What parents and schools see

Xperios Essentials, section 6 of 7. The three lists that shape your Portal catalogue - and why they are more than filters.

What you will be able to do

• Name the three lists a parent uses to find an activity on the Portal
• Say which of them can introduce itself with a narrative
• Explain why these lists are not only about the Portal
• Judge the risk before renaming one of them

Step 1 of 5

A parent does not see your screens

People browsing your catalogue on the Portal do not see your screens. They see activities, and three sets of filters for narrowing them down. What those filters contain is set by you, under Customer Portal in Settings, and it is worth doing deliberately, because it is the first thing a parent meets.

Use the arrow keys to move between steps.

A parent does not see your screens — press Escape or click to close

1. A parent does not see your screens

   People browsing your catalogue on the Portal do not see your screens. They see activities, and three sets of filters for narrowing them down. What those filters contain is set by you, under Customer Portal in Settings, and it is worth doing deliberately, because it is the first thing a parent meets.

2. The three lists

   The three lists are Activity Categories, Activity Levels and Activity Sections. Categories divide tuition up by when it is taught. Levels are the age-appropriate level of an activity. Sections are the divisions within your activities, and a section can carry a narrative, so it introduces itself rather than being just a heading.

3. They are more than filters

   Now the part that catches people out. These are not only Portal filters. Levels and sections are chosen on auditions, on events, on exam sessions, on groups, and on discount codes. So the same short list that helps a parent find a cello lesson is also how you aim an offer at part of your catalogue.

4. Which makes renaming one a real change

   A discount for everything in the beginners level is expressed by the level rather than by listing the activities. Which means renaming a section is not a cosmetic change. It changes what parents see and what an existing discount covers, at the same moment, and nothing warns you that the second thing has happened.

5. So keep them short and leave them alone

   Treat these three lists differently from the rest of Settings. Keep them short, agree them once, and leave them alone. A list that is both a filter a parent uses and the scope of a discount you are honouring is not somewhere to tidy up on a quiet afternoon.

   If one genuinely has to change, check which discount codes point at it first.

The recap

• Three lists appear on the Portal as the filters people use to find what they want - Activity Categories, Activity Levels and Activity Sections.
• Activity Sections can each carry a narrative, so a section introduces itself rather than being just a heading.
• Levels and sections are also chosen on auditions, events, exam sessions and groups - and on discount codes.
• Renaming a section changes what parents see and what an existing discount covers at the same time, so it is not a cosmetic change.
• Because they are both a Portal filter and the scope of a discount, keep these lists short and leave them alone.

Now take the test

Five questions, in Xperios under Training. Everything it asks is in The recap above.

If you want the detail

• Customer Portal — the three lists, and what else uses them