Built on a 42-year legacy, ABC Fitness is constantly evolving to better serve the industry.
Aaron Verasammy knows firsthand how ABC Fitness can impact club owners because he used to be one.
“As a former club owner, ABC was one of my favorite vendors,” said Verasammy. “ABC was always there to give me a great customer experience. So naturally, when I was ready to sell my clubs and find my next career, I sought them out.”
Verasammy, now the company’s vice president of sales for North America, isn’t alone.
Over the years, ABC has evolved to deliver fitness software to the entire industry. From start-ups to Planet Fitness, ABC builds value for its clients in four key areas:
- Service
- Ability
- Product Development
- Revenue Cycle Management
While it may seem simple, when these four traits are adhered to on a company-wide scale you can clearly see magic happen.
“At ABC, we all know what it’s like to run a club. Our employees grew up in the fitness industry,” explained Verasammy. “So, we know what you’re going through. That knowledge shapes every aspect of how we show up to help serve the biggest focus in your life — your business.”
When Jim Bottin founded the company in 1981, he needed a way to collect from his members while keeping a great relationship with them. Now 42 years later, ABC is helping gyms protect and preserve their member experience all while bringing collections up.
“On average our members hit a 95% collection rate,” said Verasammy. “You get massive value from bringing in more money with less effort, all while focusing on what brought you into fitness in the first place — your love for health and people.”
In today’s day and age, technology is rapidly evolving and expanding. This provides a great opportunity for clubs to take a look at where they can automate and streamline their business.
While Verasammy believes the fitness industry used to overlook technology with member needs growing more complex, he now sees fit tech as the new “must-have” to compete. Having a great tech partner not only streamlines operations but vastly improves your member experience.
“When you really think about how the technology partner you select affects your business, selection becomes paramount,” said Verasammy. “As a top operator, you should understand the impact of a great technology partner and invest in the right relationship.”
When searching for a vendor, Verasammy recommended asking the following questions to evaluate who the best partner for your facility is:
1. Development Roadmap. Does the technology fit the long-term strategy and direction you want to take your business?
2. Support and Onboarding. Does the technology partner have the resource to support and onboard the locations?
3. Financial Stability. Technology development and maintenance in today’s market are expensive. Does the technology partner have the resources and funding to support their roadmap and service levels?
4. Data Protection. Data is becoming more important than ever. Data privacy laws and safeguards around how data is protected should be top of mind for operators as this can be one of the biggest hidden risks in your business.
Finding a valuable partner, like ABC, is step No. 1 in a fierce fitness landscape. Verasammy is the first to say that leveraging your technology to automate tasks, lead with data and differentiate yourself are the best places to start. And he too used ABC to invest in his clients.
Maybe that’s part of what makes ABC so different. While other businesses were shutting their doors, ABC was investing millions to support their clients’ needs. “We know how hard the fitness landscape is and believe innovation and growth lead the future,” said Verasammy.
In the last three years, ABC has:
- Completed five strategic acquisitions.
- Invested over $300 million in technology.
- Added over $100 million in organic investment for research and development.
- Spent 30% of total company revenue on technology spend on an annual basis.
“ABC also engages in strategic, long-range planning to drive product innovations and open new market segments,” said Verasammy. “In the past several years, our planning process has informed such investments as the IGNITE program, GymSales, Trainerize and Glofox.”
ABC IGNITE at its core supports a club’s membership, operations, billing and reporting with add-on modules — like a club-branded app and lead management solution — to give owners and operators complete control of their business and improve member lifetime value.
As ABC finishes 2023 and looks ahead to 2024, the company remains focused on making significant product research and development investments to its IGNITE platform, bringing even more added value to the market.
