Running a coaching business is more than just coaching - it’s managing schedules, payments, client relationships, and marketing. Automation tools can save you dozens of hours monthly by handling repetitive tasks like onboarding, scheduling, and email follow-ups. Here's a quick look at 10 tools to help you work smarter:

• Calendly: Simplifies scheduling and reduces no-shows.

• Dubsado: Handles client management, contracts, and invoicing.

• ActiveCampaign: Automates email marketing and client communication.

• Stripe: Streamlines payment processing and recurring billing.

• Teachable: Hosts and delivers online courses.

• Zapier: Connects apps to automate workflows.

• Twilio: Manages SMS, email, and voice communication.

• Hootsuite: Centralizes and schedules social media posts.

• TrueCoach: Manages fitness programs and tracks client progress.

• Notion: Organizes tasks, client data, and coaching resources.

Quick Comparison

11 Business Tools For New Coaches (To Simplify Your ...

1. Calendly: Online Scheduling System

Scheduling can be a hassle, but Calendly simplifies the process by automating bookings and reducing administrative work. Used by over 20 million professionals and 86% of Fortune 500 companies, it's a trusted tool for managing coaching schedules efficiently.

Features Coaches Will Appreciate:

• Custom booking links tailored to session types (consultations, coaching calls, etc.)

• Syncs with your calendar in real time to avoid double-booking

• Sends automated email reminders to minimize no-shows

• Accepts payments directly via Stripe and PayPal

• Includes client screening forms to qualify prospects before they book

Calendly offers pricing plans to suit different coaching needs:

How to Use It: Set up 30-, 60-, and 90-minute sessions, then add your booking link to your website or email signature for easy access.

"Calendly makes it easy to work smarter when you're working solo. Meetings, sessions, and appointments become more efficient ways to achieve success and accomplish goals." - Calendly

Streamlined Automation: Connect Calendly with tools like HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Zapier to automatically update client records, send follow-up emails, track engagement, and process payments. Automated email and text reminders also cut down on manual work, saving you even more time.

2. Dubsado: Client Management Platform

Dubsado is a business management tool designed to help coaches handle everything from proposals to payments with ease.

Key Features for Coaches:

• Manage client relationships (CRM)

• Create contracts with e-signature options

• Automate invoicing and payment processing

• Design custom-branded forms and questionnaires

• Use smart scheduling tools

• Streamline tasks with workflow automation

Dubsado has processed impressive numbers: 3 million contracts, 5.7 million invoices, and $4 billion in payments.

Pricing Details:

Both plans accommodate up to three users. Additional user packages start at $25/month for 4-10 users. These plans are designed to fit seamlessly into workflows and simplify client management.

How Workflow Automation Helps:

• Automatically send welcome emails

• Schedule discovery calls

• Generate proposals

• Create contracts

• Issue invoices

"Dubsado is one of the main reasons I was able to build my business from $0 to over $100,000 in 10 months without hiring a team! Dubsado allows me to spend less time on my business so I can focus on my clients." - Brandi Mowles, FB & IG Strategist

Features of the Client Portal:

• Access project details in one place

• Track progress and milestones

• View and sign contracts

• Make payments

• Complete questionnaires

• Schedule sessions

For coaches still using manual processes, Dubsado offers a free trial that supports up to three clients. This trial lets users explore the platform's features before committing to a paid plan. By automating repetitive tasks while keeping communication personal, Dubsado helps coaches focus on growing their practice.

3. ActiveCampaign: Email Marketing Tool

ActiveCampaign is a platform designed to simplify email marketing and automation for coaches. With over 1 billion emails sent every week and more than 4 billion weekly experiences powered by the platform, it’s a reliable tool for managing client communications effectively.

Key Features for Coaches:

• AI-driven automation builder for creating workflows

• Advanced email segmentation and personalization tools

• SMS marketing integration

• Dynamic content delivery

• A/B testing for email performance

• Detailed analytics and tracking

These automation tools can save coaches an average of 20 hours per month, giving them more time to focus on clients and growing their business.

Pricing Options:

Pricing is based on 1,000 contacts and adjusts as contact numbers increase.

Success Story:
Caffeine Army, a fitness coaching business, saw immediate results with ActiveCampaign:
"With ActiveCampaign, our deliverability and open rates immediately improved. It was pretty much automatic."

How Coaches Can Use It:

The AI-powered automation builder allows coaches to create personalized client experiences using simple text commands. Some practical examples include:

• Welcome emails for new clients

• Automated session reminders

• Follow-ups after program completion

• Re-engagement emails for inactive clients

• Special occasion messages like birthdays or anniversaries

Seamless Integrations:
With over 900 integrations available, ActiveCampaign easily connects with other essential coaching tools, helping streamline your workflow.

