Let's cut right to the chase: your website is killing your business.
The reason I developed Swum was because the average ordering process for independent swim lessons is 15 years behind what consumers are used to. Yes, 15 years. Let me explain why.
To be fair, I have to start this by admitting I have never actually ordered a taxi (showing my age!!!) but of course we are all familiar with how it was done: you called them. Then, a company started out in 2009 called Uber. All of a sudden, you could simply order one off your phone. And here we are today…
How about ordering a bathing suit? Remember when you went to the store? And then Amazon came along?
My point is, I've literally been to hundreds of swim school websites and their order process is still to email or call them FIRST. I guarantee you potential clients are leaving on the spot, and the ones that are staying are only there due to a high magnetic pull like impeccable word of mouth, but they are still not satisfied with your checkout experience.
The brutal reality: Parents expect Uber, you're giving them 2009
Here's what's happening on your website right now:
Parent finds your site at 9 PM (because that's when they have 5 minutes to research swim lessons after putting their kids to sleep)
Sees "Call us at 555-SWIM" or "Email for availability"
Immediately thinks: "Are you kidding me? I can order dinner, book a vacation, and buy a car online, but I have to call you to sign up my kid for swimming?"
Closes browser tab. Forever.
70% of service bookings are abandoned before completion. That's not a conversion problem—that's a business model problem.
That's if they even get the chance to use a typical checkout experience!!! Can you even imagine what % you're losing by not offering them a way to buy on the spot? 90%+ website abandonment. Yes, it's that bad.
The three website mistakes that are costing you 90% in potential new business
Mistake #1: The "Contact Us First" Death Trap
You're making parents work to give you money. Think about that for a second.
When someone wants to book swim lessons, they're ready to buy NOW. Making them email you and wait for a response is like Amazon making you call before you can add something to your cart. Insane, right?
THEY WANT TO BUY FROM YOU! And you're not even giving them an easy chance to do so...
Fix: Let parents book and pay online, immediately. Period.
Mistake #2: Choice Paralysis Hell
Let's say you're one of the 'innovators' who have integrated with a software like iClassPro or JackRabbit...and you're thinking 'Ha, I do allow them to book immediately!'
Well let me burst your bubble right now...those platforms might be hurting your business EVEN MORE than if you kept your contact first apporach.
Here's why:
I've seen swim school websites with 240 different lesson options. TWO-HUNDRED-FORTY. (Don't believe me? Checkout: Goldfish Swim School's iClassPro Approach). Barry Schwartz proved that customers faced with 24 options versus 6 options were 10 times less likely to purchase.
Now do the math, if they are 10 TIMES LESS LIKELY to buy at 24 options, what does 240 do?
Those sofwares aren't helping, they're overwhelming. Parents see your grid of instructor names, times, levels, and pricing tiers and their brain shuts down.
Then they probably message or call you to reach out and ask which option to choose! That's worse then if you didn't even add in the options in the first place.
Now compare iClassPro to Swum. There are literaly 10 pages each with 24 options. What parent is going to sift through this to find the best one? It's asinine.
Swum literally shows 4 options upfront. That's it. In fact, we actually offer MORE options than iClassPro, not less. But by intelligently displaying it piece-by-piece, we never overwhelm the consumer. That is important.
Fix: Show 3-4 options max. That's it. Let them pick.
Mistake #3: Mobile Checkout Mistakes
65% of your traffic is mobile. But I bet your booking process requires zooming, scrolling sideways, and probably sacrificing a small animal to complete.
Most of these softwares have apps that don't even work. When is the last time you ordered an Uber off of their website?
Swum was built APP FIRST. We know the majority of your swim lessons business will come from mobile bookings, so we focused on what was most important.
Fix: Design for phones first. Big buttons. Simple forms. One-tap payment.
What parents actually want (it's simpler than you think)
Parents don't want to research 27 different instructors or compare pricing matrices. They want to:
- See that you're legit (certifications, safety protocols, real photos)
- Pick a time that works (real-time availability, not "call to check")
- Pay and be done (like literally every other purchase they make)
That's it. Everything else is just you making their life harder.
Your three options (and why two of them will fail you)
So you know you need to fix this. Here are your options:
Option 1: Try to build it yourself
You could spend months learning web design, figuring out payment processing, building a booking system, and trying to make it mobile-friendly.
Good luck with that. You're a swim instructor, not a software developer. By the time you figure it out, you'll have lost thousands in potential revenue.
Option 2: Pick a legacy software solution
You could go with iClassPro, JackRabbit, or one of the other "swim school software" companies that have been around forever.
Here's the problem: these platforms were designed in 2010 when everyone had desktop computers and unlimited patience. They're clunky, overwhelming, and their mobile apps are basically unusable.
Plus, they'll charge you monthly fees for features that barely work and customer support that makes you want to throw your phone in the pool.
Option 3: Use Swum.
I built Swum specifically because I got tired of watching swim schools struggle with outdated, complicated systems.
Here's what makes us different:
- App-first design - because 65% of your bookings happen on phones
- 4 simple options - no more, no less. Parents pick and buy instantly
- Real-time availability - no more "call to check" nonsense
- One-tap payments - Credit Card payment, done.
- Built for swim schools - I understand your business, not trying to be everything to everyone
The big difference: Other platforms try to cram every possible feature into their interface. We focus on what actually matters: getting parents to book lessons quickly and easily.
You don't need millions. You just need Swum.
The bottom line
Your competition isn't other swim schools—it's every other business that lets parents book online instantly.
When parents can book a babysitter, order groceries, and schedule a doctor's appointment from their phone, but have to call you to sign up for swim lessons, you're not running a modern business. You're running a relic.
The swim schools thriving today aren't necessarily the ones with the best pools or most experienced instructors. They're the ones that make it ridiculously easy for parents to become customers.
Your website should work like Uber: simple, fast, and so obvious your grandmother could figure it out.
Stop making parents work to give you money. Make it easy, and watch what happens to your enrollment numbers.
Ready to stop losing customers to your broken website? Swum handles the entire booking process so parents can sign up instantly, anytime.
