This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about managing your program participants, from initial registration to ongoing progress tracking and enrollment changes. Whether you're welcoming new clients, tracking their journey, or making adjustments along the way, Practice Better gives you complete control over your program enrollment and participant experience.
In this article:
- Granting Client Access to Programs
- Setting Up an Automation to Invite New Program Registrants
- Registering Clients into Your Program
- Tracking Client Progress
- Unlocking Content for Clients
- Archiving and Unregistering Clients
- Applying Tags to Multiple Clients at Once
- Updating Client Tags in Bulk
Granting Client Access to Programs
Enrolling a client in a program and activating their Client Portal are two separate steps, and both are required for clients to log in and access their program materials. Before launching your program, it's worth understanding how access works for different types of clients so no one gets left without a way in.
Checking a Client's Portal Status
You can check a client's portal status directly from your client list or from their client record. Just below their name, you'll see one of these potential statuses:
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Active: The client has activated their Client Portal and is ready to access the program as soon as they're enrolled.
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Invited: The client received an invitation but hasn't activated their account yet. Automations won't send them another invite since one was already sent. Go to your Program’s Enrollments tab and click the Send Invite button next to your client’s name.
- Not Invited: The client has never received a portal invitation. An automation configured for new and existing clients will send one automatically, or you can invite them manually from the Enrollments tab.
📍 Note: Clients can access your program without receiving a program welcome email, as long as they have an active Client Portal login. The program welcome email is separate from the client portal invitation email, and provides helpful orientation content but isn't required for program access.
New Clients Registering Through Your Program's Booking Page
New clients who register through your program's public registration page won't automatically receive a Client Portal invitation unless you've set up an automation to handle this. Without it, they'll be enrolled in the program but unable to log in and access their content.
Setting Up an Automation to Invite New Program Registrants
Setting this up before your program launches ensures every new registrant receives their portal invitation automatically, without any manual follow-up on your part.
⚠️ Important: This automation only triggers when a client registers through your program's public booking page. It does not apply to clients you enroll manually. For manually enrolled clients, send invitations directly from the Enrollments tab.
To set up your program enrollment automation:
- Go to My Practice > Automations.
- Click the Fast Action Button to Create an automation.
- Select Add/invite new clients from the pop-up.
- Name your automation something descriptive (e.g., "Invite New Program Registrants").
- Enter a name for your automation in the Automation name field (e.g., "Invite Clients when they Register for a Program").
- Check Give new clients access to the Client Portal to send invitations to brand new clients.
Check Give existing clients access to the Client Portal to also send invitations to existing clients who haven't yet been invited.
- Under Booking & Registration Restrictions, check Trigger this automation only when a client registers for a program.
- In the Auto-confirm clients who request these programs dropdown, select the program(s) this automation should apply to.
- Optionally, use the Add or Remove Client Tags section to automatically apply tags to clients when they register (ie. organizing program cohorts). Learn more about Organizing Clients Using Tags in Practice Better →
- Click Create in the top-right corner to save your automation.
✅ Once the automation is active, any client who self-registers for your program will automatically receive their Client Portal invitation, ensuring a seamless path from registration to program access.
Automations are not retroactive. Clients who were already enrolled before the automation was set up won't receive an invitation automatically. Go to the Enrollments tab of your Program to send invitations to any existing enrollees who still need access.
Troubleshooting Client Access
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A client says they never received their invitation email: Double-check that the email address on their client record is correct, then resend the invitation from the Enrollments tab. There's no limit to how many times an invitation can be resent. If the issue persists, contact Practice Better support for assistance.
- A client registered with a different email than what's already in your client list: This will create a new client record. If you'd prefer to keep their history consolidated, the two records can be merged. Learn more about Merging Client Records →
Registering Clients into Your Program
Sometimes the most personal touch makes all the difference. While clients can enroll themselves through your booking page or package purchases, there are moments when you'll want to personally add someone to your program - perhaps a returning client who needs special consideration or someone transitioning from individual sessions.
Three Ways Clients Can Join Your Program
Your clients can become enrolled in your programs through:
- Self-Registration: Clients register directly through your Bookings Page.
- Package Purchase: Automatic enrollment when clients purchase a package containing your program.
- Manual Addition: You personally add them from the Manage Program screen.
Enrolling Clients Manually
💡 Practitioners can manually enroll a client in a Fixed-Date Program even after the self-registration deadline has passed.
When you're ready to personally register clients in your program:
- Go to My Practice > My Programs.
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Click Manage next to your desired program.
💡 Pro tip: Grab this Program Template and more from the Practice Better Template Library!
- Click the Fast Action Button and select Register clients.
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Select all clients you'd like to enroll from the list.
