Essential Features for an Online Tutoring Platform

If you’re planning to build your own tutoring platform, you might look for the right features to make it successful. Yes, adopting the right features for both users and tutors enhances the overall user experience!

Moreover, the significance of a user-friendly interface cannot be overstated! Design is surely the most important feature in the development phase, and adding the right features could be a game-changer for your tutoring platform!

So, are you planning to create a simple online tutoring platform or a comprehensive one with LMS and all the essential features? In this blog, we walk you through all the essential features for an online tutoring platform. So, are you ready to find the features that best suit your platform needs?

What are the Essential Features for an Online Tutoring Platform?

Finding the right platform features is a constant quest, isn’t it? You must find the right features that fit your business model and monetization streams.

So, to better understand, we have divided the entire feature set into three categories: user panel, creator panel, and admin panel.

So, let’s start exploring the enriching feature set!

Key Features for Students

Students are powerful entities who decide your platform’s growth pace! Try reducing the learning curve and creating a conducive environment for online learning!

On that note, let’s navigate through the enticing feature set for users:

Profile Optimization

One essential feature of an online tutoring platform is that it allows students to modify their profile settings, from the primary details to the more advanced ones, like time zones, certifications, and updating passwords.

User-Friendly Interface

An uncompromisable feature of an online tutoring platform is a simple, minimalistic, and intuitive interface. Complete access to all tutoring sessions based on user preferences and interests, a seamless procedure to book online tutoring sessions and secure payment infrastructure make the platform flexible!

Book 1:1 or group tutoring classes

One of the basic features for users on an online tutoring platform is the ability to book a private or group tutoring session. Allow students to book a free session or a paid lesson. Offer additional options like seat availability, filters,  slot timings, and rescheduling sessions.

Access to Comprehensive Tutor Profiles

Finding the right tutor for a student’s needs could be challenging, especially if you have a vast array of tutors on the platform. Offer dedicated filters like grade, subject, price, availability, categories, subjects, countries, etc. Ensure you have an extensive tutoring list with detailed descriptions, ratings, reviews, number of completed lessons, etc. 

Check Upcoming Appointments

A detailed list of all the booked appointments helps to keep track of all the free and paid private and group tutoring sessions. This way, you can’t miss out on any tutoring sessions or even reschedule a specific session.

Transaction Management

An excellent transaction management feature helps users view all transactions, track their status, and raise a refund request.  

Communication & Messaging Tool

Access to real-time communication tools like chats, emails, and even a dedicated forum creates a conducive environment for online learning. 

24/7 customer support

A practical and responsive 24/7 customer support that addresses user queries and fixes any possible issues is a powerful feature! It helps to create a positive experience and improve the platform’s reputation.

Optional Features:

• Feedback for tutors
• Student Progress Tracking
• Gamification Features
• Assessment & Quiz
• Add to Cart
• Create favorite list 

Key Features for Tutors

Tutors are the lifeline of an online tutoring platform! Great tutors can take your tutoring platform to the next level! Finding the right tutors can exemplify the overall platform performance, but hiring the right tutors could be challenging!

With robust features, you can attract the right talent to your tutoring platform. Here’s a list of all the features that help you create a collaborative tutoring experience!

Profile Optimization

A strong and impressive tutoring profile is one strategic way for tutors to gain more visibility! Optimizing your profile can help you build trust and credibility by using an effective description, showcasing your credentials, or highlighting testimonials. 

Create Group Class

Apart from private tutoring sessions, group sessions are also a great way to earn more. Since you’re tutoring multiple students at the same time, you save your time and effort significantly.

Set Available Schedules & Tutoring Price 

The online learning space is known for its flexibility and accessibility. Hence the freedom to set tutoring availability and optimum prices is one of key features for tutors.

Viewing Upcoming Appointments

Tutors have a busy schedule managing tutoring schedules. Hence, a system that keeps track of all the upcoming appointments could be of great use! Here, tutors can manage their schedules efficiently with all the appointment details, such as class type, session timing, subject, and status.

Set Your Calendar

Efficiently managing the existing schedules is paramount for tutors. Calendar management helps to mark your availability, which can be displayed to your students accordingly. The calendar will help with several tasks: viewing lesson bookings and requests, setting time-off periods, availability slots, or even recurring availability. Here, tutors can view free slots, paid slots, group classes, and expired or unavailable slots based on color coding.

