Lesson scheduling and cancellation policy questions

[CHT]

So along with rate changes coming up, I am also adding a cancellation policy. I have never had one before, because I never felt the need…if people cancelled I trusted they had good reason. Lately though I have had a few students cancel very last minute for foreseeable reasons and it has frustrated me.

So planning on requiring 4 hours notice for evening lessons and 2 hours for morning lessons to avoid a $10 late cancellation fee. If the person no shows or cancels within 10 minutes of the lesson start time then they pay for the full lesson. This will exclude cancelling for unforeseeable things such as sudden bad weather or extreme traffic issues.

Sound sensible?

Next question: a fairly large percentage of my clients work shift work, or work out of town with varying schedules. This means only about 50% of my students can actually keep a regular lesson…and I sometimes forget if my shift workers are coming a certain day or not…something I need to track better if I want to enforce a cancellation policy. I also have students that occasionally want to ride an extra lesson in a week, which of course I want to accommodate…but I don’t want overly full lessons.

Also planning to charge an extra $5 for lessons scheduled outside of my regular blocks. Typically these would be private, but may also be a group of friends that want to ride at a certain time outside of when I regularly teach.

So…I am thinking the best way to organize this (because in my head isn’t working) is to format a whiteboard where people can sign up for lessons up to 8 weeks in advance. This will also help my boarders know what times will be busy…but I am struggling to figure out the best way to format this whiteboard so it isn’t taking up an entire wall. Any ideas? How do other coaches manage an ever changing schedule?

[ybiaw]

[QUOTE=CHT;8128789]
So…I am thinking the best way to organize this (because in my head isn’t working) is to format a whiteboard where people can sign up for lessons up to 8 weeks in advance. This will also help my boarders know what times will be busy…but I am struggling to figure out the best way to format this whiteboard so it isn’t taking up an entire wall. Any ideas? How do other coaches manage an ever changing schedule?[/QUOTE]

My old barn used to use a planner book like this one.

It was pretty great, actually. The trainers put their names across the top (this particular one, linked above, has room for 8 different people, which is a bit much - I think ours had room for 4) and then would cross out any times that they were unavailable. Students/boarders could go look at the book and write themselves in under their preferred trainer during their preferred time. Having all the trainers schedules LITERALLY on the same page was great - if I wanted to ride when it was super quiet and no other lessons would be going on, I could actually see when the best times would be.

Then when you showed up for your lesson (if you were a schoolie not a boarder), you’d just check the book to see who you were on when you dropped your check in the box in the office before your lesson. At the end of the day, the trainers went back through the box to reconcile their day and make sure they were paid for school lessons and to note any boarder lessons so the boarders would be billed appropriately.

It was a really great method. I never really realized how great and efficient it was until I went to ride somewhere else and it was completely disorganized.

[SnicklefritzG]

At my barn we have a large white board where the trainer writes out her schedule. If any times are blocked out due to travel or other things, she indicates it on the board.

People can then write down what times they would like to do lessons. As a client, I really like this because I don’t have to ask my trainer when she is available. All I have to do is look at the board to see what is open. It probably saves her some time because she doesn’t have to field the same question from many different people.

If you want to charge a premium for certain lesson times, say evenings or early morning, then you could also indicate that on the board.

I think your 2-4 hours notice requirement is very generous! Most places who have a cancellation policy say 24 hour notice is required.

In all honesty, I think you may be better off with a 24 hour cancellation policy. That way if someone cancels, it gives you plenty of time to figure out what to do with that slot. If it was a private lesson you can use your time to do other things. If it was a group lesson, then that gives other people a chance to ride with that group.

Have you thought about a cancellation policy where the first cancellation doesn’t result in a fee, but the lesson is simply rescheduled at your discretion, the 2nd is subject to a $10 fee, and the 3rd is subject to a full lesson fee? That way someone who can’t take a lesson for a legitimate reason (medical, family or work emergency etc.) aren’t penalized unfairly, but people who are careless get a wakeup call.

[jenm]

[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8128837]
At my barn we have a large white board where the trainer writes out her schedule. If any times are blocked out due to travel or other things, she indicates it on the board.

People can then write down what times they would like to do lessons. As a client, I really like this because I don’t have to ask my trainer when she is available. All I have to do is look at the board to see what is open. It probably saves her some time because she doesn’t have to field the same question from many different people.

If you want to charge a premium for certain lesson times, say evenings or early morning, then you could also indicate that on the board.

I think your 2-4 hours notice requirement is very generous! Most places who have a cancellation policy say 24 hour notice is required.

In all honesty, I think you may be better off with a 24 hour cancellation policy. That way if someone cancels, it gives you plenty of time to figure out what to do with that slot. If it was a private lesson you can use your time to do other things. If it was a group lesson, then that gives other people a chance to ride with that group.

