Occasion and A Stroke of Art
Picture Perfect Scheduling
Executive Summary
A Stroke of Art is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Since 2012, Debra has offered up to ten events a week to adults and kids in her creativity studio.
As a one-woman show, Debra manages every aspect of running the studio. After designing and building her own site, she knew that she needed a scheduling solution that was simple to use, affordable and fit with her business.
She tried many options and even scoped out the competition to see what they were using but nothing felt right. Debra was resigned to the fact that the answer simply did not exist and assumed that getting what she needed would mean investing in a custom-built solution.
And then she found Occasion. From her first interaction she felt secure in knowing that support was only a phone call or email away. Occasion streamlined the entire scheduling process; making it easy for students to register and simple for Debra to manage the event calendar; all for much less cost than other solutions.
Facing The Challenges
After several years and failed attempts to find the right solution, Debra was struggling to fill classes with real students and not just empty registrations. The other software products she tried were either too costly or required expensive, third-party integrations to process payments.
1. Buying Loyalty
Without a method for collecting payments at the time of registration, Debra was dealing with a serious no-show issue. “I would put a calendar up online and try to get people to sign-up. It was hit and miss. You would have people sign-up but they had no loyalty.” Classes that were supposed to be full would be half empty come class time. “That was very disappointing” says Debra.
2. An Uncomfortable Welcome
Like many business owners, Debra found the process of collecting money awkward and uncomfortable. The first thing she had to do when her students walked in was collect the class fee; which was not how she wanted their experience at the studio to begin. The process was time consuming and she found that it was beginning to cut into studio time.
3. Sifting Through Solutions
In addition to fighting budgetary constraints, Debra found that other solutions she tried did not fit well with her business. The images on the event calendar were pixelated and blurry. Registering for a class required her students to complete multiple screens and many would drop-out before getting through the process.
An Artful Solution
1. Reliable Rosters
Since partnering with Occasion, A Stroke of Art’s registration process has seen a complete turnaround. Registration requires one simple form and because the program save the student’s information, future registrations are even easier. In fact, some students are even registering for their next class on their phones before leaving the studio.
2. Beauty in Business
“I started out and I immediately loved the program” Debra gushes. Each event on the calendar is an image of the painting the students in that class will create. Clear, beautiful pictures have been crucial to streamlining the decision-making process for her students.
3. Artfully Accessible
A Stroke of Art now has a mobile-friendly registration option and integration with social media. The flexibility and accessibility of a 24/7 self-registration option has been a game-changer. Students register and pay for classes at all hours of the day and night without any work required from Debra.
4. Get In and Get Painting
Now that students are paying before the class, either on the phone or online, Debra can welcome her students right into the class. She does not have to leave the group to process a latecomer or make her students wait while she collects fees. The fun begins as soon as they walk in the door!
Creating More Time for the Business of Art
Experience the Ease of Booking
