Smart Groups help schools speed up the booking process by organising their list of casuals into tailored groups. This feature assists schools in grouping casuals together based on custom filters like role type, availability, or subjects taught – making it quicker and easier to find the right casual when sending a booking request.
Whether you’re managing a long casual list or simply want to streamline your booking workflow, Smart Groups offer a simple way to define priorities and remove the need to manually filter each time.
👋 New to ClassCover? Learn more about building your casual list here.
What Are Smart Groups?
Smart Groups are manual groups you create to help structure and prioritise your bookings. Each Smart Group includes two key lists:
Preferred List: The casuals you want to invite first.
Backup List: Additional casuals to contact if no one from the preferred list is available.
By setting up Smart Groups, you can streamline who receives your booking requests first and avoid manually selecting casuals each time you send a booking.
💡 Tip: You can create Smart Groups for specific subjects, year levels, role types, or even based on internal school preferences.
Benefits of Using Smart Groups
Smart Groups help you:
Save time by avoiding manual filtering every time you book
Prioritise who gets booking requests first
Ensure backup options are automatically contacted if your preferred casuals are unavailable
Organise your casual list in a way that suits your school’s needs (e.g. stage-based, subject-based, role-based)
💡 Tip: Smart Groups are especially useful if you manage a large casual list or have multiple school contacts handling bookings.
How to Create a Smart Group
On the Mobile App:
Tap the Teachers tab
Tap Smart Groups
Tap Create Smart Group
Enter a name and assign the staff to this group is for
(Optional) Add a description
Tap Create
On Desktop:
Go to Manage > Smart Groups from the left-hand menu
Click Create a Smart Group
In the pop-up window:
Enter a name for your group
Use the dropdown to select teachers to include
Can’t find someone? Click “Add them now” to manually input their details
Add a short description (optional)
Click Create
You can update or add teachers to this group at any time.
How to Add Casuals to Your Smart Group
After your group has been created, here’s how to add casuals to it:
On the Mobile App:
Go to the Teachers tab and tap Smart Groups
Find and tap the group you want to update
Tap Add Teachers
Select teachers by tapping the checkbox next to their names
Tap Add to save them to the group
On Desktop:
Go to Manage > My List
Use filters to find teachers based on subject, level, or availability
Tick the checkbox next to the teachers you want to include
Click + Add to, then choose the Smart Group
Choose whether to add them to the Preferred List or Backup List
Click Save
You can assign teachers to multiple Smart Groups and move them between lists as needed.
You can add casuals to multiple Smart Groups if needed, and move them between Preferred and Backup lists at any time.
Using Smart Groups When Booking
When creating a booking request (desktop or app):
Choose Smart Group as your booking audience.
Select the Smart Group you want to use.
Booking requests will be sent first to your Preferred List. If no one accepts, it will then go to your Backup List.
Create an Emergency List
If your booking goes unfilled by the casuals in your Smart Group, you can choose to send a booking request to an additional back up list which is called the Emergency List. This list includes everyone available on your list or can be refined to a specific group based on subject and year level.
Once enabled, the booking request will be automatically sent up to 30 minutes after the last invitation, including any selected entries from the Backup List. Learn more about using the Emergency List feature.
Need Help?
If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact our support team via Chat in the app or email us at support@classcover.com.au – we're always here to help!