At least 45% of millennials work out on a regular basis, according to a Nielsen Global Consumer Exercise Trends Survey. If you own or manage a gym, you may be looking for ways to use software to manage a gym to tap into that market. Health club management software can be used to improve communications with the people who use your facility and grow your bottom line. They key to this is finding the right health club software system. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
- Find a system that can automate as many tasks as possible. In order to make the most of any software to manage a gym, you need to be able to use it to automate as much as you can. Before you start looking at the different software packages you can get, sit down and look at what tasks you will want to automate. If you are not sure what tasks can and cannot be automated, you can take some time talking to software experts. Keep in mind that automation really is your friend and the more you can use this, the more time you will have for the fun parts of running a gym.
- Do not scrimp on your research. When it comes to some decisions on software, there is only one good answer. That cannot be said of software packages that will help you manage your gym. Any time you spend looking into what you need and what your options are is time very well spent. You may want to start by talking to other gym owners you know, gathering feedback from your customers, and have a sit down with your staff. They may have ideas about what you need to do with the software package you buy. It also makes sense to look at reviews of the packages that are available. It is important to remember that people are more likely to complain that leave compliments but you can get some really good information about the different packages out there.
- Make sure mobile is included. If you are looking at software to manage a gym that does not have an option to adapt the system to be used on mobile devices, you should keep looking. More people access the internet via a mobile device than any other tool. Moreover, people today are never far from their phone. If you get a software package that does not take advantage of this, you will regret it.
- Do not feel the need to enter into a long term contract. It is in the best interest of a company that peddles software to manage a gym to get you into a long term relationship with them. That does not mean you should do that. For most gym software packages, the set up is inexpensive and fast for both you and the company that provides it. Any software company that has a good product that they really believe in will not require you to sign a long term contract. If they are good at what they do and offer decent customer service, you will want to stay with them.
- Pay attention to the charges to add users. Some companies offer a lower up-front cost but then make it up by charging for adding new users. This may not seem like a big deal but as your business grows and you add trainers to your roster, you may want to add more people to your system. Make sure the package you select lets you do that without making your cost go way up.
- Find a system your people can use. They say that beauty is in the “eye of the beholder.” The same can be said of the term “user-friendly.” Talk to the people who supply the software to manage a gym about training your staff. No software package is worth much if no one can learn how to use it.
If you are looking to grow your gym business and increase your profit margin, the right software to manage a gym can move you in the right direction. These six tips can help with that.