"People joke when I talk about ActiveCampaign, they say it sounds like I'm a paid spokesperson. I have to tell them no, I actually really believe in it because it has made my life so much easier."
– Palmetto Fortis

ActiveCampaign’s automation tools provide a solid foundation for enhancing efficiency in your coaching business.

4. Stripe: Payment Processing

Stripe simplifies billing and payment collection for both one-time charges and recurring subscriptions. It provides the tools you need to manage payments efficiently and professionally.

Key Features for Coaches:

• Accept payments in over 135 currencies

• Create custom-branded invoices and payment links

• Automate recurring billing for subscriptions

• Process in-person payments

• Boost conversions with optimized payment pages

Payment Processing Rates:

Smart Payment Tools:

• Adaptive Acceptance: Uses machine learning to reduce card declines.

• Network Tokens: Automatically updates expired card details to prevent failed payments.

• Stripe Radar: Advanced fraud prevention to protect your business.

• Flexible Payment Options: Support for multiple payment methods to reduce transaction costs.

Real-World Feedback:

"Stripe takes care of payment processing and allows my clients to pay via credit card so they can sign up and pay on the spot."

Business Automation Tips:

• Adjust your payout schedule to match your cash flow needs - daily, weekly, or monthly options are available.

• Create a professional payment experience by adding your logo and brand colors to receipts and payment pages.

• Lower your costs by offering alternatives like bank transfers or digital wallets.

• Minimize disputes by clearly outlining policies and shipping only to verified addresses.

Stripe also integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Adobe, Salesforce, and Xero, making it easy to incorporate into your existing workflows. Since fees apply only to successful transactions, Stripe is a practical choice for coaches at any business stage. Its efficient payment processing system can help you focus on growing your coaching practice.

5. Teachable: Course Hosting Platform

After setting up efficient payment processing, the next step is delivering your content effectively. Teachable makes it easy for coaches to create, deliver, and monetize courses, powering over 30 million product sales to 32 million students.

As your coaching business grows, having a reliable platform to host your courses is key. Teachable takes care of the technical side, so you can focus on teaching and engaging with your students.

Key Features for Coaches

• Course Creation Tools: Design courses using videos, text, and downloadable files to suit different learning styles.

• Interactive Learning: Built-in commenting system to encourage student discussions and engagement.

• AI Assistance: Automatically generate course outlines, overviews, and quizzes to save time.

• Progress Tracking: Keep tabs on student progress with quizzes and course compliance tools.

• Sales Tools: Build professional sales pages with upsell and order bump options to boost revenue.

Pricing Plans

Note: Standard processing fees apply to all plans (2.9% + $0.30 for US cards).

A Success Story

Ben Burns from the Futur shared: "Teachable has enabled us to impact over 60,000 students and generate millions in revenue. Creating courses and digital products on this platform could not be easier!"

Payment Processing Features

• Accepts credit cards and PayPal for flexibility.

• Offers "Buy Now, Pay Later" options to attract more customers.

• Handles sales tax, VAT, and GST automatically.

• Includes an abandoned cart recovery system to capture lost sales.

• Customizable thank-you pages with upsell options for more revenue.

Integration Options

Teachable works seamlessly with essential tools:

• Payment processors like Stripe and PayPal.

• Email marketing platforms such as ConvertKit and Mailchimp.

• Automation tools like Zapier for streamlined operations.

User Feedback Highlights

According to user reviews, 30.2% appreciate the platform's ease of use, 9.3% highlight its intuitive design, and 7% value its responsive customer support.

Tips for Better Results

• Use mixed media on lesson pages to keep students engaged.

• Encourage interaction with the commenting system.

• Add upsells on thank-you pages to increase revenue.

• Enable automatic subtitles and translations to reach a global audience.

• Offer downloadable resources as lead magnets to grow your email list.

Teachable simplifies course delivery, allowing you to focus on what matters most: creating great content and helping your students succeed.

6. Zapier: Workflow Automation

Once your course delivery is up and running, Zapier steps in to connect over 7,000 apps, making it easy for coaches to automate tasks and save time.

Key Automation Features

• Multi-App Integration: Link tools like Calendly, ActiveCampaign, and Teachable without hassle.

• Template Library: Use ready-made workflows to simplify your operations.

• Custom Workflows: Build automation sequences tailored to your needs.

• AI Integration: Use AI for tasks like qualifying leads and extracting data.

These features help streamline everyday coaching tasks.

