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Missed lessons become credits, not phone calls.

A parent cancels in time, Zooza issues a credit, and they book the replacement themselves from whatever genuinely has room. You set the rules once — how long a credit lasts, how late someone can cancel, how many extra seats a session will take — and stop negotiating them one family at a time.

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What the make-up system actually does

The point is not that credits exist. It is that the rules around them are enforced by the system instead of by whoever answers the phone.

A credit, only when earned

A credit is created when an absence is marked <strong>Cancelled</strong> — not when someone simply did not turn up. The distinction is deliberate: a no-show and a cancellation are different things and should not pay the same.

A cancellation deadline

Set how far ahead a parent must cancel to earn the credit. Cancel after the deadline and the session records as did-not-attend with no credit, unless you deliberately allow late cancellations.

An expiry you choose

Credits carry over to the next billing period, expire when the class ends, or expire a set number of days after they are issued. You can also cap how many carry over.

Extra capacity, per session

A class of ten with extra capacity of one takes eleven for a make-up: ten regular places and one replacement. Set it globally, then override it on a class either by replacing the global figure or adding to it.

The parent does the booking

They see compatible sessions and choose. Or, if you prefer control, switch on administrator assignment and let them state a preference — as soon as possible, no preference, or a specific request — for someone to action.

Waiting lists when it is full

If the replacement session has no room, the client joins a waiting list and is notified automatically when a place opens, then confirms it themselves.

Setting it up

Two levels: the programme decides whether make-ups exist at all, the global settings decide how they behave.

  1. Step 1

    Enable it on the programme

    Programmes → Settings → Make-up sessions. This is also where you decide whether an administrator assigns them, and whether assignments need approval or confirm immediately.

  2. Step 2

    Set the global rules

    Settings → Make-up sessions. Extra capacity, what happens to unused credits, the maximum carried between periods, and how close to a session start a make-up can still be booked.

  3. Step 3

    Set the cancellation deadline

    Settings → Programmes. This is the line between a cancellation that earns a credit and one that does not.

  4. Step 4

    Let the ratio do the limiting

    Rather than a flat monthly allowance, restrict make-ups as a ratio — one per four sessions, for example — so the entitlement scales with what the family actually bought.

What you can set

  • Whether make-up sessions are available at all, per programme.
  • Whether clients book their own replacement or an administrator assigns it.
  • Whether an assignment needs approval or confirms immediately.
  • How far in advance a client must cancel to earn a credit.
  • Whether cancellations after that deadline are allowed at all.
  • What happens to unused credits: carry over, expire with the class, or expire after a set number of days.
  • The maximum number of credits that carry between periods.
  • Extra capacity for replacements, globally and per class.
  • How close to a session start a make-up can still be booked.
  • A ratio limit, such as one make-up per four sessions.
  • Whether linked branches accept each other’s clients for replacements.

Stop negotiating make-ups one parent at a time.

Decide the rules once and let the system hold the line. Start a free trial, or have us walk through your current policy on a call.

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FAQ — including what it will not do

  • When exactly does a client get a credit?
    When the absence is marked Cancelled. Marking someone as did-not-attend does not create one. If a client cancels after your deadline, it records as did-not-attend with no credit — unless you have switched on allowing cancellations after the limit. The rules are documented in the make-up sessions FAQ.
  • Can I limit make-ups to a number per month?
    No, and it is worth knowing before you write your policy. The limit is expressed as a ratio rather than a monthly allowance — one make-up per four sessions, for example. In practice a ratio is the fairer mechanism anyway, because the entitlement scales with what the family bought.
  • Why can clients not see sessions further ahead?
    A class becomes available as a make-up option only four days before it starts. That is deliberate: it stops credits being spent months into the future on places you may need for enrolled children. It also means a parent looking today will not see next month.
  • How many options does a client see?
    The make-up list shows the first 100 compatible sessions. For most operations that is everything; for a very large multi-venue timetable it is a cap worth knowing about.
  • Can I reserve a session for make-ups only?
    No. There is no way to mark a session as available only for replacements, or only for trials. What you can do instead is use extra capacity, which adds replacement places on top of the regular ones rather than ring-fencing a whole session.
  • Can a client take a make-up at another branch?
    Yes, where branches are linked. It takes three steps — linking the companies, enabling it on the programme, and setting the restrictions. One caveat: attendance on a session owned by another company’s account cannot be permanently changed from your side, because the record belongs to them.
  • What about trial clients?
    A client on a trial cannot book a make-up in the class they are trying. They can book one in a different compatible class — same programme, same age range.
  • Can I report on make-ups by venue?
    Not currently. There is no built-in report showing every make-up used at a particular place. The Calendar report covers cross-company usage, which is a different cut. If per-venue numbers matter to you, raise it with us rather than assuming. See the complete replacement-hours guide for the full setup.

For developers

How entitlement, limits, expiry and scope behave is documented for integrators — worth reading before you estimate building the same rules yourself.

How make-up sessions work → Zooza for developers

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