Are Financial Metrics the Only Metrics That Matter for Health Club Owners?

All too frequently, gym owners, operators and managers focus solely on the financial data membership management systems provide. One could argue there is plenty of non-financial data that can provide deep insight into the health of your business, addressing common challenges around revenue loss and yield management — both of which are critical performance indicators in a well-run operation.

Check-in Report

A check-in report is one of the most important reports health clubs can run. Your front desk team is not only your safety net in collecting payments, but is also the single point inside your four walls where your staff is engaging with your customers. A regular check-in report can provide access to information to help your front desk team be more impactful in member retention efforts, including member birthdays, unauthorized access attempts due to nonpayment, freezes, and expiring credit cards on file. Check-in reports are critical to better manage member relations and loss prevention, while also giving you insight into your staff/member engagements and front desk operations.

Top Spender Report

As with any business, health clubs need to understand who their most valuable customers are. A top spender report gives you the data needed to properly acknowledge these members, while also providing valuable insight into the products and services you might benefit from proactively marketing to your broader membership base. And it goes without saying it’s much more effective in the long run to keep your existing members, particularly those who contribute to non-dues revenue, than constantly working to capture new members.

Members Without Photos or Signatures on File

Do you know if the person checking into your facility is the one paying the monthly dues?  Are multiple people using the same key tag or other non-individualized check-in product? A report of members who do not have a photo on file can help prevent inappropriate use of memberships, which could ultimately be costing you potential revenue. 

Another area of potential loss is contracts without signatures. A report with this data is your silver bullet when fighting consumer chargebacks, and your protection against liability. This provides you an opportunity to alert members at check-in of forms that need signatures.

Appointment Detail Report

Are all of your class and trainer appointments recorded in your scheduling application or on an appointment sheet? Are your trainers being paid directly by your members? Are sessions being recorded even if the member cancels or no-shows? What are you using to manage loss in your personal training department? An appointment detail report of what should be occurring throughout the day can help your management team prevent loss and potential fraud.

As owners and operators, it is easy to focus solely on member joins and cancels in our daily business. While this is important, the reports listed above are other critical pieces of information that can help address member attrition and loss.

Ron Poliseno is the vice president of sales at Motionsoft. He can be reached at rpoliseno@motionsoft.net or visit www.Motionsoft.net.