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#EXECUTIVE COACHING

8 Online Coaching Platforms To Transform Your Coaching Career

BY
Andrew Langat
October 8, 2024
Woman explains online coaching platforms to grow your coaching career.
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In a world that is increasingly becoming digital-first, online coaching platforms have become powerful tools that are changing the way services in the coaching industry are delivered and consumed.

Whether you're an accomplished executive coach aiming to expand your reach in the coaching industry, a business seeking to develop employees, or an individual pursuing your own personal or professional growth, they offer a flexible and convenient solution to meet your needs.

These platforms bridge the gap between coaches and clients worldwide, and the features provided facilitate a smooth coaching process.

As more clients demand better flexibility from their coaching solutions, such systems have stepped up to respond with various options intended to assist everyone. Some platforms even allow pros to create their own coaching app.

Modern platforms go far beyond simple client management systems, offering everything from advanced goal-tracking tools to customizable content delivery and even business management tools to optimize coaching processes. If you are building your own business, using one of these tools can give you the edge you need, while helping you craft payment plans and landing pages for your business.

This article investigates the best online coaching platforms available today and provides details of their offerings, key features, and potential benefits. To find the best online coaching platform for you, start here – but also consider asking other coaches in your network what they use.

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Key Takeaways

  • Online coaching platforms offer comprehensive tools to streamline the coaching experience, expand your reach, and provide client management, goal-tracking, and content delivery.
  • These platforms let you scale easily, adapting to your growth whether you're an individual coach or part of a large organization.
  • You can boost client engagement with features like video conferencing, habit tracking, and personalized progress reports, leading to better outcomes.
  • You reduce overhead costs by using an online platform, making professional coaching more accessible and affordable.

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8 Top Coaching Platforms for Career Transformation

1. Teachable

Key Features:

  • Mobile app with a user-friendly interface
  • Drag and drop course builder
  • Drip content capability
  • Secure payment processing

Teachable is a comprehensive online platform designed for educators, coaches, and other entrepreneurs to create and market online courses.

The platform is great for creating an online course because it allows users to build fully customized courses without needing advanced technical skills.

Within Teachable, course creators can seamlessly upload videos, design interactive quizzes, and organize their content into structured modules to help them deliver a high-quality online course aimed at engaging and educating.

The strong customization options in Teachable empower users to brand their course websites with personalized logos, colors, and even custom domains, ensuring every course projects the identity of its creator and credibly sustains a professional, coherent online presence.

For an online coaching business, Teachable also supports monetization. It supports various pricing models, such as one-time, subscription-based, and even payment plans. This capability frees the coaching business to sell content however they want.

Another key strength of Teachable is client management. The platform has features for tracking client progress, managing interactions via discussion forums and comments, and providing personalized feedback. This will not only keep clients highly engaged but also help the maker create support tailored to each learner.

The analytics and reporting features help creators understand how their courses are performing and identify areas for improvement. This benefits beginners and established businesses looking to expand their audience. The scalability of the platform, combined with the metrics, makes it useful for everyone.

2. Kajabi

Key Features:

  • All-in-one content creation platform
  • The platform can be used for one-on-one coaching or group coaching
  • Built-in marketing features to help market coaching programs
  • Seamless payment processing through the mobile app

Kajabi is designed to help entrepreneurs, coaches, and content creators build, market, and sell online courses, coaching programs, and other digital products.

For coaches looking to move their coaching practice online, Kajabi offers a wide array of tools, from website creation to marketing automation, within just one platform.

Under the Kajabi umbrella, coaches can prepare and launch a professional site with customizable templates, drag-and-drop power, and the option to host content directly on the site.

They can also integrate critical tools like a client portal, landing pages, or Zoom integration capability.

Kajabi is among the best online coaching platforms because of its rich content-creation abilities. Coaches can design and structure online coaching programs containing various elements, such as video, audio, or quizzes.

On the marketing and sales side, Kajabi allows users to create automated email sequences or sales funnel designs that will move prospects from interest to purchase. These tools can significantly boost profits by nurturing leads and turning them into paying customers.

Analytics and tracking are a key differentiating factor that sets Kajabi apart from its rivals. The platform bundles in the latest analytics and reporting features that allow coaches to perform seamless client management.

For instance, a coach can track the progress of a coaching program, understand customer behavior, and ultimately adjust their marketing efforts in line with real-time insights.

Another outstanding feature of Kajabi is its scalability. Whether you are starting with a few courses or running a full-fledged online business with several products and unlimited clients, whatever the size of your coaching program, Kajabi grows with you.

3. Thinkific

Key Features:

  • Drag and drop course builder for creating online courses
  • Multimedia support for videos, .pdfs, audio, and images
  • Drip content capability that can allow a coaching program to be rolled out slowly
  • Course analytics trackers to gauge the performance of digital coaching

Thinkific is the best place for online entrepreneurs who want to deliver educational content, build a learning community, sell courses, and generate an independent online business focused on teaching and learning.

