Online business coaching software to grow your practice

What is online business coaching?

A business coach is someone who works with individuals or teams to help them achieve their organizational goals. Their role is to support, educate and motivate business owners and employees through challenges and obstacles. Similar to a consultant, they draw upon their expertise to help clients solve problems. However, rather than just giving advice, coaches ask questions to gently guide clients to reach their own conclusions.

The online aspect comes in when coaches leverage technology to run their business virtually. Online business coaches typically run their coaching calls using video conferencing software, rather than in-person. This business model allows them to serve more coaching clients at any given time, and provides greater location freedom and flexibility. It also tends to be more cost-effective for businesses, as it requires less overhead than hiring a full-time, in-house coach.

In light of these benefits, it's no surprise that online business coaching is on the rise. Research shows that online coaching is expected to reach a market size of $4.5 billion by 2028². What's more, according to iPEC, 1.5 million searches are made every month by people and companies looking for business coaches, alongside life coaches and executive coaches³.

On that note, it's important to note that not all business coaching is the same. Online coaches tend to have different areas of specialization: whether it's working with small business owners, entrepreneurs or C-suite executives. The different types of business coaching include:

Leadership or executive coaching: This type of coaching involves working with executives, directors and managers to help them improve their communication and leadership skills.

Performance coaching: Also known as high-performance coaching, this coaching style focuses on helping people optimize their energy levels and productivity.

Professional coaching: Working with clients at all levels, these coaches help set and achieve career goals.

Entrepreneur coaching: Some coaches work specifically with start-ups and scale-ups, to help them navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.

What are the benefits of using online business coaching software?

Before there were specific tools for coaches, they had to rely on duct-taped solutions to run their coaching practices. Think messy spreadsheets to keep track of client information, manual intake forms and scheduling sessions via email correspondence. This created administrative headaches for coaches and clients alike! Often, important information would go missing, and it was difficult to monitor a client's progress over time.

Online coaching platforms have revolutionized the coach-client relationship, with features that enable coaches to do the following:

• Automate repetitive tasks: From sending quotes to following up with potential clients, coaches have tasks they perform over and over again. Coaching software allows you to put these important-yet-menial jobs on autopilot.
• Streamline the coaching process: By setting up helpful systems in your business (such as having a strong client onboarding process), you can create a next-level client experience. This helps build your professional reputation, and makes clients more likely to refer you to others.
• Capture and harness insights: So much valuable data is generated during coaching sessions, but this often goes underutilized. A good online platform allows you to use these insights to make your coaching even more effective.
• Work with unlimited clients: Thanks to video calling and online course platforms, coaches can now work with clients from all over the world. The only limit is your own capacity.
• Save money on business expenses: Having multiple subscriptions to coaching tools can quickly add up over time. An all-in-one solution can save you lots of money in the long-run.

What are the must-have online business coaching software features?

You don't necessarily need an online coaching platform that offers everything but the kitchen sink. However, there are some essential features that will help you achieve the next level of growth in your coaching journey.

Firstly, there's the essential client management tools. Online booking functionality, client information databases and intake surveys are all crucial for the back-end of your business. There should also be some way to process payments for coaching sessions from your clients — and even better if it supports multiple coaching packages, payment plans and coupon codes.

Features like profitability reporting and cashflow forecasting are also helpful for the financial side of your business. With complete transparency over your numbers, you'll no longer wonder how many new coaching clients you need to stay afloat.

Many tools also offer innovative features to make the coaching process more engaging and interactive. Virtual exercises, worksheets, digital downloads and goal tracking can all be used to supplement your coaching sessions and keep your client accountable.

If you're looking to scale your coaching business, group coaching features are also helpful. These allow you to serve unlimited clients through a one-to-many business model. Features like online course functionality and community platforms can help you launch your group coaching program.

All of these online business coaching features go a long way, to make your practice more streamlined and efficient.

9 of the best online business coaching software solutions: Key features and pricing

Want to compare the best online coaching platforms on the market? Here are the coaching apps and tools that should be on your radar:

Fingerprint for Success

F4S is a powerful all-in-one platform for facilitating more effective coaching. Even the best coaches have blindspots about their clients’ innermost desires. Our highly accurate work style assessment allows you to get to the root of your clients’ motivations, so you can set goals accordingly. Powered by data analytics, our dashboard allows you to easily track client progress over time.

Our coaching queue feature also delivers personalized courses to your clients, so they can work on their biggest growth opportunities.

These programs are delivered by our AI Coach Marlee, who can become your very own highly effective assistant coach in your own practice.

Business coaches and organizational leaders can also use performance and collaboration tools to foster happy, high-performing teams.

Pricing: You can get started with F4S for free, and use our accessible premium plans to scale up as your team grows. Learn more about our pricing here.

Acuity

Acuity is a popular appointment scheduling app that streamlines the booking process for coaches. Rather than going back and forth via email to schedule calls, you can simply send clients a link so they can book at their desired time. It has plenty of other handy features such as integration with your iCloud, Outlook or Google Calendar, automated reminders and integrations with other tools. Acuity is also owned by the web hosting platform Squarespace, so it's extremely easy to embed your calendar on your website landing pages.

Pricing: Plans start at US$20/month and go up to US$49/month for larger teams.

