Having a smooth payment processing and software solution makes life as a club operator much easier, and ASF Payment Solutions, a leading software company in the fitness industry, takes the hassle out of daily club operation.
Here, Shayne Michaelis, the president of Urge Fitness, shares how ASF has been an important part of his brand’s growth:
How were you introduced to ASF and why did you decide to partner with them?
SM: I don’t know the exact year, but I was at a Thomas Plummer convention, and ASF was there as one of the preferred vendors. I’d worked for other clubs for many years, and I was actually opening up my first club on my own at the time: the Urge Fitness brand. I met with Jason Abucejo, we got to talking, and they seemed to be the right fit for me.
What do your staff and you love most about ASF?
SM: I enjoy the more personalized attention. We are not a franchise, so we have a lot of different ideas, which makes us different than your typical franchise facility. They were able to work with us to design our own concept for our needs.
The other thing I like about ASF is their pay structure. Their billing structure is better — there aren’t all these fees on top of fees. It’s just a simple percentage, and all the software and everything is always there for you.
How has ASF benefitted your club and your members?
SM: Their software is really what’s benefitting us on a club level. The ease of contact entry is great. A very simple search function, being able to scan through members, view notes on accounts, and general reporting through their software have really benefited us on the club level.
One of the things we utilize is their Scheduler app. That is the all-in-one software we use — we do a lot of small group, large group and personal training, and group exercise classes. All of that is managed through Scheduler. It communicates with their app and we book classes right through ASF, so there’s not a third party app. Since we’re really class training and group training-focused, that’s key for our members. They live, breathe and die by that thing. If we don’t update the Scheduler, because everything communicates with the Scheduler, it’s chaotic.
How would you describe ASF’s customer support?
SM: They’re pretty much a phone call away, and any issues we have are resolved quickly. I communicate with one individual, which is important to me as an owner. I have one person who understands my model and my needs, and then can execute that without any delay. To be able to shoot a quick email and have something resolved, that’s the way I like it. They’re able to accommodate that.
Why should other club operators consider working with ASF?
SM: With every other billing company, they have so many levels of different fees — all these hidden fees. ASF is definitely going to be the most affordable, without a doubt.
They’re always adding brand new updates for their software too. From where they were two years ago with their software versus where they are now, I think they’re on their way to being the leading billing and software company in the industry over the next few years.
And they are willing to listen to the customer. I utilize all their software on a daily basis, my staff utilizes their software on a daily basis, and we’re able to give them suggestions on what would help us. They don’t brush it under the rug, and they’ll put new updates in the queue, especially if it’s large enough to benefit the masses. You’ve got to keep upgrading with the times.
For more information, check out the suite of club management software solutions from ASF Payment Solutions.
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Bobby is the former assistant editor of Club Solutions Magazine.