With its powerful customization options and robust tools, it can help professionals build a profitable and online course with ease, making it appropriate for both beginners and advanced users.

Thinkific can help users build sessions without technical skills. This is because it supports various content types, such as video, audio, text, quizzes, and downloadable resources.

Alongside multimedia integration, there are various themes and templates that coaches can use to create landing pages that suit their brand identity.

Thinkific excels at client management, too. The platform does this through key features that allow users to make online coaching programs interactive environments for students.

These features include discussion forums, communities, and live lessons. All this will enhance a student's feeling of connection to online community engagement, leading to better learning outcomes.

4. Coach.me

Key Features:

  • Best coaching platform for goal-setting and habit-tracking
  • Prebuilt starter templates
  • A free version exists with basic features

Coach.me is unique among online platforms and mobile apps as it was built to help users achieve goals and track habits with a coach or community.

It has matured into a full-fledged coaching platform where users can seek assistance on building better habits, hitting personal and professional goals, and maintaining well-being.

To build a business on the platform, a coach must believe that small, sustained improvements add up to massive, long-term results.

This philosophy is bolstered by features such as habit trackers, goal-setting tools, and even professional coaching tools. It is also fully customizable for anyone wanting to transform their life with structured guidance and accountability.

Other than self-tracking, Coach.me offers access to a network of professional coaches who can help with productivity, fitness, mindfulness, and career development.

This allows users to hire coaches in exchange for an extremely personalized set of guidelines, accountability, and support in pursuing goals. Sessions are mostly direct messages within the application itself, so they're convenient and accessible.

For more details, users can access coaching calls for one-on-one sessions with an online coach through the mobile app.

5. BetterUp

Key Features:

  • A global network of over 2000 coaches
  • Science-backed approach
  • Development tools that support learning and development
  • Right online coaching platform to grow your coaching business

BetterUp is a leading professional coaching platform where personal and career growth is fostered through evidence-based coaching, counseling, and mental health support.

Launched in 2013, BetterUp's mission is to help people achieve well-being, professional leadership, and overall performance, whether in personal or professional life. It leverages person-centered coaching and cutting-edge technology to deliver an all-in-one model for personal growth and development.

Built on the premise that personal and professional success are irrevocably linked, BetterUp delivers various services to improve leadership, mental fitness, and life satisfaction.

It is particularly popular with businesses and organizations looking to offer professional development opportunities to employees through group coaching; however, it is also available to anyone seeking personal growth.

Users are matched with a certified coach on the coaching platform, specifically picked per the user's goals, personality, and industry.

The coaches are trained to help develop key skills of leadership, resilience, emotional intelligence, and communication. Coaching sessions normally take place via video calls.

BetterUp is among the best of the bunch and to join as a professional coach, you'll need to undergo a rigorous application and vetting process. Here are the general steps involved:

  1. Submit an application
  2. Screening and interview
  3. Assessment
  4. Background check
  5. Training and certification

6. MyCoachBox

Key Features:

  • Extensive client management features
  • Scalability for extending reach and building revenue
  • Meal and workout planning

MyCoachBox is an online coaching management platform that helps coaches and educators organize and efficiently run their businesses.

The tools enable organizers to simplify administration, manage their clients more effectively, and deliver coaching programs with ease.

This is especially helpful for coaches who want to focus more on offering real value to clients and less on the day-to-day operational tasks involved in running a coaching business.

Coaches often want a single, one-stop-shop platform where all coaching activities are managed. The user will find the platform user-friendly and ergonomically designed, with features that make managing clients, sessions, and content easy.

This is the best solution for individual coaches or small coaching businesses that want to professionalize their operations and scale up services.

To achieve this, MyCoachBox's core feature is a client management system. This coaching software easily manages all client information, progress, and communication.

This simplicity opens up new possibilities in the coaching industry.

For instance,  a coach could build complex coaching client profiles, store session notes, and set reminders for follow-up meetings – nothing falls through the cracks here. This centralized approach will help coaches to maintain a high level of service and closer ties with clients.

7. Coaching Loft

Key Features:

  • Accountability tracking tools
  • Customized dashboards
  • Advanced administrative tools
  • Habit-tracking tools

Coaching Loft is a powerful and adaptable tool helpful in streamlining the operation of coaches and coaching businesses to better cater to the needs of their clients and deliver high-impact coaching.

Coaching Loft consists of an all-inclusive administrative toolkit that covers everything, including session scheduling and client follow-up, progress tracking, content delivery, and even billing.

Most importantly, Coaching Loft is designed for any coach who wants to make their practice thrive with both structural and flexible systems in place. These capabilities help the coaching business run smoothly.