Have you thought about a cancellation policy where the first cancellation doesn’t result in a fee, but the lesson is simply rescheduled at your discretion, the 2nd is subject to a $10 fee, and the 3rd is subject to a full lesson fee? That way someone who can’t take a lesson for a legitimate reason (medical, family or work emergency etc.) aren’t penalized unfairly, but people who are careless get a wakeup call.[/QUOTE]

I agree with everything said here, especially the part about you being very generous with the amount of notice you require for cancellations.

P.S. to SnicklefritzG, your PM’s are full.

[CHT]

I want to keep the cancellation policy simple…and not track how many someone has cancelled…but I figure it can still be at my discretion.

Snicklefritz: so how many weeks in advance could you sign up on the white board?

Ybiaw, that day timer is a good idea. I could do it paper wise rather than white board…I could always make my own binder customized for my needs.

[CHT]

I toyed with 24 hour cancellation, but how often do you feel fine going to bed, and then wake up sick? Maybe a better idea is that cancellations for afternoon lessons must be received (text or call, not email) by 10 am?

[trubandloki]

I always worry about a white board simply being erased (by accident or on purpose). And yes, I realize pencil erases too but that does not seem so likely.

I like the planner book idea. Either buying a pre-made planner or making your own sheets.

It might be worth it to get into the habit of simply asking at the end of each lesson ‘Lori, will I be seeing you next week at the same time or is that your out of town week?’.

[CHT]

Oh, I do ask…and think I will remember…but then I don’t…or their schedule changes and it all gets muddled in my brain. It was ok when it was just 2 or 3 students, but now that it is so many, I lose track! It is kind of nice in some ways though: my students randomly end up in private lessons or in larger groups: both of which have benefits for them learning wise, and they aren’t always with the same people.

[asb2517]

My daughter sends out a lesson schedule at the beginning of the month to all her clients via e mail. They email back with the days and times they want and it’s first come first served. She always has a waiting list so if there’s cancellations, she just calls someone from the list to see if they want to come.

The only way you get charged a cancellation fee is if you just don’t show up…but if you’re late, then you get however much time is left in your slot…you don’t get extra time and you’re charged the entire lesson fee.

[french_fry]

[QUOTE=ybiaw;8128818]
My old barn used to use a planner book like this one.

It was pretty great, actually. The trainers put their names across the top (this particular one, linked above, has room for 8 different people, which is a bit much - I think ours had room for 4) and then would cross out any times that they were unavailable. Students/boarders could go look at the book and write themselves in under their preferred trainer during their preferred time. Having all the trainers schedules LITERALLY on the same page was great - if I wanted to ride when it was super quiet and no other lessons would be going on, I could actually see when the best times would be.

Then when you showed up for your lesson (if you were a schoolie not a boarder), you’d just check the book to see who you were on when you dropped your check in the box in the office before your lesson. At the end of the day, the trainers went back through the box to reconcile their day and make sure they were paid for school lessons and to note any boarder lessons so the boarders would be billed appropriately.

It was a really great method. I never really realized how great and efficient it was until I went to ride somewhere else and it was completely disorganized.[/QUOTE]

Second. I thought this seemed really low tech until I got into the swing of things at a barn that used this method. It is genius.

In terms of a cancellation policy, your proposed policy isn’t much of a deterrent. Most barns I’ve been to reserve the right to charge you for the lesson if you cancel less than 24 hours in advance. My trainer almost never charged anyone but at least she had the option for repeat offenders.

[ybiaw]

[QUOTE=CHT;8128859]
I want to keep the cancellation policy simple…and not track how many someone has cancelled…but I figure it can still be at my discretion.

Snicklefritz: so how many weeks in advance could you sign up on the white board?

Ybiaw, that day timer is a good idea. I could do it paper wise rather than white board…I could always make my own binder customized for my needs.[/QUOTE]

What I liked about it being in the planner was that it was harder for things to “accidentally” get erased. I mean, we kept a thing of whiteout by the book, but it wasn’t one of those “oops, I just erased an entire block of lessons because I stood up against the white board.” LOL

PLUS, at the end of the month, the BO would just take the whole book up to the office to do billing, and everything was right there all laid out as far as who paid up front, how many lessons Boarder A took and needs to be billed for, etc. SO SUPER EASY.
.

@trubandloki;8128876

It might be worth it to get into the habit of simply asking at the end of each lesson ‘Lori, will I be seeing you next week at the same time or is that your out of town week?’.

Oh! Oh! And another thing I like about it is that it turns lesson scheduling into the responsiblity of the student, not the instructor. As long as you write down your availability, it’s up to the student to put themselves onto your schedule, so no having to babysit students and say “are you coming next week at the same time??” My trainer (who was the BO and lived on the property) would just check the book at night during night check to see when she had to be down to the barn in the morning, and then periodically check the book throughout the day (often writing down her next few lessons on a piece of paper she kept in her pocket while out at the ring) to keep herself on schedule but that was it. It was out of her hands.

