Sport&Health has 22 locations across the U.S. To keep things running smoothly, a reliable club management software is paramount. Glenn Rappaport, the vice president of technology for Sport&Health, explained why CSI Software was the right company for the job.
CS: What made you want to partner with CSI and use their software?
GR: They build software for the fitness industry and have done so since they started. We wanted to partner with a company that has a strong foundation, both in the product and the people.
CS: How does CSI Software handle clubs who have multiple locations, such as yours?
GR: Having multiple locations creates challenges in managing business rules, bi-weekly commissions for hundreds of employees, member access and the ability to keep scheduling and programs location specific. Of course we also have similar requirements, and CSI gives us the flexibility to pick and choose where we align the clubs or create “one offs” for the club that needs some special rules.
CS: What are the benefits of using a software program that does bank-direct billing?
GR: Billing is the single-greatest opportunity for club chains to build an ROI for their software investment. Sport&Health outsourced billing for many years prior to rolling out CSI. In seven years we have never missed a billing and we have saved money each month we bill on our own. We have reduced our billing department because we have automated the updating of expired credit cards and also automated e-mails and letters for any member follow-up.
CS: How do you use Scheduler?
GR: Scheduler is the glue that holds together our member and service provider relationship. We have insight across the entire company as to what services members are taking, the frequency and ultimately, this is how we pay commissions. We even use scheduler to offer our employees the opportunity to schedule all of our resources using rules that limit when and how often the resource can be filled by employees.
At the club level, the directors have visibility into what the service provider’s activity is for the day, week, month, etc. and can look back into reporting. We also use scheduler for onboarding new members into our SmartStart program, which the sales consultants can schedule during the membership sign up process.
CS: How do you use Program Registration?
GR: This gets used a little differently each day. Actually, Program Registration requires advanced planning for facilities/resource management. This was a driving factor for us to use a formalized program process. On-site Program directors review Programs and the corporate office will update CSI to reflect the changes. The nice thing is that the changes can be scheduled so they are not available to membership until registration begins.
Another nice feature is the ability for members and guests to register online and receive confirmation so there is no need to come into the club. Pricing for non-members is handled as well as prorating. We continue to find new uses for Program Registration. For example, we had a one-day charity event and managed the registration process through the Programs module. From a back of the house perspective, the commissions are handled through the Programs module and rolled up on one report for our bi-weekly commissions.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
