Fitness is a fad for some, but definitely not for health club managers, those who ensure the club is running optimally and all goers are satisfied. Personality and club ambiance are two necessities of a successful club, but how can managers facilitate better advocates, making for an improved ambiance for present and future goers?
The club is a physical place, but that doesn’t mean managers can’t use cyberspace and digital solutions to the club’s advantage. Consider the following benefits made available to managers.
Customer Management Systems
Depending on the size of each club and number of locations, it may be difficult to personalize service. It’s great to say ‘hello’ to each member and maintain a shiny disposition, but how can managers make goers feel more appreciated?
Customer management systems allow managers to keep personal information as well as notation. How many times does a member come to the club per week? How many years has someone been a member? Have they ever voiced complaints, concerns, or compliments? Has a member ever filled out a form relaying feedback?
These are all integral questions. Management systems complement anecdotal information, helping a manager keep better tab on sentiments and thoughts of goers. Consider implementing such systems in your club, minding the benefits of knowing more information about goers and their thoughts aligned with the club.
Scheduling
How many trainers work at the facility? Do they hold personal training and public classes? Are there any conflicts in scheduling trainers or rooms within the club? It can become difficult to keep track of momentum and availability, but management systems help with scheduling.
Having a graphic organization of what is taking place puts managers at an advantage. For example, are rooms within the club sitting abandoned throughout intervals? Could the club offer a type of class during those times? Perhaps a number of people attending class at night would also like the option of taking day classes. Is there a current trainer who can also offer other types of classes, making offered services more robust, further impressing and servicing club goers?
Consider augmenting your health club’s operations with scheduling software. Most health club software tools allow scheduling options, so managers may keep tabs on goers as well as optimize room and trainer availability.
Advocates
Club goers, in essence, are advocates of your club. They are potential salespeople. Do they have friends or family members who are also can be potential clients? Perhaps those who don’t currently attend need only a little nudge. Could a CMS be used to identify long-term members who may be leveraged to recruit for your business?
Consider using email or direct mail options, inviting current members to signup friends and family members, giving them a discount on their own memberships. What about a seasonal discount for new members? You can contact current members, alerting them of upcoming discounts, instructing them to spread the word to potential newcomers.
Software systems act as a 24-hour manager and sales advocate. It’s difficult for managers to sell, keep track of the intentions and feelings of goers, and maintain a great ambiance at the club. Software systems complement human interaction, ensuring clubs take full of advantage of opportunities at hand.
Jeremy S works at a busy fitness center full time where he is responsible for constant monitoring and updating the health club software. When he’s not working, he likes to share what he has learned by posting on Internet blog sites.