[eastendjumper]

We use a large, generic paper calendar hanging in the barn. All the lessons are written out for the month, and if a student will miss a lesson either they or I will erase their name. If someone else wants the spot, they can just fill in their name.

There’s a 24 hour cancellation policy but I credit anyone who cancels due to sickness/emergency. I allow one “whatever” cancellation a quarter for folks to cancel with no penalty as well. After that, short-notice cancellations forfeit, more than 24 hours we reschedule. I just put a little notation on the calendar, and it’s easy to look back at the month to see how I need to bill.

I personally require folks to text or email me dates they will miss, easy to look it up if they’re not here and I can’t remember if they told me or not!

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=CHT;8128886]
Oh, I do ask…and think I will remember…but then I don’t…or their schedule changes and it all gets muddled in my brain.[/QUOTE]
I totally know this feeling.

Once you set up your planner you go to your planner after every lesson and make sure it is accurate. You can mark down who rode in the lesson that just finished and who is coming next week.

You will quickly get into a new habit and it will be no big deal before you know it.

[roamingnome]

[QUOTE=CHT;8128868]
I toyed with 24 hour cancellation, but how often do you feel fine going to bed, and then wake up sick? Maybe a better idea is that cancellations for afternoon lessons must be received (text or call, not email) by 10 am?[/QUOTE]

That’s true, but by giving you only 2 hours or 4 hours (I would pick ‘timeframe’ and stick with that, either 2 or 4 if not 24) you can’t fill the slot- which can lead to lost income or fuller group lessons (someone trying to make up their missed lesson/you could move someone from a group to the now-available private/smaller group). If you had 24 hours to plan you could move someone into their time slot, or find another productive way to use that time.

I had a long discussion with a former trainer before I moved in - lessons were included in board, and trainer taught at specified times. I made it very clear that I do not know until 4:30 if I am going to be stuck at work. Our systems crash frequently when we run a job at 4:15. If it crashes, I am typically here until 7, so no way to make my 6pm group lessons. She was ok with this, as long as 1)I never said anything to anyone else 2)I did not schedule private lessons after work 3)I stuck to the 24hr rule on weekends- cool with me!

[meupatdoes]

I would not break it down into hours.

Day before or pay full freight.

Why d*ck around?
Let them figure out how to schedule their lives like adults.

[amb]

[QUOTE=CHT;8128868]
I toyed with 24 hour cancellation, but how often do you feel fine going to bed, and then wake up sick?[/QUOTE]

If I booked your time, and I end up too sick to ride in the morning, I don’t think being on the hook to pay you for the time you have reserved for me is all that unreasonable! “24 hours or else” is nice and straightforward.

If you want to cut people some slack, consider something like half-fee for short notice (1-24 hours) cancellations. I’d avoid the different cancellation periods for different times of day, though; too much confusion possible. (Maybe your students are less flaky than the people I’m used to, though!)

[joiedevie99]

I’ve been at two barns with the planner book, and it works great. One had 5 full-time trainers, so it helped to know when things would be busy, and it made it easy to schedule with a non-regular trainer if yours was busy/at a show/on vacation.

I’m now in a small full-training operation, and the book is equally useful there. I can write in what times I want my horses ready to go, and what activity I have planned in addition to blocking out my trainer’s time if I want a lesson that day. I can also block my trainer’s time if I want her to attend a saddle fitting appointment or something like that. It works great, and nothing gets forgotten or double scheduled.

White boards are super hard to use for this purpose. They have to be huge in order to fit enough information on them to cover more than 1-2 weeks.

If you have tech savvy students, you could try what my saddle fitter does - a shared Google Calendar. She emails everyone the link, and everyone is able to edit it to claim appointments.

[arapaloosa_lady]

Definitely make the cancellation period longer than that. If the person calls & says they woke up sick, you can waive the fee at your discretion. That’s the point - put the ball in your court as to whether the person pays the penalty fee or you waive it.

[SuzieQNutter]

We charge per lesson and the more lessons you have in a month the cheaper each lesson is.

These lessons are paid a month in advance.

If you can’t make a lesson 24 hours notice is needed and you can have a makeup lesson in a different time slot.

If no notice is given you forfeit and don’t get it back.

We use a diary. In each timeslot we can write in the rider and which horse is being ridden.

That can be taken to a blackboard and the horses name checked in each timeslot for the day, so the workers know which horses are needed when.

[CHT]

Hmmm…ok, rethinking the notice thing. I need to sleep on it.

My students are in general good, but I think I have just been easy going to the point they now think that late cancellations are ok. They are not.

My next thought is that outside board and lesson horse leases include a weekly lesson…so I need to figure out how that will work with the new cancellation policy. Current plan is that if the person takes less than 4 lessons in the month, the difference can be carried forward for up to one month (unless otherwise arranged before hand).

I think the book is a good idea, and I will just have the general time schedule on a white board and on the website, with the names listed in the book.