Drew Surprenant, the director of account management and partnerships at ClubReady LLC, shares industry must-haves for your technology needs.
Deciding on the right technology stack for your fitness facility is crucial not only for startup success but for ongoing profitability and future growth. With multiple software options on the market, choosing the right one can make or break your future. Starting with a good foundation and good processes is critical. Think of best business practice processes as executing perfect form in a workout. Shortcuts mean you’re cheating your business. Doing extra correctly can pay dividends. As the industry continues to evolve, consider the following as must-haves in a foundation for long-term success.
1. All-inclusive mobile application.
With all age demographics spending upwards of four-plus hours on cellphones, choosing an app interface that continues involvement is crucial. Extra Rep: Look for an application that keeps your members plugged in on their terms and to their preferences, whether that’s reminders, push notifications, videos or other graphics.
2. A CRM platform that works your way.
Your goal is to create an environment that keeps members informed but can also reach prospects through your lead management system. The process has to make sense and be followed by everyone. Extra Rep: Business automations are imperative to ensure consistent communications and to ultimately scale.
3. Built-in texting.
If you’ve found nobody is reading your email, we’re not surprised. Texting is the new email. That means it’s not something you dabble with on your personal phone. You need a professional system. Extra Rep: SMS/MMs integrated with your CRM, with tracking and reporting that can reach all levels of membership, leads and prospects just like your other communications should be expected.
4. Multi-faceted marketing.
Every piece of your platform should work in unison and deliver the right messaging to your audience across every different channel. Extra Rep: Context and timing matter. An app that engages your clientele, emails that inform but are fresh and a texting system that keeps people interested all play critical roles at different times in maintaining your brand.
Starting with the right tools to execute your best business processes from the jump puts you on the path to success. When those systems can also grow with you and enable you to do more — the extra reps — as you learn more, that’s when you know that you’ve made the right choice.
