto-charge, scheduled payments, direct debit

Create discount or promotional codes clients can redeem.

Also known as: promo code, discount code, coupon, voucher code, offer

Sell gift cards or gift certificates redeemable against purchases.

Also known as: gift card, gift certificate, gift voucher, gift pass

Take payment in person at the front desk — card reader, POS terminal, or tap to pay.

Also known as: POS, point of sale, card reader, terminal, tap to pay, in-person

Operate in more than one currency — either supported across countries, or multiple currencies within one account.

Also known as: currency, multi-currency, international, GBP EUR USD, local currency

Require or accept payment at the moment of online booking.

Also known as: pay at booking, prepay, require payment, checkout, online payment

See a client's full payment/transaction history on their record.

Also known as: transaction history, purchase history, receipts, billing history, account history

Report on payments taken, outstanding, and failed.

Also known as: payment report, transactions report, sales report, revenue report, payouts

Refund a payment, in full or part, from within the system.

Also known as: refund, issue refund, void, credit back, return payment

Store a client's card on file for future or automatic charges.

Also known as: card on file, saved card, stored payment method, vaulted card

Take card payments securely (PCI-compliant), whether via own processor or an integrated one.

Also known as: card payments, credit card, PCI, Stripe, payment processing, take payments

Automatic confirmation email/message when a client books.

Also known as: confirmation email, booking confirmation, receipt email, automated email

Automatic reminder before a booked class or appointment.

Also known as: reminder email, class reminder, appointment reminder, automated reminder

Send a one-off email to a segment or all clients.

Also known as: email blast, broadcast, bulk email, one-off message, announcement

Automatic notification when a booking or class is cancelled.

Also known as: cancellation email, cancellation notice, class cancelled notification, change notification

Edit the content/branding of the system's automated emails.

Also known as: email templates, customize emails, branded emails, edit notifications, email editor

Build and send marketing emails or automated campaigns from within the platform.

Also known as: email campaigns, marketing emails, newsletters, drip campaign, automations

Sync clients/lists to Mailchimp.

Also known as: Mailchimp

Send a marketing or announcement SMS to many clients.

Also known as: text blast, SMS marketing, bulk SMS, text campaign

Transactional SMS — confirmations, reminders, waitlist alerts.

Also known as: SMS, text message, text reminder, text notification

Build custom forms/questionnaires clients complete (health history, preferences).

Also known as: intake form, custom form, questionnaire, form builder, client forms, health form

Clients sign a liability waiver digitally.

Also known as: waiver, e-signature, liability waiver, agreement, consent form, e-agreement

Export or download completed form/waiver responses.

Also known as: download waivers, export forms, PDF waiver, form report, signed waivers report

Booking or entry is blocked until a required form/waiver is completed.

Also known as: required waiver, mandatory form, must sign before, gate booking, block until signed

Configure what each role/staff member can see and do, beyond fixed preset roles.

Also known as: permissions, roles, access levels, user permissions, role-based access

Report revenue or sales attributed to each instructor.

Also known as: revenue by staff, sales by employee, staff performance, instructor performance

Calculate what to pay staff — per session, hourly, or commission — as a report or export.

Also known as: payroll, pay rates, commission, staff pay, payroll report

Instructors get their own login.

Also known as: staff accounts, staff login, instructor login, trainer account, staff users

Track staff working time — clock in/out or timesheets.

Also known as: time clock, clock in, timesheet, time tracking, staff hours

Manage which staff are working/teaching when.

Also known as: staff schedule, shifts, rota, staff availability, assign instructor

An audit trail of who did what in the system.

Also known as: audit log, activity log, history, change log, who changed, user activity

Report on attendance across classes/clients.

Also known as: attendance report, check-in report, visits report, class attendance

Export report data to CSV/Excel.

Also known as: export, CSV, Excel, download report, spreadsheet

The audit trail is retained indefinitely rather than truncated to a fixed window. NOTE: this is a data-retention limit, only meaningful where a vendor states one.

Also known as: audit retention, history retention, unlimited history

Report on memberships — active, new, cancelled, churn, expiring.

Also known as: membership report, active members, churn, cancellations report, retention

Report how full classes are — fill rate / utilisation.

Also known as: occupancy, fill rate, utilization, capacity report, popular classes

Report on packages/passes — sold, used, remaining, expiring.

Also known as: package report, pass report, credits remaining, expiring packs

Break revenue down per class or class type.

Also known as: revenue by class, sales by service, class profitability, revenue by service

Break revenue down per instructor.

Also known as: revenue by staff, sales by instructor, earnings by trainer

Report on revenue over time.

Also known as: revenue report, sales report, income report, financial report

A visual dashboard of key metrics (charts/graphs), not just tabular reports.

Also known as: dashboard, analytics, insights, charts, business overview, KPI

Sync bookings/schedule to Apple Calendar / iCal.

Also known as: Apple Calendar, iCal, iCloud calendar, ics feed

Sync bookings/schedule to Google Calendar.

Also known as: Google Calendar, GCal, calendar sync

Native Mailchimp integration.

Also known as: Mailchimp

Sync bookings/schedule to Outlook / Microsoft 365 calendar.

Also known as: Outlook, Microsoft 365, Office 365, Exchange calendar

Native QuickBooks accounting integration.

Also known as: QuickBooks, QBO, Intuit

Native Xero accounting integration.

Also known as: Xero

Support for more than one physical location, and what it costs.

Also known as: multiple locations, additional location, extra site, multi-site, second location

How many staff calendars / bookable resources the entry plan includes before extra charges. NOTE: this is a pricing-packaging attribute, not a capability — record the vendor's own entry-plan allowance.

Also known as: calendars included, staff included, included users, bookable calendars, seats

Manage several locations from one account with shared clients and cross-location reporting.

Also known as: multi-location, franchise, HQ account, enterprise, cross-location

Each location gets its own booking page or filterable schedule.

Also known as: location booking page, per-location schedule, choose location, site-specific booking

A white-label Android app published under the business's own name on Google Play — NOT the vendor's shared app with a logo in it.

Also known as: branded app, white label app, custom app, Google Play listing, standalone app

A white-label iOS app published under the business's own name in the App Store — NOT the vendor's shared app with a logo in it.

Also known as: branded app, white label app, custom app, own app store listing, standalone app

Apply the business's logo, colours, and identity to client-facing surfaces.

Also known as: branding, your logo, custom colors, brand customization, white label

Send push notifications to clients via a mobile app.

Also known as: push notification, app notification, mobile alert

Email/ticket support available around the clock, every day. NOTE: only true if the vendor states 24/7 — most state business hours.

Also known as: 24/7 support, round the clock, always available, support hours

The vendor imports your existing data from your old system at no charge.

Also known as: free migration, data transfer, onboarding import, white glove import, switch from

A public self-serve help centre / documentation site.

Also known as: help center, knowledge base, support docs, help docs, support site

Live video (Zoom or equivalent) support available seven days a week. NOTE: most vendors offer phone/chat instead — record the closest real equivalent and say what it is.

Also known as: Zoom support, video call support, screen share support, live support, 7 day support