Overview
How to handle unattended sessions for Private Pay clients.
Article Sections
- The Five Options
- The Two Durations in a Session
- Scenario One - Charging the Student and Paying the Tutor
- Scenario Two - Charging the Student but not paying the tutor
- Scenario Three - Not charging student and paying the tutor
- Scenario Four - Not charging the student and not paying the tutor
- Session Reminders
- Additional Session Buttons
- Flags
- Scenario Five - Deferred Make Up Time for one to one tutoring
- Make up Time Process
- Create Extra Session Buttons
- Tutor Permissions for Extra Session Button
- Automatic Emails with Extra Session Buttons
- Reports
The Five Options
There are 4 basic ways you may wish to handle a cancellation or no-show.
i) YY - Charging the student and paying the tutor.
ii) YN - Charging the student but not paying the tutor.
iii) NY - Not charging the student but paying the tutor.
iv) NN - Not charging the student and not paying the tutor.
v) For use with option 4. Cancellations made within your policy time frame may also be deferred to a later date (make up time) with or without a date limit on when that deferred time must be used.
The Two Durations in a Session
To handle any of the options it is essential to understand the two time durations in a session.
The duration time is the tutor time and flows to payroll.
The student time flows to invoicing.
Scenario One - Charging the Student and Paying the Tutor
This is usually a no-show and the customer forfeits the session. The Tutor Time (session duration) and Student Time stays in the session to trigger payroll and invoicing:
1. The session is closed out as normal with time in for the student under an instructional focus code.
The student time may be moved to a custom Instructional Focus code of NS or equivalent to represent a no show and no instruction received. In the example below the student time has been moved from Science to No Show.
2. A note of Absent is placed in the student notes.
3. A note about the situation and decision made, is placed in session notes.
4. Approve Session in the normal way.
Scenario Two - Charging the Student but not paying the tutor
This is usually a late cancellation where you have had time to advise the tutor but still wish to charge the client. The Tutor is removed from session to prevent payroll and Student Time stays in the session for invoicing:
5. The session is closed out with time in for the student under an instructional focus code.
The student time may be moved to a custom Instructional Focus code of NS or equivalent to represent a no show and no instruction received. In the example below the student time has been moved from Science to No Show.
6. A note of Absent or Late Cancellation is placed in the student notes.
7. The tutor is removed from the session.
8. Make a general note of the situation in Session Notes.
9. Approve session as normal.
Scenario Three - Not charging student and paying the tutor
This is usually a special circumstance where cancellation charges are waived. The Tutor Time (session duration) stays in the session to trigger payroll but Student Time is removed to prevent invoicing:
10. Remove student time and leave as zero under the instructional focus codes to prevent invoicing or use of credit on account.
11. You may leave the duration of the session as the full duration for full tutor pay or change the duration of the session so Oases calculates a part payment for the tutor.
12. Make notes in the session notes as to why the duration has changed and why no time for student.
13. In the student session note area mark as Cancelled or wording of your choice.
14. Approve Session as normal.
Scenario Four - Not charging the student and not paying the tutor
This is usually used when cancelled in plenty of time before cancellation charges would apply.
15. Remove tutor from session.
16. Approve the session as normal with zero time in for the student under the instructional focus codes.
17. Make a note in session notes.
Session Reminders
18. Please keep in mind that if the student or tutor remains on the session and you have automatic session reminders the reminder will still go out as the session still exists.
You can prevent the reminder being sent if you mark the session as Submitted, Reviewed or Approved.
This is a config item and needs to be switched on: Go to Setup > Company > Config Settings > Email > Skip Reminders > Enable > Apply Changes.
Remember to remove the Submit, Review or Approve after the start time of the session if the tutor needs access.
If you don't mark the session as Submitted, Reviewed or Approved and the student remains on the session the reminder will be sent. So, consider adding Cancelled to the Student Session Note and change your reminder template to students to include the macro that will send the Student Session Note under a section called, for example, Status in the reminder.
