Inefficiencies Behind The Scenes Could Stop Gyms Bouncing Back After Covid – Make Sure You Have Great Technology In The Gym And In The Back Office
If you are a gym operator or gym owner, these statements may sound all too familiar:
- You’re struggling to get the insights you need, when you need them as you are using multiple systems with multiple suppliers
- Setting up bespoke membership payments is manual and inflexible and reconciling and chasing payments is too time consuming
- Getting the help and support you need, when you need it is challenging – and frustrating!
If the answer is yes to any of the above then it may be time to switch to a new end-to-end gym management software solution – instead of a frankenstack, i.e. separate systems cobbled together.
Imagine a single platform that combines software, membership payments, member data (CRM), and access control – real-time logs of your space, classes, member patterns, automated unlocks, and scheduled door timers. It shouldn’t sound like science fiction, modern gym management software should allow you to run your gym from anywhere and free up your time to allow you to focus on your customers. You know what they say, the longer you spend working in the business, the less time you spend working on your business.
Every gym operator and indeed their team should have a single, up-to-date view of each member, what they like, when they like to work out, what classes they like. Access to this level of detail reduces the time it should take to do simple tasks and allows you to build deeper, longer-lasting relationships with your customers.
A single platform that integrates membership payments means you will see real-time payment status information for each member. This means no more searching on multiple systems, manual reconciliation processes or inaccuracies. Most importantly, chasing failed payments and second attempts for subscriptions are all taken care of for you. This means you can manage your cash flow and recoup lost revenue directly to your bottom line.
It also gives you much more control and flexibility in terms of offering competitive pricing and services for your customers, who may be harder to convince to come back to the gym now that lockdown is easing:
- Let your customers choose the day of the month their membership fees are collected, set-up discounts and promotions and accept one-off payments
- Free your team up from chasing payments and let your members self-serve and catch-up with payments online 24/7
- Free up your team from payment queries entirely but have rich customer data at their fingertips from anywhere
The end (we hope) of the pandemic is going to bring challenges and opportunities for gym operators. The challenges are clear – the whole nation has fallen in love with a home and outdoor exercising and whilst we used to select our gym based on where we work (51% according to a recent study by Resamania) the new normal in terms of flexible working means we may reassess where and when we choose to work out, which may be closer to home.
That’s a double-edged sword, as whilst that means gyms will need to provide solid reasons and added value to retain members, there will also be lots of new members looking for a new, convenient gym that fits into their new lifestyle.
Those gym operators that focus on their members and offer flexible pricing and contracts, online classes and PT sessions, have state-of-the-art equipment, will thrive and that means you don’t have time to get tied up with the admin.
