Switching studio management software works when you do it in the right order: first set up the studio and the plans, then import your students and give each one what they hold today, and only at the end invite students to the app. That way, on day one everyone finds the schedule and nobody loses entries they already paid for.
1. Pick a switch date
The start of a month is easiest, since most memberships renew then anyway. Give yourself a week or two for setup before that date, and keep the old system running until students have moved.
2. Set up the studio
Business details, business type, booking and cancellation policy, health declaration and terms. Copy the rules students already know so the move feels natural. The settings are covered in the studio settings tutorial.
3. Create plans and the schedule
Create the punch cards and memberships you sell today, with the same prices, entries and validity, then the recurring classes with capacity and teachers. Decide up front whether memberships count by calendar month or 30 days.
4. Import your students
In Medidate you download an Excel template, fill in first name, last name, email and phone, and upload the file. Before importing you see a preview with valid rows, warnings and errors, and a student who already has a Medidate account is linked rather than created twice. Tip: try a file with two or three rows first.
5. Give every student what they hold today
This is the step not to skip. Assign each student their current plan and update the remaining entries and expiry date so they match the old system exactly.
6. Move renewing memberships
For students on a monthly direct debit, send a payment request, to several students at once if you like. The student pays once by card, and automatic billing continues in Medidate. Cancel the charge in the old system only after the new payment has come in.
7. Invite your staff
Teachers, reception and managers get an invite with a role and permissions. The role is just a label; permissions decide what each person sees and does.
8. Invite your students
When everything is ready, make sure email invites to students are on. Students download the Medidate app, sign in and see your schedule, with the entries they already paid for. Anyone who does not want an app can book and pay in the browser.
How long does it take?
For a small or mid-size studio, setup and import usually take a few hours of work, which you can spread over several days. A one-hour Zoom onboarding session is included, and the 14-day free trial is enough to build everything before you pay.
The full tutorial with screenshots: onboarding a running studio. And why businesses switch: why Medidate.