Running a group class schedule without redoing it every week
Most clubs keep their schedule in a spreadsheet and rewrite it from scratch every week. Here's what can actually be automated — and where automation genuinely stops.
Where the weekly grind comes from
In most clubs and studios, the class schedule lives in a spreadsheet or in the owner's head. It usually looks like this:
- on Monday, someone rewrites the schedule for the coming week,
- sign-ups arrive through three channels at once — SMS, Messenger, and "I'll tell you at class",
- someone manually keeps track of how many spots are left,
- when somebody cancels, you have to remember who to offer the freed-up spot to.
Each of those steps takes a few minutes on its own. Together, every week, they can eat several hours — and not quiet ones, but scattered across the day, between classes.
What can be automated
Recurring schedules. Group classes almost always follow a fixed pattern: "Tuesday 17:00, intermediate group, room 2". If the system understands that pattern, dates for the coming weeks generate themselves — and exceptions (holidays, breaks, a closed hall) are unticked once, instead of being remembered every week.
Capacity. The "how many spots left" counter shouldn't live in anyone's head or a spreadsheet column. It's the simplest thing to automate, and also the one that most often causes misunderstandings ("but you told me there was a spot").
Waiting lists. This is the biggest difference between "a booking system" and "a spreadsheet with names". When someone cancels, the freed-up spot should go straight to the first person in the queue — without sending offers, waiting for replies, and checking whether anyone managed to click in time. The fewer steps between "a spot opened up" and "someone's in it", the fewer empty spots in class.
Reminders. An email the day before class lowers no-shows with zero effort on your part — as long as it sends itself.
Where automation stops
Not everything is worth automating, and not everything can be.
Deciding who gets in often has to stay with a person — especially in groups where a participant's level matters. A good system doesn't take that decision away; it puts it in one place: a list of pending sign-ups, one click, and the email to the client goes out automatically after the decision, not before.
Exceptions and judgement calls. "Kate asked for one extra spot for her sister" — that will always happen. The system should let an admin knowingly exceed the limit, not force them to work around their own rules.
Contact with the client. An automatic email won't replace a phone call when something unusual happens. Automation should remove routine, not the relationship.
Where to start if you have a spreadsheet today
You don't need to start by rolling out an entire system. The order that usually gives the most for the least effort:
- Move the capacity limit out of your head — even into a spreadsheet with a formula. Most misunderstandings come from exactly this.
- Collect sign-ups in one channel. Three channels at once isn't a problem for your clients — it's yours, because each one needs separate attention.
- Only then think about automating recurrence and the waiting list — that's the biggest time saving, but it only pays off once the two points above are in order.
MyClass is a booking system for group classes, built for sports clubs, schools and studios running recurring sessions — recurring schedules, capacity limits and an automatic waiting list in one place.