In the past three years, eLearning has gained popularity as a safe way to deliver quality education to learners across the globe. Online tutoring makes it easier than ever for tutors to expand their reach and provide service to learners from anywhere.
But how do you go about growing and scaling your business?
CRM software allows you to streamline your tasks and stay on top of growing your business more efficiently.
This article gives an overview of what to look for in a CRM for your tutoring business and the top five software to consider in 2023. It covers the specific needs of an online tutor, from student communication to payment options, and how each CRM can address these unique needs.
What to Look for in a CRM for Your Tutoring Business
A customer relationship management platform is a great way to level up your business. You must take time to consider what aspects are most vital for you so that you make the best choice when you select a CRM to work with.
When shopping for software for your tutoring business, look for the following things:
- Simple to use and setup
- All-in-one solutions (to reduce complexity and save time and money
- Easy to use for clients
- Affordable pricing
- Automation options to save time
- Light customization
Using a single app to streamline your day-to-day tasks will give you more time to focus on delivering your tutoring service and an optimal learning experience for your students. These benefits alone make an affordable CRM more than worth it in the long run.
If you are at a point in your online tutoring business where you are ready to grow but feel overwhelmed, it is a good time to find the right CRM platform.
Top 5 Software for Online Tutoring
While many SaaS CRM options exist, the following programs stand out the best for small online tutors. CRMs allow you to offer convenient payment options, maintain consistent communication with your students and prospective clients, and market more efficiently so you can focus your time and energy on being a tutor.
Things to Consider as You Look for the Best Tutoring CRM:
- Calendar Management - Keeping track of tutoring sessions can be a headache to organize, but a good CRM will make scheduling quick and easy.
- Teaching Tools - eLearning requires digital tools to boost engagement. Digital whiteboards, screen share capabilities, and assistive technology will make life easier for tutors and students.
- Budget - Determine what you can afford and look for a CRM program within your allotted budget.
- Learning curve - You can't afford to spend hours upon hours learning a new software program when you have students to tutor. Find a program that looks manageable and relatively easy to understand.
- Non-negotiables - Make a list of essential features. Only consider CRMs that check every box.
- Resources and support - From online tutorials to around-the-clock customer service, find a CRM that provides a comfortable level of support to get you started.
TutorCruncher
TutorCruncher is a platform made specifically for tutors. Students have an individual accounts where they can see upcoming lessons, view past lesson reports, and make online payments. Tutors can send automated email reminders and track their payments in one easy place.
Main features include the following:
- Business Analytics - Analyze how your business is performing with a few clicks. Graphs and revenue breakdowns make it easy to interpret your data.
- Comprehensive CRM - Tutors, clients, and students have their own login where you can communicate easily through email and SMSs.
- Online Whiteboard Tool - This online teaching tool makes it easier to work with learners online.
- Scheduling Software - Private tutoring sessions are easy to organize and manage with an online scheduling calendar.
- Online Payments - You can easily send digital invoices, accept payments, and manage different tutoring programs.
- Website Integration - TutorCruncher integrates seamlessly into your existing website.
Some Drawbacks include the following:
- Reports are not customizable
- It cannot integrate with a database
- It cannot integrate with accounting software
- Clients are not able to purchase tutor lesson packages.
Pricing Options for TutorCruncher
- Pay as you go for $30 per month + 1% of revenue
- Startup for $80 per month + 0.65% of revenue
- Enterprise, call for pricing
Practice
Practice is a CRM platform designed especially for businesses of one and solopreneurs. This software provides a professional and straightforward experience for your clients. Practice has many features that will make it easier for tutors to consolidate and simplify their operations.
Main features include the following:
- Automation - With Smart Actions, you can automate manual tasks in your workflows, saving time so you can do more of what you love.
- Client Management - The client management app makes it easy to keep all of your clients' stuff, from interactions and files to client records, in one place. You also can manage groups and individual clients.
- Client Portal - The portal provides a central place for clients to access shared resources, documents, and invoices.
- File Storage - Keep everything organized with file systems where you can store and share files with your clients -- any documents, videos, and links. Online learning is seamless and convenient with this feature.
- Digital Forms and Contracts - Form templates make collecting data on your clients easy. You can use them to create client agreements, contracts, feedback surveys, and progress trackers.
- Online Payment and Invoicing - You can track and create packages, recurring invoices, auto-debiting subscriptions, coupons and promo codes.
