17 years helping British businesses
choose better software
About DanceBiz
DanceBiz is a complete online business management and scheduling software package designed to automate admin for dance studios.
Integrates with my shop POS system, love the event planner its a god send.
The integration with Go Cardless seemed to provide more work instead of less. The back end user interface was quite dated and confusing.
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Filter reviews (85)
We Highly Recommend the Software and the Customer Service
Comments: Amazing! Amazing!! Amazing!!!Everyone in the team (including [SENSITIVE CONTENT]) is very approachable, knowledgeable, professional and personable. Nothing is too big or too small - and is always resolved or improved. Many ideas are taken on board and developed - which is brilliant as the software is used by many different users who have different business models and experiences.
Pros:
The software saves us a great deal of time and money, which means that we can invest more in what really matters - the business and our students. The features are well thought through and continually updated to meet user needs. We have lots of opportunities to feed into the technical development of the software and highly value the availability of the support team to solve problems either through email communications (same day service), telephone calls or specific 121 training sessions. We cannot rate this highly personable and knowledgeable team high enough.
Cons:
No major cons. Any issues we may have had have mostly been due to our own lack of knowledge of what the software is capable of. Several 121 online sessions with Ashley, where we completely customised several features made business life so much easier.
Alternatives Considered: membermeister and Dance Studio Manager
Reasons for Switching to DanceBiz: I had an online session, plus reviewed all feedback online and from Facebook teacher forums. I also based my choice on what seemed to match my needs the most.
No-nonsense software
Comments: Pleased with assistance and range of features included.
Pros:
Excellent customer service, functional software that covers any needs.
Cons:
Some features could be made more user-friendly or customisable, such as messaging, formatting, automation of windows etc. This doesn't however impact the overall quality of the software.
Alternatives Considered: Jackrabbit Dance, DanceStudio-Pro and Class Manager
Reasons for Choosing DanceBiz: Exponentially better in terms of features and value for money.
Switched From: RADAR
Reasons for Switching to DanceBiz: Quality and functionality were more competitive
My thoughts
Comments:
- I had a huge issue with it not linking properly with Xero when I first set it up which caused great stress. Everything seems resolved now.
- Customer service team is excellent with problems particularly the ladies.
- Sometimes you are sent the instructions to 'figure out yourself' which is annoying after paying so much per month
Pros:
- Linking registers to invoices to Xero - Incredible customer services - Great to have everything in one place - App is amazing
Cons:
- I know it's not all about looks but I look at it every day and every day I think I hate the way it looks. It's like looking at an old computer. - You can't rearrange order of items on the invoices once on - Despite the amazing customer service, I think the service is very costly and I am exploring cheaper options that provide the same service - The register print out is also very ugly. Other software products provide a much nicer register layout. - When invoicing, you can't remove certain people when to a group. For example, resending information about an event but I have to send to everyone including those signed up for it. (You can, but you manually have to go through the email addresses to delete it which is tedious.)
Dancebiz
Comments: Getting info out to customers in an emergency ( when a fire alarm has gone off, or snow has meant the building has closed early). Tracking trends. Automation.Communication. Dancebiz is a hugely valued business tool. The Dancebiz team are exceptional.
Pros:
Set up was simple. Support is excellent. [SENSITIVE CONTENT] and team provide excellent customer service. Throughout the pandemic they offered really useful free seminars. The software itself is user friendly and saves lots of time. Statistics feature is great for business planning. Integration with Stripe is great. Customer interactions is so useful in following back conversations with individual clients. Invoicing cuts the time spent on invoicing from 4 days to a couple of hours. So many things that I wouldn't want to be without.
Cons:
There really aren't any cons, except the additional cost for txt messaging.
Alternatives Considered: Jackrabbit Dance
Reasons for Choosing DanceBiz: At the time CompuDance was not online and was based on the US?Aus market.
Switched From: CompuDance
Reasons for Switching to DanceBiz: Having met [SENSITIVE CONTENT] at IDS Dance Teacher Conference and listened to his presentation I was keen to trial DanceBiz. As the team imported all my data and guided me through the set up the transition was simple. In the meantime many other products have hit the UK market. DanceBiz continues to evolve. They listen to client feedback and give great customer service.
