Cover every class — without the group chat.
A real substitution board for fitness studios. Instructors post requests, staff claim shifts, managers approve, and registered students get the update — all in one place, with reminders, comments, and a record of what happened.
- Centralized board — every request, one place
- Auto-approve or queue for manager review
- Auto-notify registered students with a note
Replace the group chat with a real workflow
Every sub request lives on one board, sorted by urgency. Open requests at the top, covered ones below, full history one click away. Staff see what's available, managers see what needs review, and nothing falls through the cracks.
- Urgent at the top — anything within 3 days of class.
- Filter by location, instructor, day, or class type.
- Full audit trail on every request — who, when, why.
A predictable path, every time
The board enforces the workflow your studio runs on. Instructors post, staff claim, managers approve, students get notified. Every step is logged, so when something goes wrong you can see exactly where — and when it works (which is most of the time), nobody has to think about it.
- Direct Claim for trusted teams — instant lock-in.
- Offer to Claim for manager-reviewed coverage.
- Auto-approval rules per role, per location, per class type.
Pick the best fit when multiple staff offer
When two or three instructors offer to cover the same shift, the board surfaces every offer side-by-side — with their notes, sub history, and on-time stats. You pick the best fit, optionally add a note, and the others get a polite "covered by someone else" notification.
- Side-by-side offers with sub track record.
- Approval notes that go back to the staff member.
- Withdraw before approval — clean cancellations.
Tell registered students before they show up
The moment a sub is approved, the registered students can be notified by email and push — with a custom note from the manager or the original instructor. No more "wait, where's Mara?" at 6:00 AM. Members come in expecting the right person.
- Optional notification — turn it off for last-minute changes.
- Custom note goes out with the email and push.
- Booking app updates with the new instructor in real time.
Urgent reminders for unclaimed shifts
When a sub request is still open within 3 days of the class, Zipper automatically nudges every eligible staff member by email and push. You don't have to play air-traffic-controller in a group chat — the system pings who needs to know, when they need to know.
- Auto-reminders within the urgency window.
- Notifications for every event — claim, offer, approve, decline.
- Push + email + in-app — staff pick the channels.
Coordinate logistics on the request itself
Every sub request has a comment thread — equipment notes, member modifications, parking instructions for subs new to the location. The conversation lives with the request, not in some Slack channel that nobody will dig through later.
- Threaded comments tied to each request.
- Visible to all participants — requester, sub, manager.
- Permanent record — searchable and exportable.
See who steps up and which classes need help
The board tracks every request, every claim, every approval — so you can see who's been a hero and who's consistently posting last-minute, which classes drain coverage, and which locations are most stable. Use it for end-of-quarter reviews, performance bonuses, or just to send a thank-you note.
- Sub leaderboard — most active staff, top reliability.
- Class-level coverage — see which slots burn through subs.
- Exportable history for HR or operations review.
All of it. In one place. Built for studios.
Every sub request connects to your calendar, your booking app, and your member notifications — so when a sub gets approved, your whole studio knows about it instantly.
Common questions
What is the Substitution Board?
Why use this instead of a group chat?
How does an instructor post a sub request?
Can I link a sub request to the actual class on my calendar?
How do staff claim a shift?
Can multiple people offer to cover the same shift?
What happens if a sub falls through?
Can I notify the registered students about the instructor change?
What notifications get sent automatically?
Do you track who subs the most?
See substitution management built for your studio
A 30-minute walkthrough is the fastest way to see how your team will run coverage.