Practice Better allows you to schedule and manage group classes and sessions. This article will provide instructions on how to create a group service, set up availability and manage attendees and other session details.
- Creating a Group Service
- Setting up Group Session Availability
- Scheduling Group Sessions
- Creating a Private Group Session
- Registering Clients in a Group Session
- Adding Group Sessions to a Program
- Sharing a Session Registration Link
Creating a Group Service
1) Go to your My Practice > My Services Page
2) Click the Fast Action Button in bottom-right corner, then select Add service. Select Group Class/Service from the options provided:
3) Setting up a group session is similar to setting up a one-on-one offering; you'll need to provide a service name, duration and fee.
Under the Group Options section you can also specify a default enrollment limit for each session. This limit can be adjusted on a per-session basis.
Setting up an Online/Telehealth Group Service
To run online/telehealth group sessions you will need to link a Zoom account to Practice Better. Once you've linked a Zoom account, select Zoom from the Telehealth application pick-list:
Setting up Group Session Availability
Once you've created your service, you'll want to set up availability to allow clients to register for upcoming sessions. Clients will be able to register for your service from your Bookings Page in the same way they request one-on-one sessions.
You can also provide direct links to specific sessions which we'll cover later in this article.
It's important to note that when you set up group availability, you are only creating placeholder slots for your service. A placeholder is essentially a tentative/unconfirmed session.
We will prevent clients from double-booking you for one-on-one sessions at any time which overlaps with a group session placeholder. However, you will not receive reminders for a placeholder session until a client registers or you manually confirm the session.
Go to My Schedule > My Availability. Either click on a time in the calendar or click the Add slot button in the bottom-right corner.
Unlike one-on-one availability, you can only set up one service per group availability slot. If you run multiple sessions per day (e.g. at 9 AM and 3 PM), you will need to set up separate availability slots for each time of day. The length of the availability slot will match the duration of your group service.
Setting up Recurring Group Sessions
In the Add/Edit Availability popup, enable the This time slot recurs option. You can set up availability to recur daily, weekly or monthly. With the weekly option, you can also specify which days of the week your session is available (e.g. every week on Mon, Tue, Wed):
Once you've set up your availability, you'll see it displayed on your availability calendar:
Group Availability & One-on-One Sessions
Group availability will override any availability you've set up for one-on-one sessions. If you've set up recurring availability for a group service, we'll also warn you about potential conflicts with these slots when booking one-on-one sessions on behalf of clients.
Scheduling Group Sessions
Selecting an Availability Placeholder
If you've set up availability for your service, you'll see session placeholders displayed on your My Practice > My Calendar page. Placeholders can be identified by the light-shaded bar to the left of the event details:
Clicking on a placeholder will prompt you with two options:
- View session details - this will allow you to review and confirm your session details, after which you can register attendees and manage other details for your session.
- Delete placeholder - this will delete the availability you've set up for this service at this specific day/time.
1) Select View session details to continue.
2) A popup will appear allowing you to adjust the attendee limit, buffer time and other details of your session. Click Confirm to save your session. This will convert the placeholder to a confirmed session.
Creating a Private Group Session
On your My Schedule > My Calendar page, select Schedule a group session from the Fast Action Button, then select your service from the options provided.
This session will not be available for clients to register unless:
- It overlaps with availability you've set up for this service
- You share the registration link for the session. See Registering Attendees for more information.
You can also schedule group sessions from your My Practice > My Services page by clicking the Schedule a session button next to your service.
Registering Clients
You can register clients for a group session from your sessions' Details page. You can access this page by clicking on a session in your calendar or from your My Bookings page.
1) Click the Register clients button to the right:
2) Select clients to register in your session from the popup menu. You also have the option to send a confirmation email and/or mark these clients as confirmed.
Sharing a Session Registration Link
You can share a direct link with clients to register for your session by clicking the Share registration link button. Registration will be available so long as the session attendee limit has not been reached.
Group Service Session Notifications
When a client registers for your group service, they will receive session notifications, regardless of their status. This means that both Active and Prospective clients will receive session confirmation and reminder emails based on your notification settings.