Instant Book FAQs

Click each FAQ below to learn more about Instant Book!

Why should I use Instant Book?

The most frequent request we receive from both tutors and students is to make it easier for new students to book their first lesson. Until now, only tutors could book a session, so new students would have to message tutors to try and work out an available time slot. On average, it takes five days from the time a student lands on a tutor profile, to having their first lesson. During that time, a good number of those students drop off. Some of them go to competing tutors or services, some of them decide they need help more quickly, and some of them just lose interest.

By using Instant Book, you can win more new students, avoid all of the back-and-forth of scheduling, and focus your time and energy on students who are already committed to working with you. Once you’ve had that first lesson, your new student can book more slots from your profile, or you can schedule additional lessons as you’ve always done.

 

Didn’t Wyzant previously have a feature called Instant Book? How is this different?

Our previous option only allowed students to fill out a form and request a time for tutoring. That left tutors competing to respond to the student first, confirm an agreeable time slot, schedule the lesson and hope the student actually appeared. The new Instant Book not only makes it easy for students to book the tutors they choose, but saves the tutors from doing all of that work.

 

Can I still vet my students between the time they book and our first lesson?

Yes. We realize it can be intimidating to jump into a lesson without knowing about the student and their needs ahead of time. Here are some facts that should ease your mind:

  • When purchasing an Instant Book lesson, students will be required to agree to Wyzant’s Academic Honesty Policy - and affirm that they are not looking for tutors to do their work for them - and that no refund will be given if they try.
  • If the lesson starts and the student asks you to help them cheat anyway, you can end the lesson. You’ll still be paid for your full hour - just submit the lesson as normal, and look for a checkbox labeled “Academic Honesty Violation”. In your lesson summary, share what transpired. 
  • When submitting their purchase, students will also be required to provide a message to you explaining their goals for the session - and to select a subject from your list of approved subjects.
  • Once the student books you, they will appear in your Messages and you can reach out to them directly with any questions or instructions.
  • In the weeks to come, we’ll continue to launch new tools for you to manage your interactions with Instant Book students.

 

Do I have to start scheduling my lessons with Instant Book?

Using Instant Book is entirely optional. You can continue to use Wyzant in exactly the same way you always have. Our search rankings are not changing to penalize tutors who don’t participate. However, as more tutors begin offering the ability to book instantly, we will begin allowing students to narrow their search results to just Instant Book tutors. We believe using Instant Book is likely to increase your visibility, and our rankings will reward you for more conversions, as always.

 

How do I get started? How do I add times to my profile?

Visit the Instant Book opt-in page and tell us you’re in. Then, visit your Calendar and click “Add Bookable Time Slots”. You can add one-hour blocks of bookable time, on the hour or half-hour. When you click “Publish” those times will begin appearing on your profile.

 

If I add Instant Book times to my profile, can students still request other times?

Yes. Right below your published time slots, the student will see a link to request other times. Those requests will come in the standard message format you’re used to seeing, and you can continue to book lessons with students as normal while also offering Instant Book availability.

 

Does my cancellation policy still apply with Instant Book?

When you opt-in to Instant Book, you’ll agree to a uniform 24-hour cancelation policy for lessons sold with Instant Book. Students can cancel up to 24 hours ahead of the lesson time without penalty. If a student does cancel, we make it easy by notifying you immediately and automatically making that time slot available again to other students. Once the time is less than 24 hours before the lesson time, you are guaranteed to be paid for the full hour, once you submit a lesson summary, whether or not the student shows up. Even if the student is a no-show, you will not need to visit a separate page or submit any cancellation fee. Instead, just submit the lesson as you would normally. (Note: There will also be an option to mark the student as a no show.)

You can continue to use your custom cancelation policy with lessons that you schedule without the Instant Book feature. 

 

Can I unilaterally cancel an Instant Book session?

After a student has prepaid for a lesson through Instant Book, you will need to contact the student in the event that you need to ask to reschedule or cancel. 

If, after contacting the student, they refuse to cancel, please contact us for assistance.

 

How much lead time can I require?

We realize some tutors can jump into a lesson with little notice - but some tutors need more time. Therefore you can set a standard “lead time”. For example, if you set your lead time requirement to six hours, then any published time slot on your profile will disappear from your profile when the clock strikes six hours before that time slot. Your advanced notice will apply to all Instant Book lessons, and can range from 30 minutes up to 72 hours. Once you’ve opted into Instant Book, you can set your lead time from your Settings > Instant Book screen.

 

After I add a time slot to my profile, can I remove it?

If you want to remove an unclaimed time slot from your Calendar, click the time slot you want to remove, then click the trash icon. If the lesson has been claimed and paid for, you’ll see a lock icon, and will need to contact the student.

 

How and when will I be paid?

For payment, submit Instant Book lessons just like any other lesson. You’ll be able to mark any no-shows or academic honesty violations - but you’ll still be paid for the full hour.

 

Are all Instant Book lessons required to be one hour in length?

To make it as simple as possible for students to book tutoring, we are keeping all Instant Book sessions to one hour. The student will have prepaid for the full hour. If you go longer than an hour, or if the student ends the lesson early, the lesson will still pay for one hour of tutoring.

 

If I have an open Instant Book time slot on my profile, can I schedule a lesson at that time?

If you would like to schedule a new lesson during the same time you have an open time slot published, we’ll let you know there’s a conflict. Just delete the time slot on your calendar before adding the new lesson.

 

Will the new Calendar integrate with my personal calendar?

You can continue to use the calendar feed option to have events from your Wyzant calendar added to your personal calendar. This feed will also include open bookable time slots.

 

If I try Instant Book and decide it’s not for me, can I opt out?

There’s no need to opt-out. Just remove any Instant Book time slots from your calendar, and we’ll remove the Instant Book section from your profile.

 

Can you help me understand the difference between Bookable time slots, Availability, and Contact Hours?

Wyzant gives you a lot of tools for managing your schedule! Let’s keep them straight:

  • Availability tells prospective students the hours in which you generally offer tutoring. When students are requesting a time slot from you for a lesson that is not Instant Book, they’ll be prompted to choose from options that fit your Availability.
  • Contact Hours tell students the hours that you are generally available to respond to messages. Students see your average response time on your profile - and the hours during which they can expect to get a response. Messages received outside of your contact hours do not affect your response time.
  • Bookable time slots are the one-hour blocks on your public profile that students can instantly book and prepay for a lesson with you.

 

Can I still utilize Instant Book if I am no longer accepting new students and my profile is not visible?

Yes, students whom you have already messaged or had lessons with will still be able to purchase Instant Book lessons from your available time slots, even if you are no longer accepting new students so that you can simplify scheduling for recurring students. 

 

Tip: Students can schedule time slots up to 45 days in advance so don't forget to subscribe your personal calendar to your Wyzant calendar to prevent scheduling conflicts! 



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