# 21 questions to ask in a tutoring software demo > Choose tutoring software by testing real cancellations, clock changes, invoices and teacher pay during the demo, then checking trial and exit terms. URL: https://halqora.com/blog/tutoring-software-demo-questions Last updated: 2026-10-21 Published: 2026-10-21 · By Halqora team Choose tutoring software by testing real late cancellations, recurring classes across clock changes, foreign-currency invoices and teacher pay after a no-show. Bring last month's messiest week to the demo and ask the vendor to replay the records through scheduling, billing and payroll. > **Key facts:** - As of 21 October 2026, Teachworks lists its User Time Zones add-on as free, with lessons displayed in each user's local time. > - As of 21 October 2026, TutorCruncher describes a late-cancellation notice setting in hours that marks lessons as chargeable. > - As of 21 October 2026, TutorBird's pricing page advertises a 30-day free trial without a credit card and a 90-day money-back guarantee. > **Definition:** A late cancellation is a cancellation received after the notice deadline used to decide whether a class is charged. ## How do you run a demo around your academy's work? A useful tutoring software demo follows your records from the calendar to the money owed. Send anonymized examples ahead of the call, then ask the presenter to enter and correct them live. Choose software based on the work your staff can complete and explain, rather than a feature name on a slide. Prepare the expected family charge, teacher pay and correction approver beside each case. Review [what tutoring management software is](https://halqora.com/blog/what-is-tutoring-management-software) before booking demonstrations if you are still defining the scope. Record each answer as demonstrated, explained without proof, or unavailable. Get written confirmation of anything that would change your decision. ## Which scheduling and time-zone questions should you ask? Scheduling questions should establish which local time a recurring class follows and what happens when a schedule changes. Inspect the teacher's view and the family's view, including future dates. A calendar that looks correct today does not prove that recurring lessons will preserve the agreement you made with a family after a clock change. ### 1. Whose local time anchors a recurring class? Create your actual recurrence and identify the controlling time zone. Confirm whether the family's or teacher's local time stays fixed when their clocks differ. ### 2. What happens across a clock change? Move the calendar across the relevant clock change and compare both views. Teachworks says its free add-on supports scheduling across time zones. That makes Teachworks worth considering when local-time display is a priority; still ask to see your recurrence behave correctly. ### 3. Can an admin change a class without changing the series? Move an individual lesson, then inspect later lessons. Compare changing an occurrence with editing the recurring agreement. Look for wording your scheduling admin understands without support. ### 4. How are teacher conflicts shown? Schedule a teacher during an existing lesson. Check whether the software blocks the clash, warns or accepts the booking. Ask who can override warnings and see conflicts. ### 5. What happens when a teacher is unavailable? Resolve an absence through the actual staff screens. Check how the family discovers changed lesson details. An administrator's screen does not prove a teacher-facing workflow exists. ## How do class outcomes affect your cancellation policy? Class outcomes should explain a charge, rather than merely color the calendar. Ask the vendor to record a completed lesson, a cancellation and a no-show, then follow each result into billing. Separate the recorded facts from the financial decision so staff can explain why a family was charged and who approved an exception. ### 6. How does a late cancellation become billable? Enter the cancellation time and inspect the charge. TutorCruncher says its notice setting produces “Cancelled but Chargeable” lessons. That is a useful option if you need a notice window you can set; verify how the setting affects existing lessons. ### 7. Which outcomes create a charge or makeup credit? According to TutorBird's attendance guide, as of 21 October 2026, attendance statuses distinguish billable absences, unbilled absences and tutor absences with makeup credit. TutorBird deserves attention if those distinctions match your policy. Ask to see the resulting family balance. ### 8. Who can record an exception? Correct an outcome and inspect permissions. Ask whether teachers record events while admins approve financial exceptions. Identify the decision-maker before a disputed invoice arrives. ### 9. Are the financial rules fixed or adjustable? Halqora, management software for online academies, uses fixed outcome rules such as no charge for student cancellations with at least 3 hours' notice and full billing under 3 hours. These thresholds are not configurable per academy; inspect the [Halqora features](https://halqora.com/features) against your written policy. ## What should you test about billing, currencies and payments? Billing questions should follow a charge from the lesson record to the family's balance. Inspect the invoice currency, approval step and payment result separately. An attractive invoice does not prove that sibling billing, corrections or payment matching work the way your academy needs. Ask the presenter to show the records behind the total. ### 10. Can siblings share the right invoice? Group your example siblings and check the invoice recipient, descriptions and balance. If siblings pay in different currencies, demonstrate the result rather than assume a family account resolves the difference. ### 11. Where is the billing currency set? As of 21 October 2026, Teachworks' international setup guide describes an account-wide base currency and Stripe processing in that currency. TutorCruncher's currency guide describes branch currencies and an option for ad hoc charges in other currencies. Test recurring invoices separately. ### 12. Who reviews invoices before sending? Generate invoices, find an unresolved lesson and correct the draft. Establish whether creation triggers delivery, when families can see charges and when changes stop being simple edits. ### 13. How does a payment reach the invoice balance? Show a payment with an unclear reference. Ask where unmatched money waits and who assigns the payment. Inspect the family balance after matching; a provider logo does not explain that process. ### 14. What