Teachable

Teachable is an online platform that allows coaches to create and host their own online courses. This can be a great way for coaches to serve more clients at scale. It provides a user-friendly interface and a suite of tools to help coaches create, market, and deliver their educational content. Features include a simple drag-and-drop course creator, personalized branding, sales and marketing tools, and the ability to process payments. Coaches can create discussion forums, offer quizzes and assignments, and provide certificates upon course completion.

Pricing: Teachable offers different pricing plans, including a free plan with limited features, as well as paid plans with more advanced functionality. The Pro plan costs US$159/month.

HoneyBook

HoneyBook is an all-in-one business management platform for online entrepreneurs, including coaches. It includes everything they need to manage their clients, projects and finances efficiently. HoneyBook features include client management, lead tracking, proposals and contracts, project and workflow management, invoicing and call scheduling. It also has handy third-party integrations with QuickBooks, Gmail, Calendly, Facebook and Zapier.

Pricing: HoneyBook has a few different pricing options, ranging from US$15.20 for the starter plan to US$63.20 for premium.

Kajabi

Another popular course creation platform, Kajabi offers a powerful suite of online coaching tools. It offers everything coaches need to launch courses, memberships, 1-1 coaching sessions and more. Some of Kajabi's key features for coaches include an intuitive landing and sales page builders, email marketing tools, community and engagement tools and third-party integrations. It also recently announced a new tool that will allow coaches to create their own white-labeled coaching apps.

Pricing: Kajabi is on the expensive side, with the lowest plan starting at US$159/month.

Theranest

Technically, Theranest is a practice management tool for mental health professionals, such as therapists. However, it's also a valuable software for individual coaches, thanks to its client management, scheduling and admin tools. Its feature suite includes booking and session scheduling features, video conferencing, progress tracking and secure in-app client messaging. It also has helpful tools for managing insurance – an often overlooked area for coaches.

Pricing: Theranest starts at US$39/month, for up to 30 active clients.

Typeform

Typeform is an online form and survey tool that allows coaches to create interactive and engaging forms to collect information from their clients. It provides a user-friendly interface and a range of features to help coaches create customized forms and surveys. Coaches can also use Typeform to create interactive quizzes, which can be an excellent lead generation tool for building an audience of potential clients. Typeform's helpful features include drag-and-drop functionality, automations and integrations with email marketing and project management tools.

Pricing: You can get a taste of Typeform with the free plan, but itsmore advanced features will set you back US$39/month to $99/month, depending on the size of your business.

Bonsai

Bonsai is an online business tool for self-employed professionals, including coaches. Featuring a beautiful, easy-to-use design, it takes the friction out of running an online coaching business. As well as key features like contracts and invoices, it has time tracking and project management tools to help you use your time effectively. The client and collaboration tools are also helpful for providing feedback to coaches, and provides a centralized platform for digital downloads and files.  

Pricing: Bonsai plans range from US$24/month to $79/month. There are also some handy paid add-ons, like partner accounts and a tax assistant.

HubSpot

This customer relationship management (CRM) software suite offers a comprehensive range of marketing, sales and support tools. By leveraging its features, coaches can eliminate clunky, annoying systems and build better relationships with clients. Its most valuable features include contact management (ie. the ability to store information about leads and clients), email marketing, lead generation tools and sales pipeline management.

Pricing: It's free to get started with HubSpot, but paid plans for individuals and small teams range from US$13/month to $765/month.

Other helpful tools for providing a seamless coaching experience

Here are some other categories of tools to help you grow your business coaching practice.

Social media tools

In order to be a successful coach, you first need clients! Whether you're looking to work with individuals or B2B clients, social media marketing helps put you in front of your target audience. But, from sourcing images to writing captions and choosing the right platforms to post on, social media marketing involves a lot of moving parts. Using a social media scheduling tool like Planoly, Plann or Later helps keep you organized, and allows you to plan your content ahead of time.

Email marketing tools

Once you've created an audience of raving fans, it's time to turn those into paying customers. That's where email marketing comes in. Email tools like Mailchimp, MailerLite and Flodesk allow you 'warm up' your audience by sending engaging email newsletters. Not only that, but you can create entire sales funnels to build the trust required to reach out about your coaching services.

Google Workspace

Sometimes, the simplest tools are the most effective! Every coach needs a professional looking email address, a calendar to keep track of appointments and a place to keep their files. Google Workspace (previously known as GSuite) keeps all of this in one convenient place. With one simple membership, you get Google Calendar, Google Drive, Gmail and other digital tools to streamline your client interactions. A Google Workspace subscription starts at US$5 per user/month.

Project management tools

Project management skills are essential for running a successful coaching business. And, given that every new coaching client is a new project, that's a lot to keep track of. The good news is, you don't have to keep all that information in your brain. Project management tools like Asana, Trello and Monday provide a birds-eye view of all your commitments and deadlines. They're especially important if you're looking to grow your coaching practice by hiring other coaches, as they feature essential collaboration tools.

Network with a global community of coaching pioneers

These digital coaching platforms can help set you up for business success. But, at the end of the day, they're no substitute for a strong support network. A global community such as Fingerprint for Success can help you navigate all the inevitable challenges of the coaching industry. Our mission is to bring together like-minded change-makers to create a better future for professional development. When you join our community, you get access to regular webinars, mentoring sessions, and networking with other professional coaches. You can learn more and join our community here.