Common Coaching Workflows

Real Business Impact

Zapier's real-world benefits are hard to ignore:

"Just last month, we had 1,100 help desk requests from our 1,700 employees. Normally, that many requests would overwhelm our team of three, but through our help desk workflows in Zapier, we resolved them easily. Our team of three is able to perform like a team of 10." - Marcus Saito, Director of IT

"Without Zapier, we would have needed well over 100 employees today just to do what we're doing. We would have been out of business by now." - David Laderberg, Vice President

Setting Up Your First Automation

To get started with automating your coaching workflows:

1. Identify repetitive tasks and choose the right trigger and action apps.

2. Configure the settings to define what happens when the trigger is activated.

3. Test the setup to confirm everything works smoothly.

Advanced Integration Tips

• Build multi-step Zaps to handle more complex processes.

• Use filters to ensure actions only trigger under specific conditions.

• Enable error notifications to keep track of any issues.

• Add delay steps for actions that need precise timing.

Best Practices

• Begin with simple automations before tackling more complex ones.

• Document workflows so your team can easily follow them.

• Regularly review and fine-tune your automations.

• Set up backup plans for critical workflows.

7. Twilio: Client Communication System

Strong communication is key to successful coaching. Twilio simplifies this by automating interactions through SMS, email, WhatsApp, and voice, ensuring smooth integration with your scheduling tools and CRM systems.

Communication Capabilities

Twilio delivers impressive results with a 97% outbound SMS delivery rate and a 94% average delivery rate for verification messages. Its integration with appointment scheduling tools and CRMs adds efficiency to your automation efforts.

Real Business Impact

Twilio's effectiveness is backed by real-world results. For example, Airbnb shared:

"By allowing [hosts] to accept requests via SMS, we have significantly improved the percentage of successful bookings while reducing manual calls." – Naomi Arnold, customer service at Airbnb

Another success story comes from YouCanBook.Me, which leveraged Twilio's SMS notifications to achieve:

• 50% cost savings

• 400,000 bookings processed monthly

• 95% of messages read within 15 minutes

Setting Up Client Communications

Here’s how you can get started with Twilio for client communication:

• Pick Your Channels: Decide between SMS, WhatsApp, email, or voice based on your clients' preferences.

• Design Message Templates: Create standard messages for reminders, follow-ups, and notifications.

• Automate Delivery: Set up rules for when and how messages are sent.

• Enable Client Replies: Allow clients to confirm or reschedule appointments via message replies.

Cost Optimization Tips

• Take advantage of Twilio’s free trial to explore its features.

• Keep an eye on message volumes to qualify for bulk discounts.

• Use the WhatsApp Business API for international messaging, costing around $0.005 per message.

• Opt for SMS for urgent messages, priced at approximately $0.0079 per message.

Advanced Features

Twilio offers tools that take communication to the next level, including:

• Custom workflows to manage communication sequences.

• Seamless global integration for international outreach.

• Analytics tools to monitor delivery rates and engagement.

For instance, Text Request used Twilio's features to achieve:

• A 150% boost in response rates

• 5 million messages sent monthly

• A 25X average ROI for customers.

8. Hootsuite: Social Media Manager

For coaching businesses, maintaining a strong social media presence is just as important as scheduling and managing clients. Hootsuite simplifies this by centralizing content management across multiple social platforms.

Key Features for Coaches

Hootsuite provides tools to streamline social media tasks:

• AI-generated captions and hashtags

• Bulk scheduling for up to 350 posts at once

• Posting time recommendations based on audience activity

• Detailed analytics to track performance

• Content library with Canva integration for creating visuals

Real-World Impact

Small business consultant Roy Beasley highlights its value:

"This app saves so much time for scheduling and posting information to social media, it enables small consulting operations like mine to greatly expand their outreach efforts to a much wider potential audience."

Hootsuite’s practical tools make it easier for businesses to grow their online reach.

Platform Comparison

Prices reflect annual billing

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Hootsuite

• Plan Content in Advance: Use the AI writer and post idea generator to craft engaging posts tailored to your audience.

• Track and Adjust: Monitor brand mentions and review analytics to refine your strategy.

Must-Have Features

Hootsuite’s standout tools include:

• Unlimited post scheduling

• AI-powered content suggestions

• Custom analytics reports

• Hashtag generation

• Optimal posting time recommendations

These features make it a go-to solution for coaches looking to streamline their social media efforts.

9. TrueCoach: Fitness Program Manager

TrueCoach simplifies fitness program management, making it easier for coaches to handle their workload. Trusted by over 20,000 fitness professionals worldwide, the platform has supported more than 50 million workouts so far.

