12 Questions to Ask When Choosing Studio Management Software

In short: When choosing studio management software, start with the member experience: can members book and cancel a class from their phone in a few taps, and can they buy their own package? Then look at how your studio runs: can cancellation rules, class credits, payment methods, instructor attendance and multiple locations all be set up in the system? The 12 questions below bring together everything you should ask on a demo call.

Write down what you need first

Before the demo call, note the three tasks that waste the most time today. For example: "copying WhatsApp bookings into a notebook", "counting remaining class credits in Excel", "matching bank transfers to payment receipts". Judge the software by how much it cuts down those three tasks, not by the length of its feature list.

Member experience

1. Can members see the class schedule and book on their own?

Booking should work on a phone, without downloading an app, in just a few steps. The schedule should show the date, time, instructor, location and spots left.

2. Can members cancel on their own, and is the rule applied automatically?

You should be able to set the cancellation window, late cancellation and no-show rules in the system. If the rule is applied by hand, every cancellation still ends up as a question for you.

3. What happens when a class is full?

Ask whether members can join a waitlist for a full class and how the process works when a spot opens up.

4. Can members see their package and remaining credits?

"How many classes do I have left?" is one of the most common messages studios get. The member account should show the active package, remaining credits and expiry date.

Packages and payments

5. Which package types can you set up?

Check whether different structures are supported, such as class packs, unlimited memberships, validity periods and trial classes. We explain how to calculate your prices in our class pack pricing guide.

6. Can members buy packages on your website, and with which payment methods?

Ask about online card payments, bank transfers and suitable options for members abroad. For bank transfers, find out how the payment is confirmed and whether the membership is activated automatically once it is.

7. How are class credits deducted and corrected?

A credit should be deducted automatically with every booking and restored when a cancellation follows the rules. When a manual correction is needed, there should be a record of who made it and why.

Studio operations

8. How are recurring schedules and cancelled classes handled?

Being able to set up your weekly schedule once and have it repeat saves a lot of time. Ask whether members with a booking are notified when you cancel a class.

9. Can instructors see their own classes and attendee lists?

Instructors need to be able to take attendance in class for a no-show rule to be enforceable.

10. Do you have multiple locations, rooms or online classes?

You should be able to set capacity and cancellation rules per location and per room, and manage online classes in the same schedule.

Brand, data and support

11. Do you get a website under your own brand?

Your class schedule, instructors, packages and blog should be published on your own domain, with your own logo and colours. If you have international members, ask whether the site works in more than one language.

12. Where is your data, and how is it protected?

Members' contact and health information is personal data (e.g. under GDPR). Get it in writing where the data is stored, who can access it, whether it is backed up, and how you would get your data out if you leave the system.

Comparison table

Use this table to score the software you're evaluating: give each row 0 (no), 1 (partly) or 2 (fully).

How does StudyONsende answer these questions?

• Members see the class schedule on your website and book and cancel from their phone without downloading an app.
• The cancellation window is set per location; you decide whether credits are returned for late cancellations and no-shows.
• Members can join the waitlist for a full class.
• Class packs and unlimited packages are set up with a validity period; members see their remaining credits in their own account.
• Packages can be sold on your website via bank transfer and online card payment; once the payment is confirmed, the membership is activated automatically.
• Recurring classes are set up once; members can be emailed about cancelled classes.
• Instructors see their class list and take attendance from their own account.
• Multiple locations, rooms and online classes are managed in the same schedule.
• Your website is published on your own domain, with your logo and colours, in Turkish, English and Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

Does a small studio need management software?

For any studio with 15–20 classes a week and regular package sales, managing bookings and credits by hand takes a lot of time. For independent instructors, too, having bookings and payments in one place pays off.

What should I ask for in a demo?

Give them a real scenario from your own studio: "The Tuesday 19:00 reformer class is full and a member cancelled 3 hours before; what happens?" Watch the answer step by step on screen.

How long does switching take?

It depends on your class schedule, packages and number of active memberships. Planning the switch just before a new period, such as the start of a month, makes it easier.

Book a demo call

Ask us these 12 questions too. On the StudyONsende studio management software page you can book a short call with our team, and we can walk through your own studio's scenarios together.