ThinkSmart software changed my business and started MAKING me money
Comments:
A constant problem for a business owner is time - and Dancebiz gives you so much time back!
A one stop place with enrolments, customer files, attendance histories, multiple access (so each staff member can access roles and mark them individually). Automated invoicing - LIFE changing after spending years manually typing up individual invoices and then not knowing if they were ever even paid - DANCEBIZ helps me MAKE money! The added features eg; texting on birthdays, sending clients direct notifications has taken my business to the next level, making us look sharp, on the ball and professional all the while still staying personal with over 600 students. I LOVE that I talk to an Australian on the phone EVERY time I call and also that the software company is continuously evolving and developing the program so I know my services to my own clients just continue to get better and better thanks to their hard work in developing the best program on the market.
Pros:
The online enrolment system that then works together with customer profiles to create automated invoices. This saves time and staffing costs that were otherwise being spent on a job that could be automated. People are able to enrol into the chosen class via online website BUT STILL then having personalised human contact immediately from us with a customized email reply. Another fantastic feature is being able to email or text at the click of a button to a filtered/selected audience. The advantage of being able to integrate across to Xero is another timesaver for the business and makes us money in the long run as we are able to have an up to the minute gauge on where the business is sitting financially and what money is owed. The invoice features are easy to use and the ease of being able to add late fees to overdue invoices or additional items (either to an individual invoice or as a bulk to a group) makes it easy to charge clients fast and simply. The integration of the direct debit systems also means less time on the 'books' for our staff trying to chase money when it's all being done at the back end for us. At concert time, the convenience of being able to plan a concert and it's timings and what children are in each dance thru this program once again is another time saver, allowing our staff to easily input their classes and information for all other staff to be able to see. The value for money with this ever growing and developing program is outstanding!
Cons:
There is nothing directly negative about Dancebiz's program within the regulations of Australian systems and law. When there is something that Dancebiz "can't do" it is usually because there is a larger rule in place that stops the program from being able to have it. So I focus on all the positives it has to offer and usually find a way to manage the challenges, knowing even if I was using another program I couldn't have that feature anyway.
Alternatives Considered: Class Manager
Reasons for Switching to DanceBiz: I chose DanceBiz as it was based in Australia, when I emailed or called I spoke to an Australian, my needs were met by the program and if I had a question - it was answered quickly and solutions were sort after if something needed to be amended. Back when I started with DanceBiz I was after a one stop shop so that I knew all my administration needs were in one place and that's what I continue to love about DanceBiz.
I wish I'd used DanceBiz years ago!
Comments: DanceBiz has consolidated my administration and made the day-to-day running of my business so much smoother and less stressful. I have tried other software, and found danceBiz to be much easier to use and visually a lot clearer. The support team - [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] especially - have been AMAZING. I ahve been supported every step of the way and am so grateful for the team's help.
Pros:
With a full-time teaching workload and a young family, administration was becoming overwhelming. DanceBiz has allowed me to streamline my administrative tasks and view everything in one place - it is so accessible and easy to use. My company teaches Dance and Drama at 5 venues, and I found it difficult to find software that could adapt to my company's business model, where over 100 students are on a rotating timetable, taking different lessons at different times on different days each week. DanceBiz was the only company who said they could help me with this - their team have supported me brilliantly throughout my integration onto their system, and I am now invoicing with ease and my teachers have easy access to online registers. I cannot recommend DanceBiz highly enough!
Cons:
Any problems I have encountered, DanceBiz have been able to help me with. The only things I would change if i could would be to have more choice over my invoice template - I would like more features so I could have a template more bespoke to my company.
DanceBiz does almost everything you need!
Comments: It has been really easy to start with DanceBiz and the team are always very helpful. Usually I ring [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] and she doesn't make me feel like an idiot when I make a mistake and don't know how to fix it.
Pros:
I love that the information is all stored in one place: class info, contact info, invoices etc. I can easily email/phone/sms families either individually, as a class or entire school or year level.
Cons:
Sometimes it feels a little clunky but it's very user friendly. I don't find the "help" feature that helpful so I need to contact you guys when I have an issue - however it gets dealt with very effectively. I have used your old/vintage YouTube videos and I'd probably prefer these to be updated.
