The Booking System Switch Tumble Time Was Scared to Make (and Why It Paid Off)

Tumble Time is a gymnastics club that welcomes children from four months old up to seventeen, with no competitive pressure and no cut-off by age or ability. Co-owners Diane McGee and Julie run it on subscription model, which meant their gymnastics club booking software had one job above all others; get payments right automatically, every month, without anyone chasing them by hand. Their old system couldn't do that. Pebble could.

Quick summary, for anyone skimming:

• Tumble Time switched booking platforms after slow, chatbot-only support from their previous system.

• Onboarding was hands-on and personal, with most parents migrating across in 4-6 weeks.

• Pebble automates pro-rata subscription billing, so mid-month sign-ups are charged correctly with no manual invoicing.

• Parties, camps and one-to-one lessons run flexibly alongside the core subscription.

• Built-in accident report forms, digital registers, and easy class transfers replaced separate manual processes.

• Ongoing support and a responsible product roadmap continued past onboarding.

Why did Tumble Time switch booking systems?

Tumble Time had been looking to change the platforms for some time before making the move. Support from their previous system ran through chat bots, and email replies took days to come back. For a subscription business where payment accuracy and parent trust both depend on things running on time, that gap was an operational risk, not just an inconvenience.

As Diane put it: "All the issues we were having previously, we had to make a change, and if we didn't make a change then nothing was going to change." A parent recommendation, plus a conversation with another club owner already using Pebble, gave her the confidence to switch.

How long does it take to switch gymnastics club booking software?

Most of Tumble Time's parents were moved over within four to siz weeks. Diane admits the switch felt scary before they started, and a few parents needed extra hand-holding to get across. But as she says now, "the thought of the changeover process is scarier than what it actually is." What actually made the difference wasn't a feature. It was the people. Onboarding was hands-on, personal, and reachable by phone or WhatApp rather than a ticket queue.

Does Pebble automate subscription payments and pro-rata billing?

Yes. Diane called this out on it's own as "an amazing feature." If a family signs up halfway through the month, Pebble works out the right partial amount and charges it automatically, then moves them onto the normal monthly billing from the first of next month. No manual invoicing. Combined with automatic confirmations and parent emails, this is the single thing that gave Tumble Time the most time back. It also matches what we see more broadly; automated billing tends to collect far more of what's owed, simply because nobody has to chase it by hand.

Can a gymnastics club run parties, camps and 1:1 lessons on the same platform?

Yes, and none of it has to fit the subscription model. Tumble Time run parties, Easter and Summer camps, and one-to-one lessons (which keep growing) through the same system. Parents can book a single session or a whole block, pay a deposit or pay in full. It all just lives in one place instead of needing a separate spreadsheet or workaround for each.

What everyday features matter most to coaching staff?

Diane handles admin, Julie handles the coaching floor, so what stood out to her looks different.

• Accident report forms live inside the platform now, instead of being a separate bit of paperwork.

• Digital registers, which Julie calls "perfect."

• Moving kids between classes, something they do a lot to keep everyone at the right level, which used to be a hassle and now just isn't.

Julie also found it easy to show other coaches how to use it, which matters when you're not the only one running the place day to day.

Does support continue after onboarding?

Yes, Tumble Time still has an ongoing support team at the same level of responsiveness. Diane's proof point: Features they asked for in February were live by April. After years of being ignored by their old system, having someone actually build what they asked for was a big deal.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pebble suitable for a small or growing gymnastics club?
It is. Tumble Time is run by two people, and they grew their admin capacity without hiring anyone else, automation did that work instead. Onboarding is built around the size of the club, not a one-size-fits-all script.

Will switching booking systems disrupt parents mid-term?
A bit, honestly. Tumble Time took 4 to 6 weeks to move most parents over, and a few needed a one-to-one follow-up. What kept it from turning into chaos was the hands-on support during onboarding.

Does Pebble handle pro-rata billing for mid-month sign-ups automatically?
Yes, that part's automatic. Sign up halfway through the month and Pebble works out the right partial charge on its own, then the subscription just continues as normal from the following month.

Can one-off bookings like parties and camps run without a subscription?
Yes. Parties, camps, and one-to-one lessons can all be booked as single sessions or blocks, paid as a deposit or in full, completely separate from the club's subscription setup.

What support is available after a provider switches to Pebble?
You get a dedicated person during the transition, then ongoing access to a support team by phone or WhatsApp afterward, and your feature requests actually feed into what gets built next.

The result

Tumble Time swapped a slow, impersonal system for one built around automatic payments, flexible bookings, and a support team that actually answers. Diane's advice to anyone weighing the same move: "You've got nothing to lose. Whether you're just starting out or you've already got a big customer big, go and look at what's out there and see if it'd work for you." Julie put it in three words: User-friendly, easy, manageable.

Curious what this could look like for your club? Book a demo with Pebble.