Class Management

One key feature of an online tutoring platform is group class management. Tutors should be able to create and manage free or paid classes. This includes basic details like adding class titles, grades, age groups, categories, maximum slots, and prices. Additionally, tutors should be able to add course materials, update slots, etc. 

Earnings Dashboard

The earnings dashboard offers a detailed breakdown of platform earnings: overall tutor earnings, commission split up, and pending payment amount.

Offering Free Trial

If a student is confused about whether to book tutoring sessions, offering free trials can help! Tutors can offer free trial sessions so that students get a good idea of their tutoring sessions!

Optional features:

• Create a course
• Referral Invites
• Notifications
• Emails
• Other interactive tools like code and text editors

Key Features for Admin

As the admin, managing your online tutoring platform efficiently for long-term success is crucial. This involves a complete business overview, including tutor, student, classes, payment management, etc. It’s more like having a bird’s-eye view of the platform to manage efficiently and not miss out on any discrepancies.

Here are some of the essential features for admin that offer a comprehensive overview of your business:

Dashboard & Analytics

As a platform owner, catching up on the detailed analytics and monitoring the platform performance should be a priority. A dashboard helps gauge the platform’s success, showing the total registered and approved students and tutors, appointments, and pending payouts.

Tutor Management

This feature helps create, update or even delete tutor profiles. Tutor management reports display a list of all the tutors on the platform with details like tutor names, ratings, status, etc. The admin can also filter the list with categories like email, name, rating, etc.

Student Management

With student management, admins can easily add, edit, or delete student information. They can keep tabs on all students, along with their names, status, password management, and other information. Additionally, the student management report filters specific student information.

Appointment Management

Appointment Management is another essential feature of online tutoring platforms. The admin has complete access to appointment management details like the tutor, student name, appointment type, time, etc.

Coupon Management

Admin can create or manage coupons for 1:1, group tutoring sessions or courses. Also, add details like the maximum limit for coupon usage and discount percentage.

Payment Management

Of course, payment management is one of the crucial features of online tutoring platforms. Admin can approve payout requests, manage payments, and approve refund requests as part of payment management. Admin can also reject or accept refund and payout requests.

Manage Platform Settings

As an admin, you need to manage several configuration and integration features. 

These are a few platform settings to grow your online tutoring business:

• General settings like site name, favicon, logo, banner image, and social media links.
• Payment gateway integration settings like Stripe key settings
• LessonSpace or Zoom Live Video Streaming SDK settings include API key, streaming software, hook URL, etc.
• Branding settings like primary and secondary brand colors
• Other settings include the maximum number of free trial classes, SMTP settings, etc.

Setting Standardized Platform Commission

If your online tutoring platform is based on a commission-based structure, then one of the essential features would be an option to set the commission percentage. Consider you decide on a standardized 20% commission percentage. Then, your tutoring platform takes 20% commission from the tutor’s earnings, and the remaining 80% of the proceeds go to tutors.

Optional features:

• Add or Remove Website Pages
• Email Templates
• Language 
• Complaints

Final Few Words

Building an online tutoring platform is indeed a profitable pursuit! By leveraging the right tools and features, your platform is sure to succeed in this entrepreneurial journey! We have explored all the essential features for your online tutoring platform!

However, building your own platform from scratch requires a development team and an extensive investment of time and money. Most importantly, you need to integrate all the features for students and tutors and ensure it runs smoothly. With a ready-made script like Pinlearn, you can skip the groundwork and get a market-ready product with all the essential features!

Plus, it’s a 100% customizable script that offers something extraordinary for every business! To gain an edge and help your business stand out, book a 15-minute call with our expert team today!

FAQ-Related to Essential Features for Online Tutoring Platforms

1. What are the essential features for an online tutoring platform?

The must-have features for online tutoring platforms are a user-friendly interface, the ability to book 1:1 or group tutoring sessions, secure payment processing, and a comprehensive dashboard and analytics.

2. Is it profitable to build an online tutoring platform?

Yes, starting an online tutoring platform is a profitable venture, considering the demand,  high earning potential and growing market size. However, the overall platform earnings depend on several factors, such as niche, business model, quality of tutors, tutoring services offered, etc.

3. What are the best video conferencing tools for building an online tutoring platform?

Zoom, LessonSpace, Google Meet, Teams, and BigBlueButton are some excellent video conferencing tools for building your online tutoring platform.

4. Which are the ideal payment methods for an online tutoring platform?

Credit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, crypto payments, wallets, and other forms of electronic payment are some of the ideal payment methods.