What is the best way to manage my availability schedule (Recurring & One-time)?
Set Recurring Availability first for at least 5 weeks from the launch date, and, even better, for 8 months from the launch date (which will get you covered for your first wave of coaching engagements).
Then use One Time Availability to adjust and update your schedule for the following 4 weeks (or more often).
As needed, adjust your schedule on the Coaching Platform to match agenda conflicts (on a weekly basis or more often).
Please remember that the sessions that are booked on the Coaching Platform can be placed in three categories:
Introductory session: between 20-30 minutes in length + 30-minute buffer = 1 hour gets blocked out automatically once an introductory session is booked.
Sessions 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9: 90 minutes in length + 30-minute buffer = 2 hours get blocked out automatically once a coaching session is booked.
Sessions 2 and 10: 60 minutes in length + 30-minute buffer = 1.5 hours get blocked out automatically once a coaching session is booked.
Let’s say you are available to coach 6 hours per day, from 10:00 to 16:00. You can manage this on your calendar in two ways.
A. Input one block of 6 consecutive hours (i.e. 10:00 – 16:00)
When a leader tries to schedule a coaching/introductory session with you, the hours the leader sees as available for coaching are: 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30 (this entails, of course, that no sessions have been booked yet).
This method gives the leader more options when it comes to available hours they can select. Therefore, if a leader schedules a coaching session at 11:00, for example, the system will block out automatically 1.5 hours (the duration of the meeting) + an additional 0.5 hours (the 30-minute buffer needed in between sessions). Which means that the next hour that becomes available is 13:00 (assuming that there are no scheduled sessions in the afternoon).
The time slot from 10:00 to 11:00 will be displayed only to leaders that want to schedule an introductory session with you (assuming that you still have available engagements left).
In this method the 30-minute buffer will be automatically added once a session gets booked.
B. Input 3 separate blocks of 1.5 hours each, with a 30-minute break in between slots (i.e. 10:00 – 11:30, 12:00 – 13:30, 14:00 – 15:30)
When a leader tries to schedule a coaching/introductory session with you, the available hours the leader sees are: 10:00, 12:00, 14:00.
This method allows you more freedom to decide when the sessions start.
The system will recognize the 30-minute break you leave in between sessions as a buffer; therefore, it will not be adding it automatically.
Please note that the system will make these blocks 1.5 hours each automatically (this will allow for all three types of sessions to be booked - ref. the three categories above).
How many hours should I open up in my agenda for introductory sessions?
The more hours you open per week starting from the launch date until the first 2 months in the engagement, the easier it will be for leaders to schedule an introductory session with you. Therefore this speeds up the process of you getting selected as coach, and then the sooner you can start coaching. Our suggestion would be that the number of hours you open up per week reflects the number of leaders you are available to coach x 2 hours per week for 8 weeks following the launch date.
For example:
Let’s say in your Settings on the Coaching Platform, you have indicated that you want to coach a maximum of 10 leaders (which is the maximum number at present). Each leader can meet with up to 3 coaches before they decide on which coach to move forward with. This means that you as a coach may talk with up to 30 leaders in order to get 10 engagements. Each introductory meeting is 20 minutes in length but the system blocks out a 30 minute slot in your agenda. Please note that there is an additional buffer of 30 minutes in between introductory sessions. So that is a maximum of 30 hours for this example.
If you open up more hours you get these 30 introductory meetings earlier and you get selected as a coach earlier. If you open up fewer hours your introductory meeting will be later (or leaders might choose another coach who is available earlier).
How many hours should I open up in my agenda for coaching session later on?
Again, you can use the formula of the total number of leaders you are available to coach x 2 hours per week for the first two months. As you know each coaching engagement is 10 sessions over 7 months and a total of 14 hours .
As you know from the eLearning some sessions are 60 minutes, while most sessions are 90 minutes. The Coaching Platform blocks out 2 hours in your calendar for each session, since you need transition time from one session to another. The first 4 sessions are in the first two months and then one session per month.
How do leaders book their sessions in the coach’s agenda?
Leaders schedule coaching sessions directly into the coach’s agenda and get immediate confirmation via email. The coach gets an email confirmation as well.
We can’t emphasise enough the importance of maintaining an updated calendar on the Coaching Platform. Leaders will book their introductory and coaching sessions directly into your calendar. This will not reach your inbox as a suggestion, but as a session booked. Both you and the leader will receive a confirmation email that contains a link to add the session into your personal calendar (google/ outlook). This means that the leader will have the session booked into their personal calendar as well as on the Coaching Platform.
Can I cancel or reschedule a session?
For the coach to cancel or reschedule a session should not happen except in an emergency situation (e.g. you are sick in the hospital). Cancellations and rescheduling will come across as unprofessional, given that you had already indicated your availability and this will reflect negatively in your Coach Value Contribution review every quarter.
Here is how to do this, just in case:
Only the Leader can schedule, reschedule, and cancel coaching sessions. The coach can NOT schedule, reschedule, or cancel introductory or coaching sessions on the Coaching Platform.
If you need to cancel or reschedule a coaching session you would have to contact your Leader and let them know you want to cancel/reschedule.
The leader would have to cancel the original session in the Coaching Platform, which will be followed by an e-mail notification about the cancellation and the related details. And then the leader needs to schedule a new session. And again you both get an email notification with related details (meeting link and rescheduled date and time).
When is the latest a Leader can cancel a coaching session?
The leader can cancel anytime up to the meeting time. The system does not prevent any of that.
What if the leader cancels within 48 hours of the scheduled session?
When a leader cancels a coaching session last-minute (within 48 hours), a ‘Cancellation Notice’ is emailed to the coach to respond to. The coach is called upon to make a decision that will lead to one of the following:
a. the leader will reschedule that session with no change in the number of remaining sessions.
b. the leader will reschedule that session with a reduced number of remaining sessions (-1 session).
It is recommended that the coach responds to this notice as soon as they are able to. Most coaches are open to allowing leaders to reschedule cancelled meetings with NO penalty (-1 session), even if a leader does this 1-2 times during an engagement. In the end, more coaching results in better leadership growth results and better reviews for coaches, which benefits everyone involved.
For questions email us at CoachSupport@SCCoaching.com.
If the leader cancels within 48 hours of the scheduled session will I still get paid?
If a leader cancels a coaching session less than 48 hours before the scheduled start time, you will still get paid for that session. However, the leader will still have to reschedule that session, since all coaching sessions must be completed in order. Coaching sessions cannot be skipped.
The leader has signed up for 10 sessions and you will get paid for a maximum of 10 sessions, including the cancelled sessions (e.g. The leader cancels their session 2 meeting 5 hours prior to the scheduled date and time. You will get paid for session 2, however you and the leader must make up session 2 meeting).
What if a leader is late or never shows up to a coaching session?
We have devised the following steps to support you in dealing with late or no-shows:
After 5 minutes have passed and the leader is not present, please call, text, or email the leader to find out if they can make it to the session. For example: “We have a coaching session that is scheduled to take place now. Please confirm within the next 10 minutes maximum if you are able to make it.”
Please give the leader up to 10 minutes to respond.
If the leader responds and says that they are able to join the session WITHIN 20 minutes of the scheduled start time, please wait and rearrange your tasks as much as possible to accommodate the reduced time frame of the session.
If the leader indicates that they are unable to make it WITHIN 20 minutes of the scheduled start time, needs to cancel, or does not respond, the session meeting is automatically cancelled.
You are then able to complete the Session Attendance on the coaching platform, or after the session meeting concludes if it takes place.
Can I integrate the platform calendar with my personal calendar?
Currently personal calendars cannot be synced with the platform calendar.