Increasing Membership Acquisition with Conversational AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) as a business tool for health clubs has never been more practical. More specifically, the application of conversational AI to the sales process is allowing clubs to scale authentic communications with leads at an extraordinary rate.

What is conversational AI?

AI — technology designed to complete tasks that usually require human intelligence and human reasoning — has existed in various forms for decades, but until recently, has not been commercially viable. One form of commercially viable AI is conversational AI, which automates personalized customer and prospect communications. Conversational AI is designed to manage countless conversations at scale and is virtually indistinguishable from human-to-human interactions. AI in this form is a practical tool for any membership-based business and can translate into tangible ROI for health clubs looking to grow.

How is conversational AI implemented at health clubs?

Developed to work just like a human sales assistant, conversational AI uses responsive automation to cultivate lead interest, gather contact information and drive qualified leads to club sales teams. Furthermore, conversational AI allows health clubs to re-engage old or inactive leads at scale. Beyond lead management, health clubs can also use conversational AI to engage inactive members, recent cancellations and create upsell opportunities.

What are the main benefits of conversational AI for health clubs?

Implementing conversational AI into the sales process at a health club has many potential benefits, but the overarching benefit is undoubtedly time savings. Time is money, and conversational AI saves an unbelievable amount of time for sales teams.

Prospecting is the clearest area where virtual sales assistants provide undeniable value. For example, by identifying hot leads, virtual sales assistants allow membership sales team members to only have conversations with prospects who are actually interested. Automating the prospecting process, virtual sales assistants can generate context-sensitive personalized messages in real time so the conversations mirror normal human-to-human communications, and these virtual assistants continually optimize the messaging to achieve best results. This example of the prospecting process illustrates a turning point in the sales industry at large, where prospecting is automated and sales representatives are freed from cold calling unqualified leads.

The practicality of AI in the form of virtual sales assistants makes this proven technology a must-have for any health club. Membership acquisition is difficult to improve without more time, more staff and more money. Conversational AI for sales and marketing eliminates the hard work of contacting, engaging, nurturing and qualifying every lead. From lead management to member retention, conversational AI for health clubs is much more than a sales tool — it’s scaling automated, meaningful conversations.

Emily Zelko is the marketing strategy manager for Club Automation, the leading web-based club management platform. To learn more about how Club Automation is offering virtual sales assistants to health clubs, visit clubautomation.com/conversica.