CONTENT BROUGHT TO YOU BY: ASF Payment Solutions
Being efficient with your time and your members' time should be synonymous. By creating a more efficient scheduling system, you are meeting member expectations when it comes to helping them organize their busy lives. Here are three ideas about how this can affect your bottom line when it comes to member scheduling.
1. Don't lose money online. People do most of their business online these days. Eighty-six percent of Americans use the Internet. 72 percent of those people make purchases using a mobile device, which generates 68 percent of all web traffic. This includes purchasing and scheduling fitness classes or training sessions. Furthermore, club operators must realize that their clubs are not just competing with other clubs for member revenue, but rather with all online purchases a member or prospective member can make. Having a strong online scheduling system, including capabilities for member purchases through a robust gym mobile app, can make a positive difference with class sizes and training revenue.
2. Time is money. People generally know what they want and when they want it. Partly because of the Internet, people have developed shorter attention spans that translate into losing patience and moving on. These days, gym members expect immediate gratification when it comes to scheduling classes and training sessions. Having a quick and efficient online scheduling software for your instructors, trainers and members not only keeps your day on track, but it also keeps everyone on the same page. Mobile push notifications are also a major convenience for appointments and help to keep members and staff up to date. Fast online check-ins mean that a simple click saves valuable time with instructors and trainers -- time that can be better spent working with their members.
3. What are the future possibilities? Beacon technology is promising many future benefits for the fitness industry. What if club operators were able to track member usage patterns in the gym through their mobile devices and determine which equipment was being most utilized or under-utilized? Club owners would be able to make necessary adjustments to their future purchases, maintenance and selling strategies for trainer sessions. Other future enhancements with Beacon technology for health clubs may include a member journey experience: welcome and goodbye notifications when members enter and leave the facility, automatic emails and notifications triggered by beacons and other devices within the facility, progress and statistics reporting, and the ability for members to communicate with their own health team network through a closed chat. Don’t be surprised to see these possible advancements.
Let’s face it: When you are competing for your members' purchasing abilities, time is indeed money. It seems like the world is speeding up, and technology is setting the pace. Being responsive to your members requires being available anywhere, any place and any time when it comes to purchasing, scheduling or any other aspect of your business. Staying in front of your members with the right technology requires that you keep current with the latest gym software trends and advancements. Be sure to check in with a gym management software representative about more possibilities with an efficient scheduling software system that meets your members' expectations.
BIO
Stephen Wilson is the manager of marketing at ASF Payment Solutions. As a veteran of marketing communications, he has served as director of creative services at an advertising and public relations agency focusing on branding and strategic communications. Wilson has worked in a wide variety of industries and concentrated on health and wellness for a number of years. His work on national marketing and advertising campaigns has earned him accreditations and awards. ASF is the innovator in payment processing and gym management software including EFT, credit cards, point of sale and scheduling. Visit http://www.asfpaymentsolutions.com for more information on its products and services.