So you want to set up a group coaching program in Paperbell, huh? Here’s how!
First off, what do we mean by group coaching?
Group coaching is when more than one client is invited to the same appointment; you could also think of it as a workshop or group class.
When you create a group appointment, every client who signed up will see the same event on their calendar and they will all attend together.
It’s important to note that for group coaching, YOU set the time and date of the event, not your client. So your client will not choose appointment times for group appointments: they will be invited to the appointments you create.
Step-by-Step Set Up
1. Create Your Package
Go to Packages and create a new package with no appointments (unless you’d like to include 1:1 sessions in your group package.) Don’t worry, you’ll schedule your group sessions soon!
Let’s have a look at all the options:
- Enable “Appointments” if you’d like to include 1:1 appointments in the same package. For example, you might create a package with 4 group coaching sessions and one 1:1 kickoff session.
- Enable the “Purchase limit” to automatically limit your group to a certain number of participants.
- Enable the “Expiry date” if your group starts on a certain date, and you’d like to cut off joining at a certain date before it starts. For example, maybe your first group session is on February 1st, and you want to get everyone in by January 10th to make sure you have time to schedule your 1:1 kickoff sessions before the group starts.
2. How to Schedule Group Appointments
Clients do not schedule their own group appointments.
After you’ve completed the set up, look for the Group Sessions tab in your package. Set the date and time for your group appointments, and all clients are automatically invited.
You can set up recurring group sessions as well. Choose from weekly, monthly, or every other week, and clients will be invited to the whole series.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I add appointments after someone has purchased?
No problem! Everyone who has purchased the package will get invited to any group appointment you create, whether it was before or after they purchased.
Can I invite members to some group appointments and not others?
No, everyone who purchases the package will be invited to all appointments within that package. If you’d like to separate it out, create separate packages.
What if I want to make some group appointments optional?
Simply communicate that to your clients. For example, maybe you offer weekly sessions but your clients can pick and choose which ones they’d like to attend. You’d set up group coaching sessions every week but then your clients can simply click “no” to the calendar invite to remove them from their calendar. You can remind your clients of this using your welcome or pre-appointment emails in your package automated emails.
What emails do clients receive once they purchase a group package?
They’ll get an email confirmation of their purchase, along with invites from your calendar (and Zoom links) for all the sessions you’ve added to the package.
You’ll also receive an email when they make the purchase.
Do they get those emails right away?
Usually, yes. But it can take several hours sometimes for the calendar invites from Google to go out, especially if you get a lot of signups in a short period.
Can I set up automated emails for my group sessions?
You bet. You can set up an automated email to go out before/after a session, or “immediately” — that is, right at the time of the session. This will be the same email every time: there’s not a way to send out a different automated email for each group session.
You can, however, message all the clients in your group package directly. 🙂
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