Some hosts use Aggregators (like ClassPass) to fill their open spots. Aggregators may help to some extent but tend to fill open spots at a reduced drop-in price, sometimes so low that it begins to affect your bottom line.
Momence Spotfiller does automatic outreach for you (via SMS or In-App messages) to fill open spots. And, it abides by a minimum drop-in price that you control. Its selective about who it targets and notifies. You set the terms for who gets contacted.
With Spotfiller, you control:
the minimum asking price per booking
what time of day customers are notified
how frequently they're notified
how much of a heads up they get before class starts
whether to target customers that have previously attended:
the same class
previous classes at similar times of day
previous classes that also fell on a weekday or weekend
which customers to exclude (using tags)
if you'd like to target:
specific locations
instructors
class templates
days of the week
whether to create multiple Spotfillers for different purposes
Where can I activate this?
Click Apps and Integrations > App Store.
What's the customer experience?
Customers get a text message or in-app message about an open spot. They're prompted with an option to "Reply: "1" to join". If they do, they're added in and receive a confirmation message in the same thread. The customer response needs to be a "1". A response of "yes" will not book the customer in.
How many messages are sent for each open spot?
Ahead of sending this message, Spotfiller checks each class for open spots. Then, for each open spot, it sends out 20 messages to eligible customers (based on the criteria you've chosen) that a last minute spot has opened up. Spotfiller will hold off on pinging customers its recently contacted based on the 'How often' settings you've chosen.
What if customers are out of membership/pack credits?
Customers will get different variations of the message depending on who's receiving it. If the customer has enough membership/pack credits for the class, they'll see the price in credits that will be deducted. If they're out of credits or simply don't have a membership/pack, they'll see the drop-in price they'll be charged using the payment method they have on file.
When do these messages send?
By default it's set to 5 hours before a class starts (to give customers time to book in at the normal drop-in rate). You can change the timing of this message using the fields shown below as well as the days of the week shown above.
What's the message?
The SMS default version reads like this:
Above the message you'll find a list of variables available to use, should you decide to customize it and want to make it read a little more personable.
Note that this list of variables and the default text is for SMS. The message content and variable list differ slightly for the In-App version.
Can customers opt out?
Yes. You have two options:
As a host you can go to the customer's profile and unsubscribe them (just below their name). This allows you to resubscribe them later on if they change their mind.
Note: This action will remove them from all marketing messaging going forward, as Spotfiller messaging falls under marketing.
Alternatively, the customer can reply to the SMS with 'stop'. However, this action will mean that if the customer changes their mind and wants to resubscribe to marketing later on, as a host you will not be able to resubscribe them from their profile. In order to begin receiving messages again, the customer will need to reply again by SMS with the word 'start'.
Where can I change the message?
Right from the Spot Filler settings (Marketing > Spotfiller > select an existing spot filler or create a new one and scroll to the bottom).
Who does it contact?
It contacts:
Customers with subscriptions and packs
Customers without subscriptions and packs
For those with subscriptions or packs, a message is sent to the customer if the unit cost of their class credits is above the 'Spotfiller rate' you've set.
For example, lets say you have a customer on a subscription that gives 5 credits a month for $50. Its unit cost per credit is $10.
You've set your 'Spotfiller rate' to $11. This means that this customer won't be targeted with messaging that prompts them to use their subscription credits. They will, however get the normal message that all other customers without subscriptions or packs receive, where the price to join the class is the 'Spotfiller rate' you set of $11.
Customers with subscriptions or packs will receive a special type of message that tells them the price of the class in the credits they use. Customers that do not have a subscription or pack to their name will receive a different message where the price they see to join the class is the 'Spotfiller rate' you set.
Can I narrow this list down by which classes customers have taken in the past?
Yes, we'll cover this below in the section titled 'How do I narrow down which groups of customers to notify?'
How often do these messages send?
Under notifications settings you control when these messages can be sent and how often, so as not to over message a customer.
Can I set a certain number of discounted spots?
At the moment spot filler doesn't have a feature that allows you to set a preset number of discounted spots. It will run with the criteria you give it until the class spots are all full.
Will the Spotfiller price show on my website?
Pricing for Spotfiller won't show on your website if your using a plugin or on your customer facing Momence Schedule page.
The offer is only available via the SMS or In-App message they receive. Here's an example of how a Spotfiller SMS conversation might unfold for someone with a subscription that qualifies them to be targeted.
What happens if the customer doesn't have a qualifying subscription or is just out of credits?
Using the example above, in the opening message, you'll notice it says "1 credit will be deducted". If the customer has no credits or a subscription or pack, this sentence is replaced by the spotfiller price you set. (i.e. "$10 will be proceed via payment method on file").
How do I narrow down which groups of customers to notify?
The 'Notify customers' section allows you to target customers that have previously attended:
the same class
classes at similar times of day
the same "type" of day (weekday or weekend)
It also allows you to choose:
how far back to go (ie. all customers who have booked in the past? Or just those that have booked in the last x number of days?)
what times of day to start and stop sending messages
how much of a heads up to give customers ('Schedule')
how often to send notifications (so as not to overload your customer's inboxes)
and which channel to use (mobile app inbox or SMS)
My Spotfiller isn't sending messages. Is this expected?
If you're not seeing activity, Momence will add labels with explanations.
For instance, it may be that the criteria didn't match any customers/classes.
Or the timing settings did not permit it to send.
Or the class was cancelled, preventing any contact attemtps.
What are the fine print rules for how Spotfiller targets customers?
Spotfiller uses a combination of pre-set criteria to identify eligible customers for last-minute class spots. Here's an overview of the logic:
Session Requirements:
The session must be a fitness session (no courses, recitals, etc.).
It must have a fixed price (not free, and should be validated).
The session must not be cancelled or deleted.
The session must not have started yet and must be bound to a session template.
The price (after any discounts) must not be zero.
Targeting Specific Classes:
Spotfiller can be configured to only target sessions on specific days of the week.
You can specify particular teachers to target, or let it apply to all available instructors.
The session’s start time must match the same AM/PM or weekday/weekend grouping as the filled session.
Customer Eligibility:
Spotfiller targets customers based on which settings you choose in targeting
Customers must have been checked-in for the previous session, and that booking should not be cancelled, voided, or hidden.
The session must fall within a cooldown period, ensuring customers aren’t targeted too frequently for similar sessions.
The previous session’s booking requirement (how far back it looks) is also based on settings you choose when creating a Spotfiller
Exclusions:
Customers who have tags specified in the "Excluded tags" section won’t be targeted.
Customers who are already booked into the current session will not be contacted.
If the session is full at the time of contact, Spotfiller will not send messages.
Contact Criteria:
Customers must have a phone number or registered push notification phone.
For SMS, the customer must have a valid payment method on file, sufficient credits, or an active subscription.
Spotfiller only contacts eligible customers who meet all of the criteria and are not already booked into the class.
Price and Messaging:
When contacting customers, Spotfiller ensures the correct pricing is displayed, depending on the customer's membership/credits.
For customers with sufficient credits, the price will be shown in credits. For customers without credits, the drop-in rate will apply.