Most activity businesses start the same way. A few classes, a handful of students, and a Google Sheet that does the job. One tab for registrations, one for the timetable, one for who's paid, and maybe another for students whose fees are covered by funding or a bursary.
It works. Until it doesn't.
If you've found yourself searching for a better way to manage student registrations, courses and funding, you're not alone. It's one of the most common reasons studios and clubs come to us. Here's how to tell you've reached that point, what to look for in a replacement, and how Class Manager can take the weight off.
Signs your spreadsheet has stopped working for you
Spreadsheets are brilliant for lists. They're far less good at running a business that changes every week. You've probably outgrown yours if:
You copy the same details into several tabs. A new student gets added to the registration sheet, then the class list, then the payments tab. Every copy is a chance for something to go out of date.
Nobody's sure which version is right. Someone sorted a column without selecting the whole sheet, or a teacher kept their own copy, and now the numbers don't match.
Chasing payments takes hours. Working out who owes what means cross-checking bank statements against rows of names.
Parents can't help themselves. Every change of address, new medical note or class swap comes through you, by email, text or WhatsApp.
Handing over is impossible. If you're off sick, nobody else can pick up the admin without a long explanation.
If two or three of those sound familiar, it's time to look at a dedicated system. (For more common pain points, see 9 studio bottlenecks class management software can fix.)
What a better system should do
Before comparing software, it helps to know what you need. For most studios and clubs, a replacement for Google Sheets should:
Keep one record per student. Contact details, classes, attendance, payments and notes all in one place, updated once.
Let families register and pay online. New sign-ups shouldn't need you to type anything in.
Handle courses and terms without rebuilding them each time. Setting up a new term should take minutes, not an afternoon.
Cope with different prices for different students. Sibling discounts, funded places and reduced fees should sit alongside standard pricing, not in a separate tab.
Show you the numbers. Who's paid, who hasn't, which classes are full, and how the business is doing overall.
Give staff the right level of access. Teachers should be able to take a register without seeing everything else. Here's how staff roles work in Class Manager.
How Class Manager helps
Class Manager is class management software built for dance studios, gymnastics clubs, swim schools, martial arts academies, and other activity businesses. There's no monthly subscription, so moving off spreadsheets doesn't add another monthly bill.
Here's how it covers the jobs your Google Sheet is currently doing.
Student registrations
Families sign up and pay online through your own branded Family Portal. Their details go straight into Class Manager, so there's no retyping and no risk of a missed row. Parents can update their own contact and medical information, which means fewer messages landing with you.
You can also set up free trials, and Automated Trial Emails follow up with families afterwards so interested students don't slip through the gaps.
Courses, classes and terms
The class planner shows every class, its capacity and who's booked in, at a glance. You can colour code classes, clone them and schedule a whole season in a few clicks, rather than copying and pasting last term's sheet. Make-up classes and trials sit in the same place, and Packages let you bundle classes together where that suits your timetable.
Teachers take attendance from their phone, and the Attendance Overview shows you patterns without any formulas.
Funding, discounts and reduced fees
This is often the messiest part of a spreadsheet setup. In Class Manager, fees can be adjusted for individual students, specific classes or age groups, so a funded or reduced-fee place is set up on that student's record rather than tracked in a separate tab. Notes on each student let you record the details that matter, such as who the funding comes from or when it needs reviewing. If you also run discount schemes, these sit in the same place.
Finance Reports then pull everything together, so you can see what's been paid, what's outstanding and where your income is coming from.
Invoices and payments are automated, with reminders going out for you. Families can pay by card, and payments can be taken from saved payment methods, so there's far less chasing.
Communication
Chats brings every family conversation into one place, with broadcast, group and one-to-one messaging. AI Suggested Replies help you answer quickly, and you're no longer searching through WhatsApp threads to find what a parent said last week. See all the communication features.
Moving from Google Sheets to Class Manager
Switching can feel like a big job, especially when years of information live in one spreadsheet. A few tips to make it easier:
Tidy your data first. Remove old students, merge duplicates and check contact details are current.
Pick a natural start point. The beginning of a new term is usually the easiest time to switch. Here's more on the best time to switch software.
Tell families what's changing. A short email explaining the new Family Portal helps parents get set up quickly. Our guide on communicating studio changes to parents can help.
Get help with the setup. Our team can walk you through importing students and building your timetable, so you're not doing it alone.
Ready to leave the spreadsheet behind?
Google Sheets is a great place to start, but it was never designed to run a studio. If registrations, courses and funding are taking up more of your week than teaching, it might be time for a system that does the admin for you. Read our case studies to see how other studios made the move.
Book a free, no-obligation demo and see how Class Manager could work for your studio or club. Or create your free account today here.
If you're weighing up a few options before moving off spreadsheets, these comparisons are a good place to start:
Class Manager or Class4Kids: which is better for your studio?
Coacha vs ClassForKids vs Class Manager for UK gymnastics clubs
Best dance studio software in the UK: 6 platforms compared on real prices
How much does class management software really cost? UK, USA and AUS pricing compared
You'll find every comparison in one place on our class management software comparisons page.
