A fee reminder sends an amount, but the amount depends on rules: sibling discounts, breaks, mid-month joins, class packs, branch fees and cash. When a reminder app can’t hold those rules, owners keep a sheet alongside it. The fix is software that keeps the rules, the schedule and the reminder in one place.
1. Isn’t a fee reminder enough?
It’s the first thing most owners ask for, and it makes sense. Chasing fees on WhatsApp is the most visible pain of running an academy. So the plan is simple: find an app that sends reminders, and the problem goes away.
For the first month, it often does. Then the exceptions start. A second child joins and gets your sibling discount. A student goes away for exams. Someone joins on the 18th. A parent pays in cash. The reminder app knows none of it.
So you open a Google Sheet, or the notebook, to keep track of what the app gets wrong.
2. Where do reminder-only apps break? Seven everyday cases.
None of these are rare. Most academies have several running at once.
Two sisters, one discount
Anaya and her younger sister both learn Bharatanatyam. Your rule: 10% off the second child.
Reminder-only app. Sends two full reminders of ₹2,400. The parent calls, and you note the discount in a sheet.
Lunar. Both sisters sit on one family record. The discount follows your rule, every month.
Away for exams
Rohan takes three weeks off for board exams and comes back in April.
Reminder-only app. Keeps reminding, or you pause him by hand and try to remember to switch him back.
Lunar. Add a break with a resume date. Fees pause, restart on that date, and the parent is told.
Joined on the 18th
A new student joins halfway through the month after a trial class.
Reminder-only app. Asks for the full month, or you work out the pro-rated amount on a calculator.
Lunar. The first month is pro-rated for you, then the regular monthly plan takes over.
A 10-class pack
A dancer buys 10 classes and comes twice a week.
Reminder-only app. Has no idea how many classes are left, so you count them from the register.
Lunar. The pack counts down each time attendance is marked. You always know what remains.
Paid in cash at the desk
A grandparent pays ₹2,400 in cash on the 3rd.
Reminder-only app. Keeps reminding the family, which is awkward, until someone updates it.
Lunar. Mark the cash payment in a tap. Reminders stop and a receipt goes out on WhatsApp.
Diwali week
Classes are off for Diwali, and every student is owed a make-up.
Reminder-only app. Knows nothing about your timetable. Make-ups live in your head or a notebook.
Lunar. Cancel the classes, schedule the make-ups, and parents are told on WhatsApp.
Same course, two branches
Guitar costs ₹2,400 at one branch and ₹2,800 at the other, with different trainers.
Reminder-only app. Has one price list, so one branch is always handled by hand.
Lunar. Each branch has its own fees, timetable, rooms and trainers, with reports for each.
Every one of these sends an owner back to the sheet. In Lunar, every one is a rule you set once.
See how fee management works3. What does the side sheet really cost?
The sheet looks free. The time it takes is not. Here is what changed for three academies once the rules and reminders lived in one place:
None of these academies changed how they charge. The software changed to fit them.
4. Do schedules have the same problem?
Yes. A schedule is never just times. It is which trainer, which room, which branch, who missed a class and is owed a make-up, and which parents need to hear about a change. When the timetable lives somewhere else, every change becomes three jobs.
- Calendar updated
- Parents told on WhatsApp
- Make-up on each record
In Lunar, the calendar, attendance, make-ups and parent messages share one record, so one change does all three.
5. What should you look for instead?
- Fee rules you already useDiscounts, breaks, pro-rated joins, packs and branch fees.
- Reminders that know who paidIncluding cash at the desk, so nobody is chased twice.
- A receipt for every paymentSent automatically on WhatsApp.
- A calendar tied to attendanceMake-ups and absences land on the student’s record.
- Parents on WhatsAppNo app for parents to install.
- Setup done for youYour rules are mapped, not re-learned.
If an app only covers the first line of your fee brochure, the rest will end up in a sheet.
6. Does this mean more setup work?
- Talk to our expertsTell us how you charge today.
- We map your rulesDiscounts, breaks, packs and branches. You check it all first.
- Live in 3 daysStart with fees. Switch on schedules when you’re ready.
7. Questions owners ask
Can Lunar follow my own discount rules?
Yes. Discounts are your decision, not ours. Sibling, family or any other rule your academy uses is set up the way you already apply it, and Lunar uses it on every reminder from then on. Lunar adapts to your rules; you don’t adapt to Lunar.
I only want fee reminders. Can I start there?
Yes. Many academies start with fees. The Lunar plan includes fees, classes, attendance, levels and enquiries at one rate, ₹20 per active student a month from ₹1,200, so when you’re ready for schedules, attendance or events, they’re already there with your data in them.
What happens to my Google Sheet?
During setup, our experts bring your students, families, batches and fee plans into Lunar with you. After that, Lunar keeps the record up to date as fees are paid, classes are marked and students join or take breaks, so there is nothing left to maintain on the side.