Key Features for Coaches

TrueCoach equips fitness professionals with tools to manage their programs efficiently. Here’s what it offers:

• Build custom training programs with an easy drag-and-drop interface

• Track client metrics, workout progress, and adherence

• Access a library of 1,200+ exercise videos or upload your own

• Communicate with clients and monitor progress in one place

• Create meal plans and track macronutrient intake

Pricing Options

Annual billing applies. A 14-day free trial is available for all plans.

Real Success Stories

TrueCoach’s impact is clear from the results its users have achieved. Sean Pastuch, Founder of Active Life, shared:

"TrueCoach has increased our monthly revenue by over $55,000."

Similarly, Marcus Filly, Founder of Revival Strength, highlighted its efficiency:

"TrueCoach allowed me to make a massive leap in efficiency."

Performance Tracking Tools

TrueCoach helps coaches monitor and improve client outcomes with features like:

• Tracking exercise progress and completion rates

• Visualizing client improvements with graphs

• Setting and following macro-level goals

By automating much of the admin work, TrueCoach allows fitness coaches to focus on delivering results. As Dr. Marc Morris puts it:

"TrueCoach is packed with all the features you need to run your coaching business online."

10. Notion: Business Organization Tool

Notion is a powerful tool for organizing everything from client information to program planning. It serves as a central hub for your operations, making tasks and collaboration much easier to manage.

Key Features for Coaches

Notion offers a range of customization options to help coaches stay organized:

• Client Management: Keep track of client profiles, progress, and session notes.

• Content Library: Store and organize your coaching resources, worksheets, and program materials.

• Project Planning: Manage coaching programs, workshops, and course development.

• Calendar Integration: Stay on top of appointments, deadlines, and schedules.

• Knowledge Base: Build a searchable library of coaching methodologies and resources.

Smart Tools for Organization

Notion's AI simplifies routine tasks, giving you access to more than 100 content types and 30,000 templates. The AI assistant can:

• Help with writing and editing content.

• Organize and structure your information.

• Provide instant answers to queries.

• Link data from various apps for better integration.

Pricing Overview

*Billed annually

Real-World Efficiency

Notion’s impact is clear from user experiences. Justin Watt, Director of Operations & Marketing at MetaLab, shares:

"We got rid of nearly a dozen different tools because of what Notion does for us."

This level of efficiency can transform how you handle your business operations.

Automation Features

Notion also offers automation to save time and boost productivity:

• Template Creation: Design reusable frameworks for onboarding clients.

• Task Management: Automate reminders and track progress with ease.

• Document Generation: Quickly create standardized forms and assessments.

• Integration: Connect Notion with other tools for a seamless workflow.

Next Steps for Implementation

To bring automation into your coaching business, start with a clear plan tailored to your needs. Use the steps below to set up, expand, and evaluate your systems effectively.

Focus on Core Tools First

Pinpoint the tasks that take up the most time in your practice. Begin with tools that address these areas:

Integration Strategy

Set up your tools to work together seamlessly. For example, connect your scheduling system to automatically create a client profile in your CRM, generate invoices, send welcome emails, and schedule follow-ups. This eliminates repetitive tasks and keeps everything organized.

Scaling Automation Over Time

1. Basic Setup (0–10 clients)
Start with scheduling and payment tools to streamline your client management.

2. Growth Phase (11–30 clients)
Add email marketing automation and a client portal. Expect a monthly investment of $100–200.

3. Scaling Phase (30+ clients)
Incorporate advanced features like testimonial collection, course delivery, analytics, and team collaboration tools.

Keep an eye on your costs as you grow to ensure you're balancing efficiency with expenses.

Managing Costs

Automation tools come with ongoing expenses. Here's a breakdown of typical monthly costs for essential services:

• Website and domain: $5–50

• Video conferencing: $15–30

• CRM system: $8–50

• Project management: $5–20

90-Day Implementation Timeline

Roll out your automation plan over three months:

Days 1–30:

• Set up scheduling and payment systems

• Prepare onboarding materials

• Configure basic automations

Days 31–60:

• Launch email sequences

• Implement client management tools

• Test your workflows

Days 61–90:

• Add advanced features

• Fully integrate your tools

• Train your team

Tracking Success

Evaluate your progress by monitoring key metrics:

• Hours saved on admin tasks

• Client satisfaction ratings

• Response times to inquiries

• Revenue per client

• Client retention rates

Related posts

• Newsletter Monetization: A Guide for Content Creators

• Best Personal Website Templates to Build Your Online Presence in 2025

• The Ultimate Guide to Using Email Courses as Your Best Lead Magnet

• 5 Ways to Sell Digital Products Without Technical Skills