Tuition Trial Class Booking on WhatsApp
This recipe takes a parent’s enquiry on WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram from first message to a confirmed trial class: the level, the subject, a class with a free seat, the trial fee if you charge one, and the confirmation. It works from the timetable Sheet many centres already keep. It is the first workflow most centres automate. Part of the tuition centre workflows.
What happens today
A parent messages at 10.15pm: “hi my daughter is in grade 5 this year, looking for maths, is there a trial on sat morning?”. The admin sees it at 11am the next day, checks the timetable, and replies with two options. The parent replies after school pickup. One class is now full. The admin asks for the child’s name and school and says to pay the trial fee by bank transfer and send a screenshot. The parent says ok, then goes quiet.
The parent messaged three centres that evening. The one that replied first with a real class and a date usually gets the trial.
The flow that works
- The parent says what they want in their own words. AeroChat works out the level, subject and preferred days, and asks only for what is missing.
- It checks your timetable Sheet for classes at that level and subject with trial seats, and offers the next two or three dates.
- The parent picks one. AeroChat takes the child’s name, school and the parent’s name.
- If you charge for trials, it sends a trial fee link in the chat.
- When the payment is confirmed, or straight away for a free trial, it records the trial in your trials Sheet, tells the teacher, and sends the confirmation with the address and what to bring.
A paid trial is held only after payment. That keeps your class lists free of seats held for parents who never turn up.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When a parent asks about a trial class, follow these steps.
- Find out the child’s level, the subject and the days that suit them. Treat “grade 5”, “year 5” and “Y5” as the same level. Treat standard and advanced maths as different subjects.
- Check our timetable Sheet for classes at that level and subject that have a trial seat free. Offer up to three of the nearest dates that match the days they gave.
- When they choose a date, ask for the child’s full name, school and the parent’s name.
- Tell them the trial fee is US$30 (example amount), taken off the first month’s fee if they enrol. Send a payment link.
- When the payment is confirmed, check the seat is still free. Add a row to our trials Sheet with the date, class, child’s name, school, parent’s name and phone number, and fee paid. Reduce the trial seats for that class by one. Notify the class teacher. If the seat has gone, offer the next two dates and keep the payment for the new date.
- Send a confirmation with the class, date and time, our address, and what to bring, for example the child’s school worksheets and a pencil case (example).
If no class at that level has a seat, record the child’s details and preferred days in our waitlist Sheet and tell the parent our team will contact them when a seat opens. Only quote fees from our fee table. Never give a discount. If the parent asks about their child’s results, learning needs or which level they should be in, hand the conversation to a person. Reply in the parent’s language.
Change the trial fee, what to bring and the level names to your own before you paste it. If your trials are free, remove step 4 and confirm straight away.
What to connect
- Your timetable Sheet. A Google Sheet with one row per class: level, subject, day, time, teacher, seats left and trial seats free. Keep the seats columns current, because the recipe reads from them.
- Your trials and waitlist Sheets. Two tabs, one row per trial or waitlist request. Your team works from them, and the enrolment workflow uses the trials tab.
- 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 fee table and centre details. Upload your fees, address, parking notes and trial terms to the AeroChat knowledge base.
- How AeroChat reaches them. Connect your Google account when AeroChat asks, and approve the access to your Sheets.
- Payments. Airwallex is built in: connect your Airwallex account and AeroChat sends the payment link and confirms the payment. If you already take payments with HitPay or Stripe, both connect through their APIs with your API key. Payment links are included from the Growth plan.
After you paste the recipe, AeroChat builds the workflow as a draft and shows a checklist: connect your Google account, connect payments, upload the fee table, then switch it on.
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
- Whether trials are free or paid, and whether the fee is taken off the first month.
- How many trial seats each class has.
- Whether a parent can book more than one trial per subject.
- How far ahead trials can be booked.
- Which questions go to a teacher.
AeroChat follows these as written. It does not offer a fee, a discount or a seat your Sheet does not show.
The result to expect
Parents who message at night get a trial date that night, instead of a reply the next afternoon. Your admin stops relaying class times back and forth and spends the time on the parents who need a conversation.
Measure it with your own numbers: trials booked from enquiries that arrived after hours, and the share of trials that turn up, for a month before and after you start. In the first week, read a sample of the trial chats in the inbox and adjust the recipe where a reply was not how you would put it.
Next: enrolment with payment and schedule and fee questions. See also payment link.
Book your first trial in chat
Upload your timetable, paste the recipe, and message your centre’s number as a parent asking for a grade 5 maths trial this Saturday.
Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed.
On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.