Tuition Make-Up Class Requests on WhatsApp
This recipe handles a parent’s request to make up a missed lesson. It checks the request against your make-up policy, finds another class at the same level and subject with a free seat, books the make-up and tells both teachers. Requests outside your policy go to your admin. Part of the tuition centre workflows.
What happens today
“Hi teacher, Ryan has a fever today and cannot come, can he make it up?” The admin checks which class Ryan is in, looks for another grade 6 science class this week, checks whether it has space, and replies. The parent asks for a different day. The admin checks again and forgets to tell the Thursday teacher. On Thursday a child turns up who is not on the list.
Each request is small. Together they take hours a week, and the mistakes land on the teachers.
The flow that works
- The parent says which lesson the child missed or will miss. AeroChat finds the child in your class list.
- It checks the request against your policy: how many make-ups a term, how far ahead, and whether a reason is needed.
- It finds other classes at the same level and subject in the window you allow, with a seat free, and offers up to three.
- The parent picks one. AeroChat records the make-up in your make-ups Sheet and tells both teachers.
- If the request is outside your policy, it says so plainly and passes it to your admin with the details.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When a parent asks to make up a missed class, follow these steps.
- Find the child in our class list Sheet by the parent’s phone number or the child’s name. Confirm the class and the date of the lesson they missed or will miss.
- Check our make-ups Sheet for how many make-ups the child has had this term. Our policy allows 2 make-ups a term, to be taken within 2 weeks of the missed lesson (example policy).
- If the request is within the policy, check our timetable Sheet for other classes at the same level and subject in that window that have a seat free. Offer up to three.
- When the parent chooses one, add a row to our make-ups Sheet with the child’s name, the missed lesson, the make-up class and date. Notify the teacher of the make-up class and the child’s usual teacher.
- Confirm the make-up to the parent with the day, time, teacher and room.
- If no class has a seat in the window, tell the parent and offer to pass the request to our admin.
If the request is outside our policy, explain the policy in one sentence and hand the conversation to our admin with the details. Never promise a refund or a credit for a missed lesson. If the parent is worried the child is falling behind, hand the concern to the teacher. Reply in the parent’s language.
Change the make-up limit, the window and the teachers to notify to your own before you paste it.
What to connect
- Your class list and timetable Sheets. The same Google Sheets your other workflows use, with seats left for each class.
- A make-ups Sheet. One row per make-up, so you can see how many each child has had and teachers can check their extra students.
- Tutoring software, if you use it. Teachworks connects through its API: turn on API access in its settings, create an API token, and paste it in when AeroChat asks. The recipe then reads and writes there instead of in your Sheets.
- Your make-up policy. Upload it to the AeroChat knowledge base so the replies quote it exactly.
- How AeroChat reaches them. Connect your Google account when AeroChat asks, and approve the access.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What you still decide
- How many make-ups a term, and in what window.
- Whether make-ups can be in a different subject or level.
- Whether a medical certificate or reason is needed.
- Whether you offer online make-ups or recordings instead.
AeroChat follows these as written. It does not book a make-up into a class your Sheet shows as full.
The result to expect
Parents get a make-up slot in the same conversation as the request. Teachers get told every time. Your admin handles the exceptions instead of every request.
Measure it with your own numbers: make-up requests handled without a person, and the number of times a child turned up unannounced, for a month before and after.
Next: holiday programme sign-ups and parent progress questions.
Handle your next make-up in chat
Connect your class list and timetable Sheets, paste the recipe, and message your own number saying your child is sick today.
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