A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, a man cannot live without love and Health Clubs simply cannot evolve without the right Club Management Software in place. But what is it that really matters when it comes to choosing the right one? In this post, I’ll state what I believe are the 7 necessary features to look for.
- Integrated Sales Landing Pages
Firstly, it’s good if the software provider has the option to create responsive landing pages which are mobile-friendly on all devices, particularly when it comes to signing new members up and taking them to a bespoke member area where they can purchase add ons.
For visual branding purposes and for customer trust it is better if such landing pages follow the rest of the website in terms of the imagery and aesthetics so the end-user never feels they have left the actual site, for SEO purposes it is also better if the URL web domain can be kept under the Health Club’s website.
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Whatever the case, typically, a Club Management System should have a well-established winning formula for converting members through its page layout and journey, so as a Health Club, you can rest assured it will be effective and you don’t have to spend the time trying to create your own, which may not be as successful.
- Flexible payments
As far as membership payments are concerned, Health Club’s should look for software that allows for a variety of different payment methods. Some members want to pay in cash, but typically the operator would prefer for members to pay either monthly or annually for cash flow purposes. What will come in handy though is the ability to take cash for ‘day pass’ memberships, or ‘month pass’ memberships, so having a system which allows for flexibility is key.
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The software should also be capable of saving credit card and debit card information securely so recurring payments can be made as this is often the most convenient option for members. Aside from membership payments, other items, such as supplements and Personal Training will often be paid for in cash, so it’s useful to have Club Management Software which links to the tills and can issue receipts seamlessly.
- Invoicing and payment tracking
A Club Management System should have all the tools needed to automate payment schedules, invoicing and billing in your facility to make life easier for your teams on Front Desk and those overseeing finances. It should also enable you to set prices for services, supplements and merchandise very quickly, in a scalable fashion. For large chains, they may often want to run nationwide promotions on supplements, so being able to do this at the click of the button is extremely useful.
Additionally, it should be very easy for Health Clubs to track member payment billing cycles, due dates, purchase and member history, alongside collections. The system should provide detailed reports on all revenue streams which will not only allow you to see how your business is performing but also enable you to make predictions based on historical data.
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For optimal performance, it is fundamental to get a system which offers comprehensive billing and reporting capabilities. As I touched on in the first point, if the provider can simplify the online sign-up process, then it should collect the data of who has joined and allow you to send out automated SMS and emails to members who have missed payments.
- Membership Management
Club Management System’s and member information go hand in hand. Any good system should be able to generate any report on anything that matters. Exceptional systems will know exactly what reports Health Clubs need so such reports will come ‘off the shelf’, but there should also be room for some flexibility if the Operator has an idea which is considered ‘outside the box’.
Being able to extract the data is one thing, but being able to do something meaningful with it is even better. A Club Management System should allow the Operator to use the data collected to bolster marketing campaigns, through having the ability to send cost-effective emails and SMS communications directly through the system.
Without memberships, gyms simply don’t exist. While it’s incredibly useful to have an optimised sign up page in order to attract new members, it’s even better if your Club Management System allows you to retain more members – offering an ‘online members area’ whereby members can update their payment information, freeze their membership, upgrade their membership and buy extra items is a major plus for enhancing user experience.
- Online Bookings and Payments
Alongside allowing members to buy products and services online, allowing members to book classes is a big bonus. Research has shown that Group Exercise plays a monumental role in maintaining motivation among members and therefore increases retention.
By allowing members to book classes at the touch of a button via a mobile app, it will not only make it easier for the member to confirm their attendance, but it will ultimately increase the likelihood of them showing up time and time again. Once new habits are formed, that’s when you begin to see member loyalty in full swing.
- Secure member access
If members are to manage and access their own payment information, it needs to be done in a secure environment. On top of that, having an access control system that works is also essential, I have previously written a post about the top 6 benefits of having a successful access control system, to summarise a well-organised system will; limit queues, speed up automated tasks, enable 24-hour opening access, provide stronger security via the use of biometric readings, reduce operational overheads, reduce the number of late payments and all in all increase member experience and thus retention.
For Access controls to be effective, the Club Management System must be seamlessly integrated with the hardware installed in-club such as the turnstiles or biometric readers, if the integration is not fully functioning, then it will lead to a lot of issues further down the line and will have the opposite effect.
- Reporting and analytics
Just like every other organisation, Health Clubs also require a solution that keeps everyone updated with what is currently happening, in real-time. A Club Management System which features a substantial array of reporting and analytic capabilities is a must-have. Whatever the report is that is required, the Club Management System should be able to generate a report in a swift manner, to save time in Data Analysts having to input data into excel sheets.
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At an absolute basic level, a Club Management System should be able to produce reports on; billing statements, class attendance, revenue per client, membership sales data and invoices. The more insight, the better it is for gyms when it comes to making those key decisions.
So there you are, 7 features that you MUST look out for when choosing the right Club Management System. Got any questions? Head over to this article here about how choosing the right system can ‘jazz up’ your member experience and if you’d still like to know more about how eFitness can improve your Health Club goals, then head to our home page and ‘request a demo’, today.