Humans Versus Technology

There’s more competition than ever for your members and prospects’ time, attention and money. How do you rise above the noise? There’s a lot of buzz about new technologies in the health club industry to help you do just that. You hear terms like lead management systems and marketing automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning and wonder how it relates to you as a health club operator.

One technology that should be on your radar in the face of an increasingly competitive club environment is AI.

AI is the way of the future, and the future is here. A study by Gartner predicts that by 2020, 85 percent of customer interaction will be through AI.

Does this mean computers are replacing the need for human interaction? No way. Implementing AI allows you to step back and ask yourself, “What do we really want our staff to be doing?” So often we have team members managing leads, setting up member communications and doing manual work in the back office. AI allows you to free up staff from doing these kinds of tasks so they can be on the floor, setting up appointments and spending more time with the members in your facility, providing exceptional experiences.

Today’s consumers expect award-winning experiences whenever they connect. They don’t care if it’s human or digital. Health clubs are left trying to scale exceptional experiences relying solely on human capital. AI gives you the best of both worlds, maintaining that personal connection with the member while being able to automate processes to increase engagement for club members.

Every aspect of the customer journey can be customized, enhanced and personalized thanks to AI. Think about your Netflix account; it gives you recommendations based on what you have watched and what people like you have watched — that’s AI in practice. You can provide that same level of service to your club members, all while reducing costs and boosting efficiency through task automation.

The added bonus? You’ll see returns on your investment with happier members and increased program participation from providing more targeted services to your members.

How are you going to compete in a market that is becoming increasingly competitive? Great clubs understand the need for implementing new technologies that allow you to scale authentic, personalized communications while maintaining a high level of quality customer service.

Emily Zelko is the director of marketing for Club Automation, the leading web-based club management platform. For more information visit clubautomation.com.