8. Nudge Coach

Key Features:

  • Easy management for multiple clients and group coaching
  • Mobile app for coaching on the go
  • Easy document management

Nudge Coach is a comprehensive coaching management platform supporting coaches, coaching organizations, and corporate coaching programs.

The platform has many tools and features designed to support enhanced coaching experiences, high levels of client engagement, and task automation. The Nudge Coach app especially serves organizations looking to implement or manage coaching initiatives at scale and as well as individual coaches seeking to professionalize their practice.

Nudge Coach offers features to help coaches provide high-quality, individualized coaching experiences, as well as deliver high-impact coaching packages at scale.

It will be very useful for those focusing on health, wellness, or fitness coaching and who want to conduct lifestyle changes.

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More About Online Coaching Platforms

Now that we have listed the best places to create an online course platform, it is time to explore online coaching platforms more. Having a deeper understanding about platforms generally will help you best use them when coaching clients (if you are a coach), and help you get the most out of a coaching journey (if you are a client).

An online coaching platform is any digital tool or software used to facilitate the delivery of coaching services over the internet.

Professionals can communicate with coaching clients directly on their website or through third-party tools. Some platforms offer hybrid integration of communication tools through applications such as Zoom integration.

Platforms provide a single location for content and communication, accessed by simply logging on. Coaches and clients can communicate, track their progress, manage their coaching sessions, and access resources from one virtual space. They cut across many coaching fields, including life, business, health, and wellness coaching, among others.

Basically, an online coaching platform is a solution that deploys technology to increase the effectiveness and reach of coaching services for both the coach and their clients, making it easier to realize desired outcomes. It's more than just "digital coaching," it's a fully immersive experience.

Purpose of Online Coaching Platforms

Online coaching platforms have recently gained immense popularity due to their accessibility, elastic features, and personal touch.

These platforms serve the coaching community in several ways:

Providing Convenience

Online coaching platforms make coaching convenient for coaches and clients by bridging the location gap. Clients can easily fit it into their schedule, choosing the times that best work for them, even accommodating tight schedules.

Facilitating Individualized Coaching Experiences

Online coaches can offer a level of intensification that is individualized to the user's needs and goals, matching any coaching session in virtually any other format, in-person or otherwise. Ongoing check-ins and virtual meetings make it easy to stay in touch and monitor progress.

Being More Cost-Effective

Compare any online coaching session to in-person coaching and the cost differences become immediately clear.

In online coaching or group sessions, costs are minimized compared to coaches in brick-and-mortar settings.

To this end, the client will be able to pay less in terms of fees, making coaching more affordable to a broader section of society.

Providing Additional Resources Outside the Typical Coaching Package

Other resources that these platforms often provide include workout videos, nutrition guides, and community forums. Coaches may also be connected to other professionals or clients through group sessions, and this approach can offer more support.

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Benefits of Using an Online Coaching Platform for Your Coaching Business

Well-designed coaching platforms can greatly increase the reach of a coaching business or coaching practice to new clients beyond local clients.

Here's how:

Online coaching platforms allow for personalization.

A good platform will allow you to design your coaching program with personalization in mind. This includes personalization of your own brand, too. And with this approach, a coaching business can make sessions more efficient, for example, providing easy access to your coaching agreements, personalized digital downloads, and overall, they can help a coaching business smoothly run. Coaching packages can match the coach's style and the client's needs.

An online coaching platform is more accessible.

Aside from personalization, many online coaching platforms are great for accessibility and convenience. A brief glance at any online coaching platform will reveal features that offer great ease of access. Clients can review coaching agreements or access digital downloads from anywhere.

This makes it easier for both coaches and clients to connect, synchronize schedules, track client progress, and consistently attend coaching sessions from anywhere in the world.

Online coaching platforms have great tools and features.

Features like video conferencing, which have become indispensable to modern coaching programs. Video calls also enhance group coaching sessions as they allow coaches to communicate simultaneously with multiple clients.

An online coaching platform can be scaled infinitely.

For coaches looking to grow their coaching business, online coaching platforms are the perfect choice. No matter how many clients you are looking to reach, you can create programs they can access at any time, and use this to attract potential clients as well. The best online coaching platforms are infinitely scalable and could theoretically support unlimited clients.

Online coaching platforms are more cost-effective.

Online coaches don't have to cover overhead costs such as rent or commuting costs, and this often translates to better value for money. By leveraging these advantages, online coaches typically deliver better value for money.

An online coaching business can deliver a better user experience.

One of the best parts of any online coaching business is its capability to deliver a superior user experience. A well-designed online platform means that both the coach and client can navigate the platform without technical difficulties.

Built-in tools can improve the overall coaching package in addition to navigation. For example, coaches can develop online courses and share resources with their clients, which will lead to better satisfaction and success.

