Frequently Asked Questions

Most schools are up and running within 2–4 weeks, depending on the size of your student base and whether we're building your website or connecting your current one. Our team handles the heavy lifting with setup, training, and testing so you can stay focused on running your school while we handle the tech.

Our onboarding team guides you through every step: migrating your student data, setting up your billing cycles, configuring your class schedule, connecting your website, and training your team. You'll have dedicated support to ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption to your business.

No technical skills required. EFC is designed for martial arts school owners, not IT professionals. Our intuitive interface makes it easy to manage students, process payments, track attendance, and communicate with families. Plus, our support team is always available to help.

Yes. We'll help you migrate your current student records, billing information, and membership details from your existing system. Our onboarding team handles the data transfer to ensure accuracy and completeness.

We help hundreds of schools switch from other platforms every year. Our team manages the transition, including data migration, system setup, and training. We'll work with you to minimize downtime and ensure your school keeps running smoothly during the switch.

EFC offers three plans to fit different school sizes and needs:

• Essentials: Ideal for schools with less than 100 students
• Professional: Most popular, ideal for schools with more than 100 students
• Enterprise: Ideal for multi-location schools and schools with 300+ students

All plans include website, CRM, billing, onboarding, and community access. Contact us for specific pricing details based on your school's size and needs.

Yes. As your school grows or your needs change, you can upgrade or downgrade your plan. Talk to your account team about making the switch, and we'll help you transition smoothly.

Professional onboarding is included in all plans. There are no separate setup fees—we handle migration, training, and implementation as part of your subscription.

We accept major credit cards and ACH bank transfers for your EFC subscription. For your students' tuition payments, EFC processes credit cards, debit cards, and ACH bank account payments.

Contact our team to discuss contract terms and cancellation policies for your specific plan. We're focused on delivering value so you want to stay, not locking you in.

Every plan includes:

• EFC Website (design level varies by plan)
• EFC Customer Management (CRM and billing)
• Professional onboarding
• Support (level varies by plan)
• Access to EFC Circle Community
• Ongoing system updates

Higher-tier plans include enhanced features, priority support, and dedicated account management. View our full pricing comparison on the Pricing page.

Yes. EFC handles your student billing and payment processing directly. Switching is simple and guided by our onboarding team. We migrate your student data, set up your billing cycles, and help you go live with minimal disruption to your business.

Set up membership plans with recurring tuition amounts. EFC automatically charges students on their billing date each month. Parents receive payment confirmations, and you see all transactions in clear statements showing tuition collected, processing fees, and net deposits.

You'll see exactly why the payment failed (expired card, insufficient funds, etc.) with clear decline reason codes. You can manually retry the payment with one click or send the family a secure link to update their payment information online.

Payment processing fees vary based on your plan and payment volume. Contact us for specific rates based on your school's size and transaction volume.

Families can pay with credit cards, debit cards, or bank accounts (ACH). ACH payments typically have lower processing fees than credit cards.

You can issue full or partial refunds directly from the student's billing page in EFC. The refund processes back to their original payment method, and the transaction is tracked in their payment history.

Yes. In addition to recurring tuition billing, you can create one-off invoices for testing fees, equipment, uniforms, special events, or any other charges. Families can pay these immediately through the member portal.

Funds are deposited to your bank account based on your processing schedule, typically within 1-3 business days. You can view pending deposits and completed transfers in your financial statements.

Yes. If you're happy with your current design, we can connect it to EFC Customer Management to capture and track leads automatically. If you want to update your site, our team can rebuild it using proven layouts that turn visitors into students. Either way, your website works as part of your business system, not separate from it.

Most websites are completed within 2–3 weeks, depending on your plan level and customization needs. Essentials plans use our proven template. Growth and Enterprise plans include custom design elements and multiple location pages.

Your website is hosted on EFC's platform and included in your subscription. You own your domain name, content, images, and branding. If you leave EFC, you can take your domain and content with you.

Yes. All EFC websites are mobile-first, meaning they're designed to look perfect and load fast on phones, tablets, and desktop computers. Since most parents browse on mobile devices, this is critical for converting visitors into students.

The optional chatbot answers common questions 24/7 using program-specific scripts for Kids, Teens, and Adults. It can handle questions like "Do you have classes for 5-year-olds?" and "What are your prices?" It can also help prospects book trial classes. The chatbot learns from your school's FAQs and information.

Basic content updates depend on your plan level. Contact your support team for content changes, or ask about self-service options. We want to ensure your site maintains its high-converting design while staying current.

Automatically. When someone fills out a contact form on your website, they instantly appear as a new lead card in your EFC Customer Management pipeline. No copying information, no manual data entry, no integration required—it just works.

All EFC websites include technical SEO fundamentals: mobile optimization, fast loading, secure hosting (SSL), proper schema markup, and local business optimization. For multi-location schools, each location gets its own optimized page with local NAP (name, address, phone) and Google Business Profile integration.

Leads move through stages in your visual pipeline: Inquiry → Booked → Showed → Trial → Enrolled. Drag and drop cards between stages, and the system tracks conversion rates at each step. You always know who needs follow-up and where leads are getting stuck.

Yes. You can manually add walk-in inquiries or use an in-school tablet kiosk where prospects can enter their information and schedule a trial class themselves.

Students check in via a front desk kiosk or by scanning a QR code from the mobile app using their phone or keytag. Attendance is recorded automatically, class rosters update in real-time, and you can view attendance history for each student and each class.