Alternatives Considered: Jackrabbit Dance
Reasons for Switching to DanceBiz: Jackrabbit - looked like it offered more BUT it looked really complicated PLUS I liked how you guys were in Australia. Not that I've ever been to your office, but I think as an Australian you understand our needs more - especially with the GST side of things.
I couldn't do without DanceBiz
Comments: DanceBiz saves me so many hours each month - the ability to email or text either the whole school or a specific class/level is a great feature. Being able to do the register on my phone or iPad is saving me having to print out registers.
Pros:
I love everything about DanceBiz - the system and the support you get from the staff who are all lovely. It saves me about 20-30 hours a month in administration it really takes the stress away and lets me concentrate on teaching. I now have online registration integrated through my website which enables customers to enrol at any time without waiting for me to send the registration email. I've just discovered the event planner which is going to be a huge time saver at showtime.
Cons:
The only things missing for me is being able to schedule emails and not being able to print labels from the event planner.
Good product other companies out there that are much cheaper for the same thing
Comments: I really like the product but as a not tech savvy person I find it very complicated and would love some sort of instruction manual! I can never find the solution in the help section so I contact customer support. The support staff are amazing and so helpful! I feel there are a lot of services in the software that I am unaware of which may be able to assist me but I don't know how to find out about them.
Pros:
It has cut my admin hours down so much. Everything is all in one place. This invoicing and registers have really helped my business
Cons:
Complicated to use, not many instructions so I need to contact customer support if I am unsure of anything, there are much cheaper options out there that do the same thing.
Alternatives Considered: Class Manager
Reasons for Switching to DanceBiz: Before my school grew it was the same price as other companies and it was recommended to me but a friend. As my school has grown it has nearly tripled in price where as other companies have a set monthly figure.
Amazing Software & Team Member
Comments: The team are amazing. Very supportive, and understanding. I wouldn't go anywhere else!
Pros:
Online Class Management System, and the app for parents.
Cons:
It depends on your individual circumstances!
Review for a pre-school age group
Pros:
This software is VERY easy to use - it is very simple to set up and amend your timetable - with ease of Class number limits too. Setting up the initial timetable is somewhat time consuming, but once you have your times and days, you can copy from Term to Term, as well as enrollments which is very helpful. Integrating with the website was very easy - just had to input the code as instructed, and all updates you then make are automatically inputted on the website for you. DanceBiz integrate with Stripe a great way to take the initial payment from customers too. Invoicing is one of the easiest things - canbe done through Auto-generate and was the least stressful process I have done! Some items need to manually be inputted but everything is very simple and easy to use. Best thing about it really is having everything in one place - Customer support are very swift to respond and take the time to help you through problems.
Cons:
There could be some areas of improvement: To save time on the initial input of timetable - it would be helpful to have a way to select parameters and class times in one go rather than having to click on each specific time and fill in all the fields separately. But that is only for initial input. It would be great to have an easier way to track if people have attended class rather than having to export the data to a PDF. I am new to the software, so maybe just needs me to get used to it! As I am new to the software I am still learning - so there are few things that I struggle with so far.
DanceBiz
Comments: Very helpful and friendly team right from my first phone call to inquire about the service so many years ago. Nothing is ever a problem and it has the feeling that every customer matters and you're not juts another dance teacher on their system.
Pros:
This software save soooo much time, this is what is best. Invoices take a matter of minutes when they used to take me hours, registers are a few clicks at the computer and you can easily produces them for staff. I also like how easy it is to contact parents of just certain classes if you need to cancel or juts inform them of something.
Cons:
I really can't think of anything. Maybe the only thing is you can email customers via the app on your phone or tablet but you can still text them if it is urgent.
DanceBiz makes my business admin so easy
Comments: As a business, we absolutely love the overall function of DanceBiz, with over 15 staff we can all easily access things we need, and work well as a team to get greater results.
Pros:
How it easy it is to keep everything about my business all in on program. I love that I can click onto statistics and see up to date reports and also that it integrates well with XERO which helps with my book keeping systems.
Cons:
One tiny feature of the program in amongst many great things is that when clients enrol online, if they enrol in one class, but email separately to enrol in a 2nd class I can't automatically do that in one move, I have to go out of one page and open another.
DanceBiz
Pros:
We have a very large studio. DanceBiz allows us to keep track of student attendance, easily find customer information, print class rolls and easily generate invoices. DanceBiz works on multiple computers, so we can work from home. The support of the DanceBiz team is invaluable.