To include the Student Session Note in the reminder email change the reminder templates:
Remove macro: #SESSIONLIST#
Replace with macro: #SESSIONLISTNOTE#
Additional Session Buttons
19. You have the option to add two additional buttons in a session as well as the Submit, Review or Approve buttons.
Often useful for cancellations and no-shows. You can use these buttons not only to add a status of cancelled or no-show but also to trigger emails to the parents, staff or students to convey information about the new status.
Flags
Adding a flag to a session can also help you mark it with a particular status for easy identification.
Scenario Five - Deferred Make Up Time for one to one tutoring
For use instead of Scenario Four.
If you allow students to defer time rather than cancelling a session the following process is a framework to manage these deferrals with or without a make up time date limit.
You can add or remove from this suggested process in accordance with your terms and conditions.
Make up Time Process
20. When a customer calls to defer a session and they know when they would like to re-book, simply change the date and time of the session as required. Make a note in the main Session Note area that the session was moved from its original time.
21. When a customer calls to defer a session and they don't know when they would like to re-book, action the following changes in the session:
i) Press the Make Up button in the session (This is one of the optional additional buttons, created in Setup). This must be done first if you have created a triggered email to the tutor to advise the session is no longer taking place.
ii) Remove the tutor from the session leaving this area as UNASSIGNED.
iii) Optional - If you have a time limit for the make up to take place the expiration date for this time to the Class Field in front of any text already there.
iv) Optional - Add any notes required to the main session note to record information such as date of call and user name.
v) Optional - If you use automatic session reminders add the text Deferred to the student session note and make sure you include student session notes in your reminders as the session reminder will still be sent to the student.
22. When the parent calls to re-book the deferred time it is essential to establish if the student has deferred time and whether or not it has expired. Do this by going to the Sessions list and choosing the following quick filter options:
i) Type student's last name (space first name) into list search.
ii) In the Show Types filter opt to view Make Up. This will filter the list on the extra session button called Make Up.
iii) Change date filter to show past 100 days for example.
iv) If no sessions appear in the results there is no deferred time allowed. If there are results and you have an expiration date check that the parent's proposed new date is still within limits.
23. If Make up time is allowed open the session and update it to new date by performing the following actions:
i) Add tutor.
ii) Change date (and time if required).
iii) Remove expiration date from class field.
iv) Remove Student Session Note if you added one.
v) Add to the Session Notes if required for history of changes. Use the text Make Up if you need this item to appear in custom reports.
vi) Press Make up button so no longer lit up.
vii) Save session.
Session Reminders - Please keep in mind that if the student or tutor remains on the session and you have automatic session reminders the reminder will still go out as the session still exists.
If the student remains on the session consider adding Cancelled to the Student Session Note and change your reminder template to students to include the macro that will send the Student Session Note under a section called, for example, Status in the reminder.
To include the Student Session Note in the reminder email change the reminder templates:
Remove macro: #SESSIONLIST#
Replace with macro: #SESSIONLISTNOTE#
Create Extra Session Buttons
24. Go to: Setup > Company > Config Settings > Sessions > Extra Session button 1 or if that is used, Extra Session Button 2.
SX12. Additional Session Status Buttons
25. This will add the button to the session and a new column and search option to the session page.
Tutor Permissions for Extra Session Button
26. In Set Up - Staff - Permissions change the tutor's ability to press this button if all deferrals are to be handled centrally.
Automatic Emails with Extra Session Buttons
27. Set any automatic emails you would like to be sent to the student, parent, tutor or combination thereof if this button is selected.
28. Set the text of the automatic emails you have selected to be triggered based on whether you used session button 1 or 2.
Reports
29. Custom session button status and Class is available in custom reports for full numbers of currently deferred sessions.
30. Custom reports allows you to search on content of session notes for a report on all scheduled make up sessions.
Link To
SX05 Session Reminders (with Note)
SX12. Additional Session Status Buttons