What should you carry across, and what should you leave?
Everything you need to run today comes across; nothing that only describes the past does. The new system will not work without member details, open packages and the credits left in them. An attendance list from three years ago is weight that nobody will open once it has been carried. The past can stay in the old file as an archive.
| Data | Comes across | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Member details | Yes | Notifications and contact go from here |
| Open packages and credits left | Yes | The new system will not run without them |
| Upcoming bookings | Yes | The first week’s calendar rests on them |
| Past attendance | No | Stays in the archive; not used in daily work |
| Closed packages | No | Kept for history, not carried across |
What to look at when choosing software: Choosing Studio Software
How do you prepare the member list?
Clean the list before you move it, because every mistake you carry comes with you. Merge the member who exists twice, fill in missing phone numbers, and set aside the members who stopped coming years ago. Putting phone numbers into one format is the step that pays most: notifications go there, and a wrong number fails silently.
Merge the duplicates
Where one member exists on two rows, merge them; separating them after the move is far harder.
Put phone numbers into one format
Notifications go there and a wrong number fails silently, so fix the format before you move.
Set aside the members who stopped coming
Keep inactive members apart rather than carrying them, so the list shows its real size.
How do spreadsheet columns map onto the member list template?
Move each spreadsheet column into its counterpart in the template and write it the same way on every row. Every member needs a name, email, level and join date; phone, classes and package details are optional. Dates are written dd.mm.yyyy and amounts 3500.00. The column that needs most care is credits: the template asks for credits used, not credits left.
| Template column | In your spreadsheet (example) | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Client | Needed; first and last name in one cell |
| Phone | Mobile / Phone | Optional; e.g. 0532 123 45 67 |
| Needed; each member’s own address | ||
| Level | Group | Needed; Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced |
| Join Date | Joined | Needed; dd.mm.yyyy, e.g. 01.09.2026 |
| Classes | Class | The studio’s class name; separate several with a comma |
| Package Name | Package | The studio’s package name, written the same on every row |
| Package Start | Start | Needed for a member with a package; dd.mm.yyyy |
| Package End | End | The last day the package is valid; dd.mm.yyyy |
| Package Price | Fee | What the member actually paid; e.g. 3500.00 |
| Credits Used | Classes left | Credits used, not left: the package’s credits minus those left |
| Payment Status | Paid | Needed for a member with a package; Paid or Unpaid |
You do not have to use the template: your own spreadsheet works for the move too, as long as it carries the same details written the same way on every row. The template simply shows what is needed on one page.
| Package | Package credits | Left in the spreadsheet | Credits Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reformer 8 Classes | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| Mat 12 Classes | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Reformer 4 Classes | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Monthly unlimited (duration package) | - | - | Left blank |
Credits used cannot exceed the package’s credits, and stay blank for a duration-based package. A package with nothing left does not need to come across: if the member is starting a new package, leaving the package off that row is cleaner.
How do half-used packages come across?
An open package comes across with the credits left in it and its own end date; it is not re-entered as though it were sold today. If a member has three classes left of eight, the new system should show three. Confirming that number with the member before the cutover ends every argument about it before it starts.
- Credits left come across exactly, never rounded
- The end date is the old package’s date, not the day you switched
- A frozen package comes across with its freeze end date
- Make-up credits are defined separately, never mixed in with class credits
Confirm the remaining credits with your members before the cutover: an argument about a number later always costs more than the message that would have settled it.
How package types are defined: Class Package Rules
Which date should you switch over on?
Pick a clean one, such as the first of a month; switching mid-week leaves the same week split across two places. After that date the spreadsheet closes. The run-up to a busy period is a poor choice too: learning a new system and meeting the start of a season should not land in the same week.
