Ringing round the instructors
A new pupil calls the office wanting two-hour lessons on weekday evenings in the north of town, automatic car. The office manager thinks Dave has space on Thursdays, but Dave keeps his diary in a paper book in the car. She texts him, and texts Priya, who uses a phone app of her own. Dave replies at 8pm between lessons. Priya does not reply until the next day. By then the pupil has booked with a school that answered straight away.
Meanwhile an existing pupil rings to move Tuesday's lesson, and the office has to ring the instructor to find out when Tuesday's lesson actually is.
Why every instructor has their own diary
Instructors work from the car and plan their own weeks. A paper diary or personal app is quick and it is theirs. Many are self-employed, working under the school's name on a franchise, and are used to running their own time.
- Each instructor's diary is in a different format.
- The office cannot see free slots without asking.
- Working patterns change: school runs, second jobs, holidays.
- Travel time between pickups decides what is really free.
- Pupils book and move lessons directly with the instructor by text.
Nobody decided to hide the diaries from the office. It is just how instructors have always worked.
What scattered diaries cost the school
Enquiries go cold while the office waits for replies. Instructors with gaps stay quiet while others turn pupils away. Double bookings happen when a pupil texts the instructor and rings the office on the same day. And when a pupil complains or a car is involved in an incident, the school cannot quickly say who was teaching whom, when.
The shared lesson diary we build
- Each instructor has the diary on their phone, as a simple app that works in the car, and sets their working pattern, days off and holidays.
- Lessons are entered with pupil, pickup point, length and lesson type, by the instructor or the office.
- Travel time between pickups is estimated from a mapping service, so a free hour that starts across town is not shown as free.
- The office sees free slots across all instructors, filtered by area, gearbox and any other preference, and books a new pupil into one.
- Instructors are told of any booking the office makes, and can accept it or adjust within limits you set.
- Pupils get a confirmation and a reminder before each lesson, by text or email.
- Every lesson is recorded with instructor, pupil, car and time, for pay, payments and any later question.
| Who | What they see in the diary |
|---|---|
| Instructor | Their own week, pupils and pickup points |
| Office | Free slots and lessons across all instructors |
| Pupil | Their own lessons, through confirmations |
| Owner | Hours taught and gaps per instructor |
Franchised instructors often want control of their own diary. You decide how much the office can book directly and how much the instructor approves first.
One diary, everyone in it
The new pupil who rings at 11am is offered three real slots on Thursday evenings with automatic instructors in the north of town, and booked before she hangs up. Instructors see the booking arrive on their phone. Pupils moving a lesson do it once, and the diary updates for everyone. The owner can see which instructors have space to take on pupils and which are full.
Is this your office?
- Instructors keep their own paper diaries or apps.
- The office texts instructors to find free slots.
- New pupils go elsewhere while you wait for a reply.
- Pupils move lessons directly with the instructor.
- You cannot quickly say who taught which pupil when.