Why members are craving more feedback from testing and tracking technology.
Whether wanting to achieve or maintain a healthy lifestyle, people love to see tangible results. Wearable technology helps members track progress. By doing so, this can lead to better engagement in their fitness journey and your club’s community. It can also help determine popular equipment or areas of high traffic.
Michele Wong, the chief operating officer at Active Wellness, noted how personalizing member experience through wearable technology is effective. Learning what fitness level members are at and explaining what resources are available increases their engagement in amenities and staff. With that in mind, Active Wellness integrates technology into various facets of its programming and as a result has seen an increase in member satisfaction and retention.
“This type of technology plays an important role in enhancing the member experience and, subsequently, retention rates,” said Wong. “Implementing technology such as mobile apps for booking and tracking workouts undoubtedly positively impacts the member relationship.”
There are many different software programs out there with various purposes. Active Wellness uses technology to increase member satisfaction and to help with club operations. For example, devices from InBody help members track personal data while software from Welld Health enables club leadership to determine areas of high traffic within the facility. Both technologies come together to present a better picture in assessing the health of members and the club itself.
With a variety of pieces in use, Wong expressed the need to integrate all programs effectively. “When you are striving for great member experience, it’s important technology connects with other products and services that are part of the member journey,” she said. “This has often required us to do some significant behind-the-scenes work and bring different partners into our design conversations. It’s important the partners you choose are open to collaboration.”
Cooper Fitness Center is another club that offers members a variety of wearable and tracking technology. These include Myzone, which tracks heart rate throughout group workouts, and Technogym, which tracks personalized data and is sent to a member’s phone through an app.
“People want feedback, and they want a way to assess their progress,” said Mary Edwards, the director of fitness at Cooper Fitness Center. “There is a greater interest in health than ever before, and these tech options provide reward, accountability and direction for participation and effort.”
The club also has body scanning technology that assesses body composition changes overtime. Measurements are taken routinely using a bioelectrical impedance assessment through Cooper Fitness Center’s member wellness program, Cooper Quest. The results and progression of scans can be seen by both members and staff — such as personal trainers — to help determine areas of improvement and stagnation. Staff can then offer better informed programming and solutions to target areas of concern.
One tip to increase member usage in technology like the above is making sure staff are educated on the equipment so they can educate members. Edwards explained staff do this through one-on-one conversations and creating video tutorials and website content.
“Staff should use the technology so they can experience and be able to speak to it,” explained Edwards. “This can encourage member use and continue connection and interaction through the Myzone app.”
Some of the biggest challenges in offering these technologies include users not being able to interpret results correctly to see progress, apprehension to switch to the club’s app, and the loss or lack of interest caused by not knowing how to work technology. As such, having staff talk to members to help inform them about the technology can lead to a better user experience.
Shawna Winters, the VP of operations at UFC GYM, adopts a similar mindset. She explained how coaches speak about the results and success collected by the technology at the end of every class. Doing this encourages members at UFC GYM to use these technologies in other ways and educates them on how to interpret the data.
“Educating club members about the value of fitness tracking and testing technologies is essential to ensure they make the most of these tools and continue to use them effectively,” said Winters. “You can empower your club members to fully understand and appreciate the value of fitness tracking and testing technologies, ultimately helping them achieve their fitness and wellness goals more effectively.”
Winters said this directly correlates to an increase in retention. Living a healthier life is the goal for members. Achieving that and gaining community along the way is rewarding.
“These technologies play a pivotal role in personalizing our members’ workouts, resulting in more pronounced and satisfying results,” stated Winters. “This heightened satisfaction significantly bolsters their likelihood of remaining an active club member. Moreover, technology serves as a powerful tool for enhancing accountability and empowering our members to take charge of their fitness journeys. It’s also a catalyst for fostering a sense of community among our members, encouraging camaraderie and mutual support.”
Wong expressed similar sentiments toward human connections brought together by these technologies. They cannot replace the person-to-person interactions that are vital in the fitness club industry, but they can help inspire them.
“We’re in the people business and need to view technology as a tool to improve and enhance human connections, whether that be the connection of the member to themselves, to us or to each other,” said Wong. “Technology is a tool to help us deliver information, provide feedback, build connections and improve self-service. My goal is to maintain the human touch points that truly make the greatest impact. By inserting technology to ease friction, it keeps the journey moving and grows our fitness community.”
