Delaying Programs/Class

Keywords: schedule, scheduling, delay, reschedule, postpone, adjust, adjustment, move, class update, class change, student notification, student support, program, communication, SMS, email, instructor update, studio update, refunds, transfers, credit, process, procedure

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At times, unforeseen circumstances 🤔🥺 may require us to delay a class to ensure the best possible experience for our students. Whether it’s due to low enrollment, scheduling conflicts, or other operational challenges, it’s essential to handle the delay efficiently and communicate effectively with all involved parties. This SOP outlines the steps to take when a program must be postponed, ensuring transparency and a smooth transition for students and the team.

1. Criteria for Delaying a program

A program may be delayed under the following circumstances:

• Insufficient paid enrollments to host the program

• Lack of balance between participant roles (e.g., leads and follows)

• Unexpected instructor unavailability or studio scheduling conflicts

• Other unforeseen operational challenges affecting program

Things to update when delaying/canceling a program (once confirmed):

➡️ Add a log update in our tracker

➡️ Inform students

➡️ Inform studio

➡️ Inform instructors

➡️ Update records of paid students (under Paid 2021 Classes)

➡️ Update records of paid trial students (date of class trial)

➡️ Update everywhere needed in Masterlist

➡️ Update program status in Programs module

➡️ Update/delete calendar entry

➡️ Check if updates have been made on the website (nudge site team if not yet done)

2. Steps to Delay

A. Gather Student Information

The Student Support Specialist should compile or prepare mailing list of:

• Paid students who are officially enrolled

• Trial students who paid to try day 1 and may potentially join

• Unpaid students who have partially registered

B. Notify Affected Parties

Once the decision to delay is confirmed by Danny, notify all relevant parties/collaborators:

1. Students:

• Email Notification: Send a detailed email with new class details and options (template below)

• SMS Notification: Send to all applicable students (template below)

2. Studio: Inform studio owner and/or operations team of the new schedule and get their confirmation

3. Website Update: Inform site team about the adjustment and ensure program schedule reflects the updated start and end date

4. Instructor: Confirm the delay with the instructor and discuss any scheduling adjustments

   
   
   
   

3. Communication Templates

A. Sample Email Template 📧

Subject: Salsa 101 Date Adjustment

Content:

"Hi [student]! We need to delay the start of your salsa 101 dance program by two weeks to allow more time to recruit enough students.

We apologize for the adjustment and hope it’s okay.

If you can extend a little grace and flexibility, we are grateful and promise it will be worth the wait!

Same days and times: Wednesdays 8-9:45pm

New dates: 5/14 - 7/16

Please respond and confirm that you can make this work with the new dates.

Thank you so much!

- Movers and Shakers Team"

B. Sample SMS Template 📱

"Important update about your salsa 101 program dates. Please check your email and respond today. Thank you!"

Note: For sending SMS, if there are more than 30 students to message, use Telnyx. Assign numbers to students if none have been assigned yet, especially for new students. This helps avoid the risk of our Dialpad number being flagged as spam.

If a follow-up is needed for those who haven’t responded after at least 24 hours, you can use Dialpad as long as the number of students to text is fewer than 30.

4. Follow-up and Resolution

• Track student responses and update CRM and Masterlist notes accordingly

• Confirm final headcount before the new start date

• Provide refunds/credit or transfers as needed (get greenlight for approval)

• Ensure all involved parties (students, instructor, studio) have the final updated details before the new class start date

• Ensure our records are also updated following the date adjustment

By following this SOP, we ensure smooth communication, minimize disruption, and maintain a positive experience for our students.

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Created: April 16 2025

Updated: May 18 2025

By: SS Abigail :)

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