When it comes to managing your private lessons and classes there are many solutions out there to choose from. For many small to medium-sized businesses, there is a debate between TeacherZone vs MindBody as their choice for scheduling and billing for their student body.
TeacherZone vs MindBody
We get asked quite frequently how TeacherZone compares to Mindbody.
TeacherZone is the first all-in-one Learning Management and Student Transformation platform and Mindbody is a Student Manager and Marketing System.
While no review is complete, we’ll attempt to outline some of the key differences here.
Who do they both serve?
- TeacherZone = Teaching/Instructional/Learning-Based Businesses
- Mindbody = Health and Wellness Businesses
TeacherZone was created for teaching businesses to manage and transform their students.
If you host any type of private lessons or group classes then TeacherZone has student and class management tools to meet your needs.
This includes most after-school instruction and training programs such as:
- Music Schools
- Dance
- Martial Arts
- Tutoring
- Language
- Yoga Studios
- General Athletic Coaching and Training
- Gymnastics
- Swim Schools
- Cheerleading Programs
- Golf Training and more.
TeacherZone as the name alludes to is meant to help transform the student experience that includes learning management with badges and points, assignments, courses, and lessons.
Mindbody, as the name references, was designed especially for health and wellness businesses.
Their tools are used by other types of businesses but if you aren’t a medical practice, massage, retreat center, yoga facility, spa or gym, you might be missing some key communication and instruction tools as listed above.
They have a great search directory to allow potential customers to search for a wellness facility or class globally on their homepage.
They also have nice newsletter and marketing tools but don’t focus on student experience and retention in the same way a learning management system does.
TeacherZone vs Mindbody Onboarding: Dedicated Staff Help + Upload Data (vs) Non-Dedicated Help
- TeacherZone = Uploading of All Data and Personal Concierge Approach
- Mindbody = Tutorials and Non-Dedicated Staff
We all know that changing systems isn’t easy. The more help you have the quicker you can be trained and get up to speed faster and with less friction resulting in a better experience for your Staff and Student Families.
TeacherZone Onboarding
TeacherZone has a proven 1, 2, 3 training process that helps your Staff get the training they need and start utilizing the system quickly.
TeacherZone starts with a specialized “Strategy Call” to get your preferences set up and to better understand how TeacherZone can help your team reduce friction in your processes. Transferring data is made super simple with their CSV templates.
TeacherZone’s staff will upload all of your Teachers, Students, Parents, Billing Information, Future Scheduling, and Auto Billing Information. You can also add all data and notes upon upload to ensure nothing is lost.
TeacherZone’s onboarding process also includes concierge LIVE scheduling and billing training and LIVE training workshops for your Teachers.
They utilize a project management approach with an easy 1,2,3 step checklist that includes tutorials, articles, system walkthroughs, and personal attention to get you up to speed as soon as possible.
Mindbody Onboarding
Mindbody offers data conversion with certain packages but does not include future schedules or billing plan uploading.
They have access to their customer service during regular business hours and have similar FAQs and tutorials to better help you get going.
TeacherZone vs Mindbody Billing: Membership (vs) Transactional
- TeacherZone = Membership Approach
- Mindbody = Transactional Approach
In business, there are two things we can sell, products or services. We typically think of goods like clothing, equipment, books etc. as our products.
But we believe that you can treat your service like a product if you focus too much on selling one-off experiences. Truly “serving” your students means caring about their transformation which typically equates to a more stable relationship personally and professionally.
TeacherZone Billing
TeacherZone is all about building a lasting community. It offers a store for products, but when it comes to relationships it is designed for a more membership-based approach. This promotes community as it creates a sense of belonging.
With a membership approach, we’ve seen customers create a more stable business with stronger revenue which equates to a happier staff (and less stress more freedom for owners).
You have every type of recurring tuition plan that allows for all automated billing types such as weekly/monthly recurring, variable 4th and 5th-week auto-draft, and attendance-based recurring packages.
Mindbody Billing
Mindbody has really strong tools for transactional selling. Most of these act as promotions to try and bring a customer back to your facility. It does give more freedom to the students and can be helpful as a marketing approach.
