Before you start the coaching journey with a client, it is advisable to create a Coaching Engagement. An "engagement" refers to a coaching program that you will be entering into or have entered into with a client (business coaching, lifestyle coaching, etc.).

The coaching program that your client has signed up to could be from one of your programs that you have created using the "Programs" feature of CoachVantage. 

Alternatively, an engagement can also be an ad hoc coaching program that you've created on the fly, using the "Create New Engagement" button (refer to image below). 

In this article, we will describe how to set up an ad hoc coaching program using the "Create New Engagement" feature. 

  1. Click on the Engagements link on the Client’s page.
  2. Click on Create New Engagement or
  3. Click the big "+" button in the middle. Either way, both buttons will bring up the Create New Coaching Engagement pop-up window (see image below).
  4. The Search bar will come in handy if you have several engagements with the same client. Engagements can be searched by program name or coach’s name, which is useful if you manage a team of coaches.

Clicking on Create New Coaching Engagement will open a pop-up window (as shown above), to enter all required information for the coaching program that you can create on the fly.

  1. Enter the Program Name, such as Life Coaching, Career Coaching etc. The Program Name is a mandatory field.
  2. Enter the Start Date, by clicking in the entry field which will display a date picker. You may leave the Start Date blank and it will be created as "TBD" (to be determined). You can edit the start date later, once you have confirmed the start date with your client.
  3. Enter the End Date. You may leave the End Date blank and it will be created as "TBD" (to be determined). You can edit the end date later, once you have confirmed the end date with your client.
  4. Enter the number of coaching sessions in the How many coaching sessions? field. This is a mandatory field.
  5. If you wish to log your coaching hours automatically for this program, select the Log coaching time for this engagement automatically in my Coaching Log. 
    TIP: It is a good idea to track your coaching hours so you can easily download them if needed for documentation. CoachVantage will automatically log completed session time in the "Coaching Log" table.
  6. Check This is a pro bono coaching engagement if you are not charging for this coaching engagement. Your hours will still be tracked in the coaching log as pro bono hours.
  7. If you would like to notify your client that the coaching program has been created, check Send email notification to client checkbox. Your client will receive an email notification to let them know that the coaching program has been created. (NOTE: The email will be sent only if client has an active portal.)

After completing the above details, click the ADD button on the bottom of the Create New Coaching Engagement window. The program information will be saved and will be displayed in the Engagements pane.

See the image below which illustrates that 3 coaching programs have been created for this client - Business Coaching, Career Coaching and Lifestyle Coaching.