Gyms have become a popular target for professional thieves. When it comes to increasing club security, property theft isn’t the only concern. Without proper measures, clubs are vulnerable to a number of challenges, such as membership sharing, unsecured daycare areas, or theft and vandalism in the locker room.
To help boost security within your facility, here are some important steps to take:
- Control access.
The first step in creating a safer, more secure club environment should be to control who gains access to your facility. Operators can begin by evaluating entry-ways, interior and exterior doors. Are your daycare and VIP locker areas secure? Is membership sharing a challenge for your facility? With integrated access control hardware, you can gain control of any door using your club management software. And for additional levels of security, there are biometric verification solutions that ensure only paying members have access.
- Improve check-in procedures.
Many clubs struggle to enforce check-in procedures. Some kind of physical barrier, like a turnstile or gate, is of course the best way to successfully require check-in. However, if turnstiles aren’t an option, either because they don’t fit your facility design or because they don’t correspond to your business philosophy, one unique solution is a Near-Field-Communication (NFC) club management platform.
For example when a club invests in NFC-based solutions for check-in and locker locks it unleashes the possibility to require a member to check-in before they’re able to use a locker. This system configuration is an effective strategy to encourage member check-in without necessitating turnstiles.
- Enhance locker room security.
As the owner or operator of a club, it’s important to recognize that locker rooms pose a serious source of liability and theft. Alarmed locking systems for lockers can deliver an acoustic alarm in the locker room or a notification at the front desk PC. After installing an alarmed system, operators can display signs that lockers are alarmed. Signs can serve as an effective first-line deterrent and provide members with a feeling of security and wellbeing.
- Have a cashless club environment.
Cashless payment is the way of the future. Not only can members more conveniently make purchases with their membership-Ids, a cashless club environment offers the following security benefits:
- Reduced risk of money handling mistakes
- Electronic records of every transaction
- Eliminated opportunities for theft with credit cards and cash safely stored in the locker room.
For additional security, biometric POS systems can require members to present both a membership-Id and fingerprint. This dual-form of verification successfully ensures that only the owner of the membership-Id can make purchases, no one else.
- Identify members for group classes and activities.
Within the fitness industry, it’s no secret that the practice of charging additional fees for group classes and activities is growing in popularity. But how do you ensure that only paying members attend? And how can you be certain that trainers honestly report class participation? There are a number of emerging mobile identification apps, suitable for NFC-compatible smartphones and tablets, offering the ability to check-in and display member information, when and where you need it. As the world becomes increasingly mobile, it’s important that your club management system goes with you.
By taking these crucial steps, you can solve the majority of security challenges in your club, provide an enhanced member experience, and ultimately increase your bottom-line.
Gerhard Pichler is the business development manager of GANTNER Technologies. Contact him for more information at 844.703.1139 or gerhard.pichler@gantner.com