Yes. Set maximum capacity for each class and rank eligibility requirements (e.g., "Green Belt and above only"). The system prevents overbooking and ensures only eligible students can register.

Record each student's current belt rank, promotion history, and testing goals. Leave detailed instructor feedback with notes, photos, and videos. Students and parents see all progress updates in their member portal and mobile app.

Yes. Students can record practice at home and upload videos through the app for instructor review. You can leave feedback, approve techniques, and track their development without everyone needing to be at the school at once.

Send emails, SMS text messages, and push notifications from one unified hub. See all replies in one inbox instead of juggling multiple threads. Use AI-enhanced templates with automatic merge fields (names, ranks, class times) to send personalized messages at scale.

Set up "when X happens, do Y" rules that run automatically in the background. Examples: Send birthday messages, celebration emails for promotion anniversaries, failed payment reminders, check-ins when students miss 3 classes, or milestone celebrations at 6 months. Once configured, they run without you remembering.

Yes. Through the member portal and mobile app, families can view their membership details, upcoming classes, past attendance, belt history, instructor feedback, outstanding balances, payment history, and training resources. They can also pay balances, update contact info, and manage payment methods themselves.

Yes. The Enterprise plan is built specifically for multi-location operators. You get one login with the ability to switch between locations, see each school's performance separately, or view rolled-up metrics across all locations.

View key metrics (active students, enrollments, revenue, pipeline data) for each location individually or see aggregated totals across your entire organization. Track which locations are performing well and which need attention.

Yes. Set team-level permissions so staff only see and manage their assigned location(s), while you maintain visibility across the entire organization. Protect sensitive data while empowering your team.

No separate websites needed. The Enterprise plan includes a parent domain with unique location pages—each with custom copy, local NAP (name, address, phone), hours, Google Business Profile integration, and local schema markup. This builds SEO authority under one brand instead of fragmenting it across multiple domains.

Each location can have its own membership plans and pricing. Billing rolls up into organization-wide financial reporting so you can see total revenue, collection rates, and outstanding balances across all schools.

Response times vary by plan:

• Essentials: Within 2 business days
• Growth: Priority response, typically same day
• Enterprise: Direct access to your dedicated account manager

Yes, especially with Growth and Enterprise plans. We help you solve real business challenges—improving conversion rates, increasing retention, optimizing your pipeline, and growing revenue. Premium Support tiers include monthly performance reports, conversion reviews, and quarterly strategy calls.

The EFC Circle Community is where school owners connect, learn, and share strategies. Access monthly masterclasses, ask questions, get advice from peers, and learn from owners who've built successful schools. All plans include access.

All members get access to foundational learning resources. Growth and Enterprise plans include full access to monthly masterclasses and exclusive training content. Enterprise members also get Summit access and advanced leadership programs.

Custom development or one-off requests are handled through our Ad Hoc services: $199 for a strategy call or $99 for a one-off report. For ongoing custom needs, talk to your account manager about what's possible.

Managed Advertising means specialists handle your Facebook and Google ads while you focus on teaching. They manage campaign setup, daily optimization, creative testing, and performance reporting.

Managed Advertising pricing:

• $350/month management fee per platform (Facebook or Google)
• $500/month minimum ad spend per channel

Example: If you're running Facebook ads, you'd pay $350 management + $500 ad spend = $850/month total.

No, it's completely optional. Many schools run their own ads or work with other agencies. If you choose Managed Advertising, your ad accounts, pixels, and data always remain yours—the agency just has admin access to manage campaigns.

Available for Growth and Enterprise customers:

• Premium Support ($149/location/month): Priority response, monthly performance report, 1 escalation call
• Growth Plus Support ($249/location/month): Monthly conversion review + quarterly strategy call
• Ad Hoc Services: $199 strategy call or $99 one-off report

Yes. You can add Managed Advertising or Premium Support tiers at any time. Talk to your account team about adding services to your plan.

Yes. EFC uses industry-standard security measures including SSL encryption, secure data centers, regular backups, and PCI compliance for payment processing. Your student data and financial information are protected.

You do. Your student records, contact information, and business data belong to you. If you ever leave EFC, you can export your data and take it with you.

EFC is a complete, all-in-one system designed so you don't need multiple tools. For specific integration needs, contact your account team to discuss what's possible.

EFC maintains high uptime with redundant systems and monitoring. In the rare event of downtime, our team works immediately to restore service. Enterprise customers have direct access to their account manager for status updates.

Yes. EFC is web-based and works on any device with a browser. There's also a member-facing mobile app for students and parents to view schedules, attendance, feedback, and make payments.

For Enterprise customers with specific integration needs, talk to your account manager about API access and custom integrations.

Spark is a solid CRM platform, but EFC offers:

• Complete ecosystem: Website + CRM + Billing + Training/Community in one platform
• Martial arts specialization: 58 years focused exclusively on martial arts schools
• Community & education: EFC Summit, Circle Community, and ongoing coaching
• Multi-location strength: Better tools for schools with multiple locations

Zen Planner serves gyms and fitness studios broadly. EFC is built specifically for martial arts schools with specialized features like belt tracking, rank-based class eligibility, and retention systems designed for the martial arts student journey. Plus, EFC includes your website and a community of martial arts school owners.

MyStudio is a good entry-level option, but schools often outgrow it. EFC offers deeper CRM functionality, better reporting, multi-location capabilities, and a complete growth system with training and community—not just software.

Yes. We help schools switch from other platforms every year. Our onboarding team handles data migration and training to make the transition smooth with minimal disruption to your business.