However, with all this functionality, there is a danger if client data is not stored well. An online coaching platform should have strong data protection measures to ensure that client data is protected. From your coaching agreement to whatever you use to co-manage clients, you need to make sure data is secure. Many have partnered with leading data security firms to secure data.

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Key Features

Client Management Systems

These are critical for effective organization and management of client relationships.

They are one of the main reasons to invest in an online coaching platform because they streamline administrative tasks, allow for a personal touch, and scale a coach's practice.

All this makes them one of the most critical tools any practicing coach would want in their arsenal for rendering quality, efficient, effective coaching services.

At the heart of every system are detailed client profiles. In other words, every client has a personal profile where their personal information, coaching agreement, session history, progress notes, and other documents related to that particular client are kept.

Coaches can further customize these profiles to include fields especially relevant to their coaching practice, like certain health metrics, career milestones, or even personal likes and dislikes.

Scheduling and Calendar Integration

Scheduling and calendar integration are core features as well. These features are  designed to make managing appointments easy and keep coaches and clients organized.

They allow coaches to distance themselves from logistical details connected with coaching sessions and focus on the client, not the paperwork.

At the epicenter of scheduling and calendar integration is the opportunity for clients to directly book a session through the platform.

The coach simply designates availability within the system and the client picks available time slots that best fit their schedule.

This gives them a sort of self-service approach, saving time for both parties and keeping them from having to go through the normal back-and-forth communication in securing an appointment.

Once a session is booked, it automatically synchronizes with the coach's calendar, which usually integrates with popular calendar systems like Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar.

This way, the coach's schedule is always up-to-date and can be viewed from any device. The same applies to clients who want to update their sessions within their personal calendars to stay organized and on top of all commitments.

Communication Capabilities

Communication capabilities are crucial. These tools allow for effective and continuous interaction between coaches and clients.

These features are meant to foster effective communication, increase engagement, and keep both parties connected throughout the coaching process.

Progress Tracking Features

Progress tracking features are also essential. They help both coaches and clients to keep track of how far a client has progressed toward his/her goals effectively.

Customizable goal-setting tools allow coaches and clients to define specific measurable objectives and break them down into manageable milestones.

To make things easier, a coach can use progress bars, charts, and dashboards to give a clear view of how much is accomplished at one glance, keeping clients motivated and focused.

Tracking milestones and assignments enables a coach to create certain tasks due by a specific date and set automatic reminders so the client never falls behind.

Sessions and activity logs record all coaching interactions and activities of clients, enabling the coach to gain insights into how the client is engaging with them and, if appropriate, modify his approach.

Coaches give insights about performance related to particular goals, while clients can reflect on progress in a manner that deepens their development.

Automated and customized progress reports indicate achievements and areas of improvement, hence keeping the client highly motivated. Real-time flexibility to modify goals allows for adjustments.

Other important aspects are comparative analysis tools and rewards with celebrations. These build motivation and a sense of accomplishment.

The bottom line is that such progress-tracking features provide a structured, individualized, and motivating coaching experience that holds the client accountable and focuses on results.

Billing and Payment Processing Features

Billing and payment processing are key features of an online coaching platform, designed to automate the financial aspects of coaching.

These features make it easier for coaches to manage payments and for clients to handle transactions safely and conveniently.

Features commonly provided include auto-invoicing based on the rate of services delivered, the number of sessions, or any other purchased additional resources.

Coaches can then customize these invoices with their branding, payment terms, and detailed breakdown of charges, giving clarity and professionalism to financial communication.

More advanced features allow clients to pay invoices directly with various methods, such as credit cards, PayPal, or bank transfers, making payment processing seamless.

This clears the path for receiving payments and reduces a lot of manual follow-up. Most of these platforms allow recurring payments, which work well for any kind of ongoing coaching program since it means clients can set up a schedule of payments automatically.

Furthermore, many billing features include tracking of payments so coaches know how many invoices are paid, pending, or overdue.

This information is needed to maintain financial order and to determine the amount of money a coaching business is generating.

A few additional financial reporting tools can furnish an overview of coach earnings, payment trends, and client payment history – very significant factors for budgeting and financial planning.

In these systems, security comes first. Every transaction is encrypted and follows all the industry standards PCI DSS sets to ensure the secure handling of all payment information. This level of protection helps build trust with clients by ensuring their financial information is well protected.

The features for billing and payment processing reduce administrative tasks, increase financial transparency, and provide smoothness and security in the payment process for both coach and client.

These tools will help ensure that the financial aspect of the coaching relationship is being handled efficiently, allowing coaches to focus on delivering value to clients.

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AUTHOR
Andrew Langat
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Andrew Langat is an experienced content specialist in Leadership, Productivity, Education, Fintech, and Research. He is an avid reader and loves swimming as a hobby. He believes that quality content should be actionable and helpful.