Pilates teachers: what to do when classes are full

When a Pilates class is full, don't add places beyond your equipment. Keep a short waiting list yourself, ask clients who can't come to cancel early so their place is released, and offer freed places to the people on the list in order. If the same class is full week after week, that's a sign to open a second class at a nearby time rather than squeezing more people in. A full class is good news; the aim is to make sure its places are actually used.

On Book, a class is a slot with a number of places, set to your number of mats or reformers. Each client books one place. When every place is taken, the class is no longer shown on your page, so a new client simply doesn't see it. Clients don't see how many places are left, and there's no built-in waiting list: someone who wanted that class will look for another time, or message you.

That's why a simple process on your side matters. Without one, the client who asked on Monday never hears back, and the place freed on Wednesday goes to whoever happens to open your page first.

A waiting list doesn't need software. A note on your phone per class is enough: date, class, name and how to reach the person, in the order they asked. Say in your class descriptions that clients can message you if a class is full, and how.

Booking the place yourself matters. When a booking is cancelled, the place becomes available again on your page straight away. If you only tell the person on the list, someone else may book it before they do.

A full class with an empty reformer is the worst case: a client didn't come, and someone on the list could have. Ask clients to cancel as early as possible when they can't come, and set a clear notice period in your class descriptions. If you book regulars into their weekly class ahead of time, remind them that the place is theirs only if they use it.

When a client tells you they can't come, cancel their booking from your bookings list right away, then go to your waiting list. Book doesn't email the client when you cancel, so confirm it with them.

It's tempting to add a mat or two to a full class. For mat work, that may be possible if the room allows it and you can still watch everyone. For reformers, it isn't: the number of machines is the number of places. When a class is full for several weeks in a row, open another class at a nearby time, the same level and the same price. Repeat it weekly until an end date, and tell the people on your waiting list first.

Watch which classes fill and which don't. Moving a half-empty class to a busier time can do more than adding a new one.

When classes are full, new clients may try to book whatever is left, even if it's the wrong level. Keep introductions as a separate service with their own slots, so beginners always have a place to start, and say in class descriptions which level each is for. If a newcomer books a class that isn't right for them, contact them, cancel the booking and book an introduction instead.

A client who can't get into a full group class may be happy with a private or duo session at another time. Offer it when you reply to them. Private sessions are separate services with their own slots, placed when the room isn't used for classes. They won't replace the group class for everyone, but they turn some of the demand into bookings instead of lost clients.