If you’re trying to figure out which coaching platform to use in your business, you’ve likely already turned to Google and found an abundance of articles that list 5-10 general coaching software options. You might have also found articles that list options created for specific coaching niches. And each of those articles lists all of the respective features and pros and cons for each solution.
If you started there, like most coaches do, you probably already feel a bit overwhelmed. Luckily, I’m telling you to do something different because that’s not where you should start.
Before diving into specific feature lists and pros and cons, there are six factors to consider that center around your coaching business and what you need from your software.
How to Pick a Coaching Platform
Whether you’re looking for an all-in-one coaching platform or you want a best of class focused solution, this guide will walk you through the six factors to evaluate when choosing a business coaching platform. It will also help you think through important business details that can’t be overlooked unless you want to change platforms in a year or two.
Let’s get started.
Factor 1: Your Business Needs
Before hitting up Google to look for coaching business software recommendations, you must get clear on what you’re doing in your business and what you need as a coach.
Here’s what I know: When you start comparing coaching platforms, you’ll quickly feel enticed to pick the solution that has the most features and does all the things. But the truth is you don’t need all of those features right away.
My rule of thumb is that if you don’t need the feature (and I mean really need it) within the next 12 months, don’t make it a part of your “must have” list.
Evaluating what you need from a business coaching platform is all about you. Things that will affect the features you need include:
- The kind of coaching you do (sales coaching, executive coaching, leadership coaching, team coaching, etc.).
- The way you work with clients (1:1 or group).
- Where you are in the process of starting and growing your business also plays a role. Are you just getting started with technology? Do you have other coaches in your practice?
Factor 2: Ease of Use
You also must consider how easy the software is to use.
When you start searching for the best business coaching platform, you’re not going to find the actual best solution. You’re likely going to find the solution that’s been around the longest because Google is surfacing the solution with the most backlinks — and that doesn’t help you.
The most important thing you need to find out is how easy each platform is to use because if it’s not easy and you can do what you need to do quickly, you’re not going to use it.
It’s really that simple.
The reality is that if you won’t log in and use the coaching platform in the first five days after purchasing it, and you won’t integrate it into your business workflows or make it a part of how you do business in the first few weeks, it’s likely never going to happen. And that means you’ll be wasting money.
Bottom line: The coaching platform you choose to run your business must be intuitive and easy to use, and it needs to make doing your job faster and more efficient.
Factor 3: Third-Party Integrations
Unless you’re a brand new business coach just starting out, you likely already have business tools for various aspects of your coaching practice. Maybe you have such as customer relationship management (CRM) software, communication tools, or project management tools already in place.
When you’re choosing from all the various coaching platforms and software solutions, make sure the platform you’re considering works with the tools you already use.
Here is a list of some of the tools I recommend to coaches all the time. Check to see if you’re already using them, and if so, whether the platforms you’re looking at already has an integration.
- Zoom for video calls.
- ZipMessage for async video calls.
- Google Calendar for scheduling appointments.
- Acuity Scheduling for scheduling appointments.
- SavvyCal for scheduling appointments.
- ConvertKit for email broadcasts.
- ActiveCampaign for email broadcasts.
- Bento for email broadcasts.
Your business tooling may be different. The point is to make your own list and check each coaching platform to see which ones support most or all of the tools on your list.
Factor 4: Customization Flexibility
As with any technology solution, you want your digital coaching platform to work with your business model and workflows, which means it needs to be flexible and adaptable.
There isn’t one singular business model for coaches.
- Some coaching business models focus on delivering courses, while others don’t offer courses at all.
- Some coaches use a lot of worksheets, while others don’t use any.
- Some coaches only coach private clients in 1:1 settings, while others offer robust group coaching programs.
Your platform, as I highlighted in factor one, has to work with your current business model and what you’re doing today. But it can’t ignore the fact that you’re likely going to adjust, change, or expand your business model over time.
A flexible platform may allow you to create customized coaching programs for individual clients, set personalized goals and objectives for each client, or tailor coaching sessions to specific coaching styles or techniques.
The more you can customize the platform to align with what you offer and personalize your client experiences, the more it will feel like your platform is an extension of your program. And that feels far more professional than sending links to DropBox. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I did it for years.)
Factor 5: Customer Support Quality
Let’s face it, no software is so intuitive that we sign up, get started, and become expert users in no time at all. That’s just not the world we live in. You need to be able to get help when you need it. This means you must consider the type and amount of support available from each platform.
Whether you get stuck (because of an actual technical issue), have questions about how to use certain features, or just can’t seem to find the feature you saw on a website (but is nowhere to be found once signed in), you want the certainty of knowing you can reach out to someone.
Having access to comprehensive support options will also minimize disruption to your coaching practice. That one things alone highlights why support is so important.
I can’t tell you the number of entrepreneurs I’ve coached who rely on SaaS tools for their own businesses and are left waiting three days for a response to a support ticket. I mean, what are they supposed to tell their own customers?
Coaching platforms with great support answer questions. They also walk alongside you as you both try to figure things out together. You want a team that will help with work-arounds when you get stuck trying to do something other coaches have never tried to do.
Factor 6: Platform Pricing Model
There’s a reason I’m talking about the pricing of coaching platforms last. I don’t want you to make a decision as important as this based on price. When you use price as the first and only factor, it creates painful and frustrating consequences. Trust me when I say don’t do it.
Here’s what I’m going to tell you, and you can quote me:
“It’s not the price that gets you, it’s the pricing model.”
If you’re having any success at all, paying for your business coaching platform is the least of your worries. It’s like a retail shop worrying about paying rent. It’s table stakes in the game you’re playing. Again, the problem isn’t the price, it’s the pricing model.
Consider this: If you charge clients a monthly fee for coaching, it’s likely not going to change each month. But imagine your coaching platform charges by total number of courses, total number of downloads, or another factor not aligned with how you charge clients. If you add a new resource to your platform, the price might suddenly increase. Maybe in a way that you can’t necessarily pass on to clients.
This is why I don’t recommend platforms with pricing models that aren’t aligned with your own.
- CoachAccountable charges by the number of clients you have.
- CoachVantage charges by the programs you have (and offer a price for unlimited programs).
- Coaching.com changes the price by number of clients and what features you want.
- SalesHood, a solution for sales coaching, charges for each user who uses the system.
Each of these four examples highlight a different business model and each solution is perfect for a certain kind of coaching practice. What you must figure out is which platform is the right match for your business.
The Best Online Coaching Platform
Remember, what works best for another coach might not work best for you.
The best platform to power your business is one that aligns with your unique business needs and how you do business.
- It is easy to use and helps you get things done quickly.
- It integrates with the software you already know and use.
- It is flexible and easy to customize for your workflows and clients.
- It provides helpful and timeline customer support.
And yes, while price matters a little, it’s the last thing to base your decision on. The ability to work quickly and efficiently in software that is easy and enjoyable to use matters far more. Only then will you get it set up just the way you like it and stick with it for the long haul.
