Tuition Centre Enquiries: How to Answer Parents' Fee and Trial-Class Questions Faster

October 29, 2026 · 7 min read · by Furoki

Ask anyone who runs a tuition or enrichment centre in Singapore what fills their phone, and the answer is usually the same: parents asking the same handful of questions, often in the evening, often in a mix of English and 中文. "How much for P5 Maths?" "Got Saturday morning class?" "Can my daughter try one lesson first?" "Who's the teacher?"

None of these is hard to answer. The problem is volume and timing: they arrive when your staff are teaching, and a parent comparing three centres tends to go with the one that replies clearly first. This guide shows how to answer those questions faster without hiring another admin, and without losing the personal touch parents expect.

The questions parents actually ask

If you read back through a month of WhatsApp enquiries, you'll find most first messages fall into a short list:

Question	What the parent really wants to know
"How much for Sec 2 Science?"	Monthly or per-term fee, plus any registration, material or deposit fees
"Got Saturday class?"	Which slots are open for that level, and how full they are
"Can try first?"	Whether there's a trial lesson, what it costs, and how to book it
"Who's teaching?"	The teacher's background and class size
"Where are you?"	Address, nearest MRT, parking, and whether there's a waiting area
"What if my child misses a class?"	Make-up lessons, recordings or credit
"Do you follow the school syllabus?"	Whether you teach to the current MOE syllabus for that level and stream

Each of these has a fixed answer that changes maybe once a term. That's exactly the kind of question that shouldn't need your best teacher to stop and type.

Step 1: Build one enquiry sheet

Before any tool, write the answers down in one place. A shared document or spreadsheet is fine. For each level and subject, list:

• Fee, and whether it's monthly, per term or per lesson
• Other fees: registration, materials, deposit, and when they're charged
• Class days and times, and which ones are full
• Class size and teacher
• Trial lesson: available or not, price, and how to book
• Make-up, absence and withdrawal policy
• Term dates and holiday breaks

Then write it once in English and once in 中文. The fees and policies must say exactly the same thing in both. A parent who reads one price in English and a different one in Chinese will remember it.

This sheet is now your single source of truth. Whoever answers WhatsApp, whether that's you, a part-time admin, a teacher between classes or a chatbot, answers from it. When fees change, you change the sheet and everything else follows.

Step 2: Put the answers where parents look first

Many parents search before they message. Put the essentials on your website as text (not only a poster image), with a page or section per level, and keep your Google Business Profile hours and category current. Google says complete, accurate profiles are more likely to show up in local results, and that local ranking depends on relevance, distance and prominence, including reviews.

Not sure how your centre looks to Google, Google Maps and AI assistants? Furoki Marco runs a free audit in about two minutes and ranks what to fix first.

Step 3: Make the trial lesson the next step

For most centres, the goal of a first conversation isn't to close a full term. It's to get the child into a trial lesson. Make that the default next step for every new enquiry, and make it easy:

1. Answer the question the parent asked (fee, slot or teacher).
2. Offer two specific trial slots for that level: "We have Sat 10am or Wed 5pm for P5 Maths. Which works?"
3. Collect only what you need to book: the parent's name, the child's level and the slot.
4. Send a confirmation with the address and what to bring, and a reminder the day before.

Two specific options are easier to answer than "When are you free?", and a day-before reminder means fewer forgotten trials.

Step 4: Templates that sound like a person

Save these as WhatsApp quick replies (type "/" in a chat to use them; you can keep up to 50) and adapt them to your centre:

Fee enquiry (EN): Hi! For P5 Maths, classes are weekly, 2 hours, max 8 students. The fee is [fee] per month, plus a one-time [registration fee]. Would your child like to try a lesson first? We have [slot 1] or [slot 2].

Fee enquiry (中文): 您好！五年级数学每周一堂课，每堂两小时，每班最多8人。学费每月[学费]，另加一次性[注册费]。孩子想先试一堂课吗？我们有[时段1]或[时段2]。

Trial confirmation: Confirmed: [child's name] for P5 Maths trial on [day, time] with [teacher]. Address: [address], [nearest MRT]. Please bring a pencil case and recent school worksheets if you have them. See you!

Keep the brackets honest: if a fee depends on the stream or the number of subjects, say "from" and explain, rather than quoting one number that turns out to be wrong.

Step 5: Decide what always goes to a person

Some messages should never get an automated answer, however good the tool. Write the list down so everyone knows:

• Anything about a child's learning difficulties, wellbeing or special needs
• Complaints about a teacher or a class
• Fee disputes, refunds and withdrawals
• Anything you're not sure about

For these, the right automatic reply is a short acknowledgement and a promise of when a person will follow up.

Step 6: When the volume justifies it, an AI front desk

Quick replies still need someone to send them. If enquiries regularly pile up during lesson hours or after 9pm, an AI front desk can take the first reply. The rule from Step 1 still applies: it should answer only from your approved fees, timetable and policies, and pass everything on your Step 5 list to your team.

Furoki Concierge works this way. It answers parents in English and 中文 from your own price list, books trial lessons into real slots, sends confirmations and day-before reminders, and opens a handoff for your team when a chat needs a person. Website chat is live today, and WhatsApp on your own number is rolling out with our first pilot businesses. You can try the demo tuition centre and ask it the questions above.

A note on parents' data

Enquiries come with personal data: parents' names and numbers, children's names and levels. Collect only what you need to book and teach, and keep marketing separate. Under the PDPA's Do Not Call provisions, sending promotions (say, a holiday programme) to a Singapore number needs either a valid DNC Registry check, which is valid for 21 days, or the parent's clear and unambiguous consent, given through a positive action and recorded. A parent asking about P5 Maths hasn't agreed to receive your holiday camp promotions.

Frequently asked questions

What do parents usually ask a tuition centre first?

Fees, level and subject, class days and times, the teacher and class size, whether there is a trial lesson, location, and the make-up policy.

How can a tuition centre reply to WhatsApp enquiries faster?

Write every answer into one enquiry sheet in English and Chinese, reuse it in WhatsApp quick replies, on your website and Google profile, and offer two specific trial slots as the next step.

Should a chatbot answer questions about a child's learning needs?

No. Questions about learning difficulties, wellbeing, complaints and fee disputes should always go to a person. Automation should only answer from approved fees, timetables and policies.

Can a tuition centre send holiday programme promotions to parents who enquired?

Only within Singapore's Do Not Call rules: either a valid DNC Registry check within 21 days, or the parent's clear and unambiguous consent recorded for later reference.