n last month’s column, I presented the first rule for evaluating your technology strategy: “Computing is Free; Usability is Key”. Of course, computing is not quite “free” but, relative to the gains to be had, it is pretty close. The important thing to note is that the real cost-benefit analysis does not hinge on up-front costs but rather on the usability of any system that you buy. Now let’s turn to a related rule:
Rule #2: People Make Technology Successful
Good technology will make the people who use it far more powerful in their work. Consider a club manager who resolves to contact members more often and to implement a more compelling suite of training services. Any attempt to meet this goal by manually sending out letters and adding training hours will quickly use up all of the manager’s available time or will force him to hire additional staff. A full-featured club management system will offer tools that make it possible to reach more members with better services in less time than any non-technological alternative.
Working with clubs in the real world, however, I am often disappointed to see that purchasing technology often becomes a substitute for taking action! The belief seems to be that the purchase of the technology alone somehow achieves the original goal. Rule #2 simply reminds us that this is not nearly the case. No matter how powerful the technology, it is useless unless harnessed to a vision and a plan of action!
Rule #3: Leverage Appropriate Technologies
In the first article of this series I discussed how early proponents of the World Wide Web confidently predicted that Windows (local) computing would soon be obsolete. This did not happen, in large measure, because Web technologies are less effective in solving some technological challenges than local computing (I discovered this, by the way, after spending 18 months building a pure Web management solution). Both technologies have their strengths so the most important step in leveraging appropriate technologies is to clarify your actual technical needs and goals.
Here are a few rules of thumb:
The Web is ideal for getting information out to, or collecting information from your members. This is particularly important for facilities with many members. It is safe to say that you must have a Website. The question is more one of how much interactivity you wish to put on your site.
Candidates for implementation on an interactive Website are: exercise, activity or measurement logging; facility calendars; health risk questionnaires; and online membership tracking. Less likely are things such as fitness assessment, personal scheduling, check-in, accounting (especially analytics), or any other processes requiring high security. All these things can be done on the Web, they just suffer more from the limitations of the Web and gain less from its advantages.
Windows software is generally far better for performing detailed analytical work (attendance breakdowns, financial reports) than the Web; it is faster and far more interactive since it doesn’t have the lag time associated with loading a Web page. You will typically find that Windows software offers a much richer set of reports and that these reports will be of much higher quality. If you will be providing reports to your members (e.g. fitness assessment results) then Windows software will usually be best.
Web technologies are by no means the only way to handle the needs of multiple clubs! Don’t forget that the Internet is not the same thing as the World Wide Web. The Internet is a network that not only supports connections between your computer and Web servers (to load Web pages) but can also support connections between computers serving data or other services. Built correctly, a “client-server” or “multi-tier” Windows application or suite can effectively serve multiple facilities by using the Internet to reach a common server.
If you approach your technology investments with a clear idea of the problems you need solved and a willingness to learn, and use your technology effectively then you’re a good candidate for automation. If you demand software that meets high standards for ease of use and a suite of products that can be tailored to your specific needs – whether Web, Windows or mixed – then you should be able to find and deploy a system that simultaneously improves member service and enhances your bottom line!
Dr. Mark Brittingham is the President of BSDI. He can be contacted at 888.BSDI.FIT, or by email at Info@BSDI.cc, or visthttp://BSDI.cc.