happens after a billing correction? Correct a lesson after invoicing. Inspect the original invoice, adjustment and next balance. Require a result your admin can explain without a separate spreadsheet of promises and credits. ### 15. What is the total cost for your roster? Request the subscription, payment charges and setup costs together. As of 21 October 2026, TutorBird lists USD 16.95/month plus USD 4.95/month per additional tutor or staff member. Compare [tutoring software pricing models](https://halqora.com/blog/tutoring-software-pricing-models) using your actual roster, not the starting price alone. ## Which teacher-pay questions expose policy mismatches? Teacher-pay questions should test the amount earned and the evidence behind that amount. Use completed lessons, lateness and a student no-show as separate cases. Ask who records the facts, who reviews disputed outcomes and whether generating a payroll record actually moves money. Keep family billing and teacher compensation separate throughout the demonstration. ### 16. How is pay calculated from the teacher's rate? Trace the rate and duration into earnings. Inspect rounding and payroll currency. Foreign-currency invoices do not establish support for converting teacher pay. ### 17. What evidence changes pay for lateness or a no-show? Enter late minutes and a waiting period, then inspect the result. Ask whether staff record those facts or the software derives them. For a student no-show, establish what waiting requirement must be met before the teacher earns pay. ### 18. What prevents incorrect payroll from being approved? Leave an outcome or required report unfinished. Check whether payroll stops for review or excludes the lesson, how admins correct omissions and what teachers see afterward. ## What should you ask about data, trials and leaving? Data and trial questions should establish whether you can repeat the demonstration with your own working records. Test the import before committing to a larger move, and ask to inspect an export before buying. A trial is useful when your admin can finish real tasks, identify limitations and leave with a clear decision. ### 19. What will the vendor import and verify? Ask for the import format, included fields and responsibility for checking results. Use the checklist for [migrating from spreadsheets](https://halqora.com/blog/move-academy-from-spreadsheets-to-software) to prepare your roster, schedules and balances. Compare imported records with the source before your staff rely on them. ### 20. Can the trial cover your billing process? Confirm the trial start, included access and extension process in writing. Ask whether your admin can review an invoice and correct an outcome during the trial. A guided presentation alone does not show whether your team can operate the software. ### 21. What can you take with you when leaving? Request a sample export of the records you need elsewhere. Confirm access after cancellation and retrieve files before access ends. Request written retention and deletion terms. ## How do free trials and guarantees compare? Trial terms describe the opportunity to evaluate software, while money-back terms describe a different commitment. The table records supplied public-page facts as of 21 October 2026. “Not stated” means the supplied pricing facts do not establish that field; it does not mean the vendor has no trial or guarantee. Confirm current terms before paying. ### Published trial and guarantee terms | Vendor | Free trial (days) | Card required? | Money-back (days) | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | TutorCruncher | not stated | not stated | not stated | Trial terms not stated in supplied facts | | Teachworks | not stated | not stated | not stated | Trial terms not stated in supplied facts | | TutorBird | 30 | No | 90 | TutorBird pricing | | Teach 'n Go | 14 | not stated | 30 | Teach 'n Go pricing | | Classcard | 7 | not stated | not stated | Classcard pricing | | Clasify | No trial | not stated | No refunds | Clasify pricing | | Halqora | 14-day pilot | not stated | not stated | [Halqora pricing](https://halqora.com/pricing) | According to Teach 'n Go's pricing page, onboarding costs EUR 500 and migration EUR 150 as of 21 October 2026. Clasify's page states monthly billing in EGP, no trial and no refunds. Those terms affect how much evidence you should request before paying. Prices change, and some pages show different price sets; confirm the applicable offer on the vendor page. ## Sources - Teachworks User Time Zones add-on, checked 21 October 2026 - TutorCruncher cancellation guide, checked 21 October 2026 - TutorBird pricing and trial terms, checked 21 October 2026 - TutorBird attendance and billing guide, checked 21 October 2026 - Teachworks international company setup, checked 21 October 2026 - TutorCruncher currency guide, checked 21 October 2026 - Teach 'n Go pricing and setup charges, checked 21 October 2026 - Classcard pricing and trial terms, checked 21 October 2026 - Clasify pricing and refund terms, checked 21 October 2026 ## Questions ### What should I bring to a tutoring software demo? Bring real cases: a family with siblings, a student paying in another currency, a recurring class across a clock change, a late cancellation, a no-show and a late teacher. Ask the vendor to enter the cases live and show the resulting invoice and teacher pay. Use anonymized records so the demonstration does not expose family details. ### How long should a software trial be? A software trial should cover your billing process, including review and corrections, if possible. As of 21 October 2026, Classcard advertises 7 days, Teach 'n Go 14 days and TutorBird 30 days, while Clasify states no trial. If the trial ends before your billing run, ask for an extension or replay a completed billing period before committing. ### Which questions reveal hidden costs? Ask about payment charges, additional tutor or staff accounts, onboarding, migration and the student count used for billing. As of 21 October 2026, TutorBird lists charges for additional tutors or staff, while Teach 'n Go lists paid onboarding and migration. Request a written total for your roster and ask what changes when your student count doubles. ### How do I check whether software handles time zones properly? Ask the vendor to create a recurring class with the family's and teacher's actual time zones, then inspect dates before and after a clock change. Confirm whose local time the schedule preserves and compare both calendar views. Teachworks says its User Time Zones add-on supports local lesson displays, but you should still test the recurrence your academy needs.