📍 Already enrolled clients will appear greyed out, making it easy to see who's new and who's already part of your program community.
- Click Register in the top-right corner to confirm your changes.
✅ Your newly registered clients will receive access to their program materials and can begin their wellness journey with you immediately.
Tracking Client Progress
Nothing is more rewarding than watching your clients progress through their wellness journey. Practice Better's progress tracking tools help you stay connected to each participant's experience and celebrate their achievements along the way.
Viewing Overall Client Progress
To see how your participants are progressing through your program:
- Go to the Enrollments section from the left-hand menu in your Manage Program page.
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Scroll to find your desired client, or enter their name in the Program’s search bar.
💡Pro tip: This search feature helps you quickly access any client's progress, especially valuable when managing larger programs with many participants.
- Click the View Progress option next to their name.
Reviewing Completed Resources
Want to see the specific work your client has accomplished?
- From the client's progress page, click View next to each completed resource.
- This gives you insight into their engagement and helps inform your coaching conversations.
Unlocking Content for Clients
Every client's journey is unique, and sometimes they're ready to move faster than your standard program timeline. Practice Better allows you to customize content access to meet individual client needs while maintaining program structure.
How Content Unlocking Works
Content automatically unlocks for clients once a module is released according to your program schedule. However, you have the flexibility to release modules early for specific clients who are ready to advance.
⚠️ Important: When modules are manually or automatically unlocked, they may take a few minutes to appear unlocked in the client portal. This brief delay ensures all content loads properly for the best client experience.
Unlocking All Modules at Once
When a client is ready to access your entire program immediately:
- Go to your program's Enrollments section.
- Locate your client and click the More Options button (3 dots).
- Select Unlock all modules.
💡 This feature is particularly useful for clients who are highly motivated or returning participants who can handle the full program content at once.
Unlocking Specific Modules
For more targeted content release:
- Go to your program's Enrollments section.
- Click View progress next to your client's name.
- On the client's Progress & Activity page, click Unlock next to any locked module you want to release early.
💡 This selective unlocking allows you to personalize each client's experience based on their readiness and progress.
Archiving and Unregistering Clients
Sometimes client circumstances change, and you need to adjust their program access. Understanding the difference between archiving and unregistering helps you make the right choice for each situation while preserving important client relationships and data.
Understanding the Difference
When you archive a client:
- They lose access to program modules, group chat, and upcoming group sessions.
- Previously shared forms, tasks, and protocols remain available in their record.
- Their name stays in your Enrollments list for historical tracking.
- This preserves the relationship and allows for easy re-enrollment if they return.
When you unregister a client:
- They lose access to your program and all related resources.
- You can permanently delete forms, tasks, and protocols shared through the program. If you opt not to delete these resources, the client will receive duplicates if you register them in the program again.
- They're permanently removed from your enrollments list.
- This option is best for clients who won't return to the program or who may want to start again with their progress reset.
✅ Both options help you maintain an organized practice while respecting your clients' changing needs and circumstances.
Manual Archiving and Unregistering
To manually adjust a client's enrollment status:
- Go to your program's Enrollments page.
- Locate your client in the enrollments list.
- Click the More Options button (3 dots) next to their name.
- Select either Archive or Unregister from the options.
Automated Archiving and Unregistering
For programs with natural endpoints, automation can streamline your practice management:
- Go to My Practice > Automations.
- Click the red Fast Action Button and select Archive or unregister program enrollments.
- Enter an automation name and select your program(s).
- Choose whether to archive or unregister clients.
- Set your preferred time period (ie. Unregister clients 1 hour after their program completion).
🪄 For example, you might automatically archive clients one week after their program completion, giving them time to review materials while keeping your active roster current.
Archiving Multiple Clients Simultaneously
When you need to make bulk changes to your enrollment roster:
- Go to the program’s Enrollments page.
- Click Select multiple near the top-right of the client list.
- Choose all clients you want to archive.
- Click the Archive button.
💡 This bulk feature is especially helpful at program completion or when transitioning between program cohorts.
Applying Tags to Multiple Clients at Once
An effective client organization makes your practice run smoothly and helps you provide more personalized care. Bulk tagging allows you to quickly categorize and organize your program participants based on their needs, progress, or other important characteristics.
Updating Client Tags in Bulk
To efficiently organize your program participants:
- Go to the Enrollments page.
- Click Select multiple near the top-right of the client list.
- Choose all clients you want to tag.
- Click Update tags.
- Select your desired action (add, remove, or replace tags).
- Search and apply the tags you want.
- Click Submit to save your changes.
✅ Consistent tagging helps you quickly identify client groups for targeted communications, specialized content, or follow-up care. Learn more.