Cons:
There is no financial component with DanceBiz, so we are required to use an accounting software program. We sometimes have issues marrying up this program with DanceBiz, but in saying this, the team at DanceBiz headquarters are always happy to help solve problems.
Best Business Decision
Comments:
For a start the customer service is excellent, considering that to start with we had many, many phone calls with both representatives, they were extremely patient and helpful.
Using DanceBiz has enabled us to systemise virtually our entire administration side of our business from endless charts, paper rolls, lists and so forth. It's easy to find everything we need and has allowed us to improve our customer service and we now have the time to devote to refining our business and expanding our work to the other areas of studio life instead of being bogged down with endless admin tasks.
Pros:
It put together all the different files and lists of things that we needed to run our business.
Cons:
Not the software itself, just learning a new system was a challenge.
Large Performing Arts School
Comments: We experience excellent customer service from Rep and the team. If we have a question or query they are always happy to help and are constantly working to improve the software and implement changes that we suggest to help efficiency. The software has saved us a fortune in man hours!
Pros:
We went from almost entirely paperwork to online and the process has made it far easier for multiple office staff to be able to work at the same time and see updated information.
Cons:
Sometimes it can freeze for a little while.
This Software Will Change Your Life!
Comments: This software has completely changed our lives for the better! It has saved us hours and hours of admin time. The app has also saved so much time as each teacher can do their attendance through the app and it comes right to us. Also, the customer service is outstanding! Whenever we have had an issue or needed assistance, they have been right there for us.
Pros:
Seamless integration Easy invoicing Outstanding customer service
Cons:
Occasional bug issues BUT they are corrected as soon as they are reported
Dancebiz review
Comments: We use Dancebiz to manage our customer database, our timetable of classes, attendance history and staff hours as well. It is a good tool to manage our business
Pros:
Integration with other software packages like Xero. The customer support team are excellent.
Cons:
Still requires a large amount of manual data entry. Opportunity for further automation. Software still needs better and more flexible reporting.
Software Saviour
Comments: I wouldn't be with out DanceBiz as it makes communication with my clients much easier
Pros:
This saves lots of admin time. Once it is set up, the software saves times as it creates invoices and you can email classes directly.
Cons:
There are lots features and it can be complicated especially to start with. I'm not sure I use all of the features.
Dancebiz review
Comments: It saves time when sending emails and invoices so that is great
Pros:
I like the event planning aspects and how it shows how your business is tracking
Cons:
I find its a bit back and forwards when you need to do things and being unable to amend invoices once payments have been made when connected to xero is a bit frustrating
Great System
Comments: I am more than happy with dance biz I don't think I could run my school without it
Pros:
Integrates with my shop POS system, love the event planner its a god send.
Cons:
costly, had issues when linking with quickbooks
DanceBiz
Comments: DanceBiz are always very quick to respond to any queries & are always updating to make things even easier/better for dance teachers.
Pros:
Cuts admin time down & I love the class email function.
Cons:
Medical info does not show up next to pupils on registers.
DANCEBIZ changed my life
Comments: Great customer support to help keep you on track
Pros:
Easy to use Saves hours of administration
Cons:
Hard to think of a con for this software just occasionally my internet lets me down
The customer service is excellent!
Comments: I like that I can have the registers on my phone (or on staff's phone) and see what people owe on app etc. I'm hoping the gocardless link up will make recording my customer payments even less time consuming.
Pros:
What I like the most about dancebiz is that whenever I'm unsure how to do something I know that I can get the support I need from customer service.
Cons:
Sometimes there are things that need tweaking that I feel should flow more easily (the class name, standard allocation).
DanceBiz Review
Comments: Overall very positive as it does everything I need to!
Pros:
This is a brilliant software. It takes all my customers, puts in their details, creates classes and timetables so I can see my dance school all at once. I can send emails, invoices and do everything that I need to.
Cons:
It does take a while to get the hang of - but it’s an intricate software so this is fine! The thing I like least is that there is always an update. Everytime I log on there’s an update to do and although it only takes a few seconds it’s a bit annoying. You also can’t make the window that small, you can only minimise it a bit. So when I’m trying to copy info from one window into dancebiz, it’s not that easy