Maximize Your Income With Last-Minute Bookings

Have you ever closed slots that haven't been booked yet? Do you think opening slots at the last minute is a waste of time? If so, you’re probably missing out on earning opportunities.

There are, of course, good reasons to close — or choose not to open — a slot. Perhaps there's an unexpected change in your schedule, or maybe you're feeling unwell and need to get some rest.

But if you're doing this because you think that nobody will book a lesson just a few hours beforehand, you may be surprised to learn that the opposite is true.

Our data actually shows that having slots open until the last minute is a great way to maximize your booking rate and earn more money.

Many Students Book Slots at the Last Minute

We've noticed that there are two types of students when it comes to bookings:

Students who book at the last minute
Students who book roughly 24 hours in advance (often just after finishing a lesson in the same slot as the following day's)

Around 60% of all lessons are booked less than 24 hours before they are scheduled to begin. And about 20% of all students book their lessons within just two hours of the start time!

So instead of booking in advance, it seems that many students book lessons spontaneously. In fact:

A slot that is open one hour before the lesson starts has a 50% chance of still being booked.
A slot that is still open 30 minutes before the lesson starts has a 33% chance of being booked.

The numbers get even more interesting when you look at slots opened during peak times. For example, an open peak-time slot had:

An over 83% chance of being booked just an hour before the lesson’s start time
An over 63% chance of being booked just 30 minutes beforehand

What This Means for Tutors

All this means that even if none of your open slots are booked at the start of the day, if you just leave them open — or even open more — there's a good chance most of them will be booked by the time they start.

So if your booking rate ever seems low, it might just be because you’re closing your slots too early, or not opening enough in the first place. This could be the missing ingredient you need to maximize your work schedule and your income.

In short: If you’re looking to teach more lessons and earn more money, leave your lesson slots open. The data shows that you'll likely be rewarded. Now you know!

This post was written by Sana and Harry.