The beginning of the workweek can be difficult for everyone involved. Fortunately, as club owners, you are able to provide some refuge to the “hell” that is the start of the week. Although, many times, members forget that you too, have a start to the workweek.
In today’s business environment it’s nearly unfathomable to operate without the Internet. It provides us with so many tools, from ETF transmissions to interoffice e-mail.
So, what do you do when you come into your club and your Internet and phone lines are down?
We encountered a similar situation at the Club Solutions office this week.
Technology has reached the point of necessity in our lives. Do we need it to exercise? No, but we’ve reached a crucial point in society where members measure your club based on the amount of technological amenities it possesses.
What can you do to avoid malfunctions from technology?
Provided your entertainment system crashes — and that’s all — you could use your member e-mail list to make contact so everyone knows they will need their MP3 players for sure, that day.
Having systems crash can reflect poorly, depending on how you handle the situation. If you can, attempt to notify members to make their workouts as smooth as possible. If your computers crash, including check-in programs and credit card systems, you may have to use the old-school version of credit card scanning and taking down member info. If this does happen to your club, overly staff your front desk. Have someone in place to swipe credit cards and exchange cash, and someone to take down member information.
For a member, the worst part about technology malfunctions in the club arises when they don’t know before hand. If a member reaches a treadmill and the TV’s don’t work, and they don’t have their MP3 player, they will be discouraged. If they enter your club and there is a line that takes longer than a minute or two, they will be discouraged. The worst part about lines in the front of your club is it makes it easier for members to quickly walk back out the door.
What have you done recently to avoid the inconvenience of malfunctioning technology in your club?
Tyler Montgomery is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com