- Pick a clean date, such as the first of a month
- After that date the spreadsheet is out of daily work
- Avoid the run-up to a busy week such as the start of a season
- Running both systems does not finish a migration, it prolongs it
| When | What gets done |
|---|---|
| A week before | Package types, classes, rooms and instructors are defined |
| Five days before | The weekly schedule is built; confirming credits with members begins |
| Three days before | The announcement goes out to members |
| The day before | The spreadsheet is updated one last time; the member list moves across with the credits left |
| Cutover day | Bookings are taken only in the software; invitations go out |
| The first week | Credits, notifications and attendance are checked every day |
How do you tell members you are moving from a WhatsApp group to a booking system?
With one short announcement a few days before the cutover: from which date bookings are made where, where members will see their remaining credits, and what to do the first time they sign in. The group does not have to close, but after that date it takes no bookings. Accepting bookings through two channels has the same effect as leaving the spreadsheet open.
- The announcement states the date, the new way to book and where credits will show
- Send the invitation email close to cutover day; one sent weeks ahead is forgotten
- Name someone at the studio to help members who cannot sign in on their phone in the first week
- Answer every booking message in the group the same way: bookings are in the system now
- The group can stay for news and chat; the system is the only source of places
The member who finds the move hardest is often the most loyal one: they have booked the same way for years. Making their first booking with them, in person, does more than ten announcements.
What should you check in the first week?
The first week is not for trying features; it is for seeing that three things work. A booking holds one credit and exactly one leaves the package once attendance is taken or the class takes place, notifications reach the right numbers, and attendance is taken for every session. If those three run, the move is done, and if one of them limps, the rest can wait.
- Credits are counted correctly
- Make a booking and see a credit held for the booked class; once attendance is taken or the class takes place, exactly one credit should leave the package.
- Notifications arrive
- Check with a few members that the reminder reached the right number.
- Attendance is taken every session
- Attendance never taken never reaches pay; the habit is built this week.
What happens to the old spreadsheet?
It is closed rather than deleted: archived as a read-only copy and kept out of daily work. It matters that nobody can open and update it, because a live second copy is the most common way a migration fails. How long to keep the personal data inside it is a separate decision worth making deliberately.
- The file is archived as a read-only copy
- It is not opened in daily work; a live second copy breaks the move
- The archive sits where the manager can reach it, not everyone
- How long the personal data in it is kept is decided separately
How do you switch to Dakik, step by step?
Set up your package types, classes and weekly schedule first, then bring the member list up to date. Dakik’s team helps every studio move its members in with their open packages and the credits left in them, and on the Pro tier it stays with you one-on-one. Before the switch, check a few members’ remaining credits against the list, and send members their invitations on cutover day.
Set up package types and classes
Members’ packages and classes are tied to them, so define those first.
Prepare the member list
Bring the template or your own spreadsheet up to date, with open packages and credits used as of the switch date.
Move the data with Dakik’s team
Dakik’s team helps every studio move its members and their open packages in; on the Pro tier it stays with you one-on-one.
Check and send invitations
Compare a few members’ remaining credits with the list; when they match, send members their invitations on cutover day.
How carried-over packages work: Member Packages
Frequently asked questions
How do you move a member list from a spreadsheet into studio software?
Clean the list first: merge duplicates, put phone numbers into one format and set aside the members who stopped coming. Then gather each member’s name, email, level and join date, with their open package and credits used if they have one, on a single row; the free member list template gives you those columns ready-made. When you move to Dakik, Dakik’s team helps you carry that list into your studio.
Do a member’s package and used credits come across in the move?
Yes; an open package comes across with its name, start and end dates, price, credits used and payment status. Set up your package types before the switch so each package has a type in the studio to belong to. Confirming the remaining credits with members beforehand heads off arguments in the first week.
When should members get their invitation?
Close to cutover day. The invitation is what lets a member book from their own panel and see their credits; sent once the remaining credits are confirmed and the schedule is ready, members first meet the system with the right numbers. An invitation sent weeks ahead is usually forgotten.
Do you have to pause classes while moving to studio software?
No; the move happens while classes carry on, and the studio stays open. Package types, classes and the schedule are set up in the days before the cutover, and the member list moves last so the remaining credits are current. Cutover day is simply when new bookings start going through the software; any last spreadsheet changes go into the list before it moves.