- Easy Scheduling - The meeting scheduler makes it easy to set up tutoring sessions without sending many emails.
Some drawbacks to Practice include the following:
- The program's initial cost is more upfront, but you don't have to pay a percentage of your revenue.
- Processing fee for online payments through Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 for each successful transaction)
- The software is new and still has room to grow, but constantly updating and improving features.
Pricing Options for Practice
- Basic for $28 per month ($336 billed annually)
- Pro for $48 per month ($576 billed annually)
Teachworks
This CRM software was created for online education businesses to streamline booking and invoicing. This program also integrates with Google Meet, Zoom, and Skype, making video conferencing convenient. It works well for businesses ranging from small tutoring services to music schools.
Main features include the following:
- Calendar/Scheduling - Teachworks makes it easy to coordinate multiple schedules simultaneously with calendar filters and six different view options. Businesses with multiple tutors can check the availability of tutors and avoid over-booking.
- Communication - Student-teacher communication is made quicker with automated email reminders and individual logins for parents, students, and tutors.
- Billing and Payroll - With a flexible invoicing system, you can automate billing and tailor it to an individual student’s settings. It also supports discounts and premiums.
- Records and Analytics - Searchable and sortable tables make it easy to organize and manage your data about students, clients, lessons, and business performance.
- Integrations and Add-Ons - Teachworks integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar, MailChimp, Stripe, Excel, Quickbooks Pro, and more.
Some drawbacks include the following:
- Doesn’t offer live phone support
- Software isn’t as intuitive to use
- More expensive than other CRM options
Pricing Options for Teachworks
- Starter Plan for $16.49 per month + $0.27 per student lesson
- Growth Plan for $47.99 per month + $0.16 per student lesson
- Premium Plan for $187.99 per month + $0.055 per student lesson
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM offers a free option. Its inbound marketing tools help create blog post ideas and email campaigns to boost sales. It can also help manage workflows and share information across apps easily. The platform works for any size business.
Main features include the following:
- CRM Database - Make it more accessible to store client information safely. You can store data on up to 1,000,000 contacts, meaning there is more than enough space to keep your tutoring clients organized.
- Customized Dashboard - You have easy access to your entire sales pipeline, so you know exactly how your business is performing.
- Gmail and Outlook Integrations - Emails sent from HubSpot will show up in your sent box. You can get a notification when emails are opened in real-time.
- Email Marketing - With the drag-and-drop editor, you can customize emails and send bulk emails to your targeted audience.
Some drawbacks include the following:
- Only one email per contact
- Reporting tools lack depth
- As an emerging CRM program, the tools are still evolving
Pricing Options for HubSpot CRM
Free, more advanced features are available with paid HubSpot plans
Yo!Coach
This CRM is geared towards the tutoring, consulting, and language learning marketplace. It supports pre-recorded lessons and live one-to-one or group sessions for accessible online learning. Language translation and multi-lingual/multi-currency capabilities are great features for language tutors who work with international clientele.
Main features include the following:
- Multi-lingual/Multi-currency - Serving a multi-cultural base doesn’t work with a single-language/single-currency platform.
- Review and Rating - Create transparency and trust with real feedback from learners.
- SEO Friendly - Yo!Coach offers an SEO module to learn about website settings and optimize your visibility online.
- Lesson Subscription - Learners can subscribe to tutor lessons which are paid for using Wallet. If a students wallet doesn’t have enough funds the subscription is canceled.
- Virtual Classroom Tools - Including whiteboard, screen sharing, screen recording, live translations, and code editor. These interactive tools help address different learning styles and require less prep for instructors.
Some drawbacks include the following:
- Lacking in customization features
- Setup is not intuitive and may require some coding knowledge
- No workflow automation
Pricing options for Yo!Coach
- GoQuick Lite, call for a quote
- GoQuick, call for a quote
- GoCustom, call for a quote
- GoCustom Prime, call for a quote
What CRM is Best for Your Small Tutoring Business?
Depending of the type of tutoring business you operate, each CRM can offer something different. Priortize the features that are most important to you and find a CRM program that fits your unique needs.
Practice is tailored to small businesses and businesses of one. If you are a tutor working independently or with a small team, our automation features make it easy to manage multiple tasks so you can focus on your students.
Start a free trial today and see if we are a good fit for your online tutoring business.
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