More and more organizations have started using task automations to eliminate repetitive manual daily tasks. The ability to send a single automated start of session email personalized for all classes can save you hours of work.
And that’s just one example. Since automations can free up to 30% of time spent on daily tasks, let’s take a look at how to better integrate automations.
First let’s look at what tasks can (and should) be automated. I’ll add email templates, what to include and when the automation should be sent out to the client. Then let’s look at the best ways to use task automations.
Finally, we’ll look at the main benefits of automating manual tasks and offer you a checklist of automated tasks that should be included when selecting an online registration software.
Let’s take a look at which tasks automation can help you streamline your communications with participants.
People now expect this outreach as part of the client-experience. They expect a reminder with important information before the session starts such as the location, start date and time, and what to bring for the first day. This is especially true when they registered weeks or even months ago.
Start of session task automation should include placeholders in order to personalize the message. Those are automatically replaced based on the registration information.
When to send it: 5-7 days before the start of the session
Information to include: Location, Start date and time, name of the activity, what to bring
People enjoy getting a reminder of when the session is ending for a few reasons. A good percentage of participants won’t remember and end up filling up your inbox asking for the information. Or worst, they show up to an empty room.
A task automation not only reminds participants of the end date, it is used to help promote your next session. You can also include a satisfaction survey in order to capture the customer experience.
When to send it: 4-5 days before the end of the session
Information to include: Date of the last class, link to end of session survey, link to register for next session.
(Note: Skip this if you don’t offer kids birthday parties)
What if I told you that the best way to market your birthday parties takes less than 5 minutes to set up and will bring in more revenue than anything you’ve ever done in the past.
Here’s the trick: send an automated marketing message at the time parents are thinking of (or should be) what to do for Sophie’s birthday this year.
This task automation triggers an email to go out X number of days before the child’s DOB. Add that on top of your existing marketing efforts and become a party marketing rockstar!
When to send it: 4-6 weeks before the participants DOB
Information to include: Name of the child, Party packages offered. Link to book a party
Every class management software automatically sends a transaction email confirmation. The problem is that most of them don’t allow you to personalize the email or SMS.
Since the open rate for transaction emails is 8x the open for marketing emails, the lack of personalization is a massive missed opportunity. Personalizing your confirmation email will act as a powerful tool to mitigate post-purchase support, save time and increase customer satisfaction. Click here to see what your confirmation should include
When to send it: Automatically following a purchase
Information to include: Invoice, Answer to top post purchase questions, when they should expect you to contact them next, parent guide or blog articles that might be relevant
By automating administrative tasks, you remove the burden on your employees. They need much less time to do the same work. This will help you save on administrative cost and improve employee efficiency. With less boring work to do, they will also be more satisfied at work
Let’s take the example of a session start reminder email. You need to schedule a time to send out the communication, and manually change the dates, time and important information in order to personalize the outreach for every class. Then repeat for every activity or class. A single automated task allows you to personalize the outreach and complete the task at the exact scheduled time and without error.
The most important benefit of automating repetitive manual tasks is saving on your most precious resource: time. Our most recent survey of Jackrabbit, Amilia and IClassPro users, found that on average, task automation saves businesses 15-20 hours a month