The pitfall is that you sacrifice overall business health at the expense of your marketing. When you let the customers make up the rules of when they attend, and what they spend, the community and culture suffer (and your stress as an owner goes up).
They encourage selling one-off packages that do not automatically recur so the users essentially have to be “resold” more lessons. In a membership economy, this approach isn’t ideal.
TeacherZone vs Mindbody Scheduling: Recurring (vs) One-Off
- TeacherZone = Goal of Recurring
- Mindbody = Promotes One-Off Sale
Do you want your students to come to you on a consistent basis? We believe true learning needs consistency and allowing too much freedom hinders this process.
TeacherZone Scheduling
TeacherZone supports single lessons and classes (and drop-ins) but once you’ve won the student, we really encourage a more consistent membership-based scheduling.
This means you can schedule your private or group lessons to take place weekly (bi-weekly or monthly), promoting customers to come to you more often.
Our research shows that students who attend lessons and classes 70% or more of the time, quit less often.
Mindbody Scheduling
Mindbody promotes the gym approach of showing up when you want. While this sounds nice from a marketing perspective it can wreak havoc on your retention and bottom line.
We all know what it’s like to want to come but since it isn’t on the schedule, you just don’t make it.
By promoting the pre-buying of lessons that aren’t scheduled, you are encouraging students to not show up until they feel like it which way too often ends up being, never.
TeacherZone vs Mindbody Communication Tools: Retention (vs) Marketing
- TeacherZone = Focused on Keeping Students Longer
- Mindbody = Focused on Marketing for New Customers
Building a culture for your community means creating a feeling of connection between your staff and families.
Communication in apps, SMS, and email is an important part of modern-day interaction and one you shouldn’t overlook. As owners, we have the difficult task of both attracting new customers and working hard to retain the ones we have.
Are you focused more on Retention or Marketing?
This is a fundamental difference in philosophy where MindBody perceives students more like one-off products and TeacherZone focuses on serving the customers as recurring services.
TeacherZone Communication Tools
TeacherZone is designed with student retention in mind as we believe marketing tools should be separate from student management and transformation.
Mindbody Communication Tools
Mindbody is designed more with marketing for new students in mind. This can be super helpful in attracting new students, but it can be at the expense of the current student body.
They have email campaigns and robust CRM tools to help sell to new users. If you are looking for marketing all-in-one, you may find this very helpful.
TeacherZone vs Mindbody Learning Management: Full LMS (vs) None
- TeacherZone = Teacher Apps, Courses, Assignments, Gamification
- MindBody = None
The question that we often ask is, “Do you know what your students are doing the other days when they aren’t in your classroom or lesson?”
TeacherZone’s Learning Management System
TeacherZone has a full learning management system built in that includes:
- Virtual Lessons (we support all types: Zoom, Integrated Google Meet, and more)
- Multi-Media Library
- Courses and Lesson Assigners.
- With our automated and custom Leaderboards that include badges and points you can see what your students are doing and how often:
- Attend lessons and classes
- Login to the apps
- Watch videos and access assignments
- Communicate safely with their instructors and much more.
PLUS Teacherzone offers:
- A dedicated Student/Parent App
- A dedicated Teacher App
- And dedicated Admin Apps
All three apps are included in every membership and can be branded to match your business, no matter the tier.
Mindbody’s Fit App
Mindbody offers a “Fit App” to track progress, and a video library to share videos and virtual lessons as an add-on to your current package.
Branded apps are available depending on the plan tier and as an add-on.
Summary of TeacherZone vs Mindbody
Both TeacherZone and MindBody are fine solutions for scheduling and billing along with robust communication tools.
TeacherZone’s focus is on the health of the Student and building a strong culture and community of learning in your business.
Mindbody focuses on marketing tools while TeacherZone focuses on learning and the whole student management process.
Since there are so many different amazing CRM and email solutions out there, TeacherZone believes that onboarding, managing, and focusing on retention are key.
If you want to:
- Simplify your auto-billing
- Upgrade your overall student/family experience
- Give your staff easy-to-use iOS and Android apps
- And implement gamification with online learning…
TeacherZone is the hands-down winner.