Health clubs and fitness facilities alike can attest to the fact that time is money. We all began keeping track of that time and that money using paper, notebooks and court sheets to manage our spaces, employees and members. Not anymore! There are many options available to make booking, scheduling and the associated financial tasks easier and much more efficient.
Choosing the Right System
Define your needs before looking at bookings providers. What may be the right system for one club may be the wrong one for yours. Use the information below to create a list of what to look for. Focus on comparing all the different options based on your needs. In addition, try to think ahead for future wants and needs.
Club Functions That Need Scheduling
Define the functions that need to be scheduled. Personal training, tanning beds, pool lanes, courts, classes, meeting spaces, conference and birthday party rooms should all be on the list. Define the rules and guidelines associated for each of these functions. Some examples: Prepayment is required for personal training but not for pool lanes, and a prepaid deposit and completed application are required to book party rooms. Another example would be setting rules for required booking intervals; i.e., courts must be booked on the hour for an hour, or lanes can only be booked in 15-minute slots.
Accessing the Schedules-Internet vs. In-Club
Many clubs have moved to Internet-based booking. Obviously, to facilitate this option a website and full access to the Internet are required. Software that runs only via the Internet could be rendered inoperable if the club’s Internet connection is ever lost. Consider companies that offer an efficient way for the club to view important booking and scheduling information when the Internet is down.
Functions to consider:
• Online access for members to book appointments
• Ability of staff to change schedules online or at the club
• Multiple payment options during the booking process
• Ease of finding appointments, scheduling trainers, making changes
• Ability to block off employee time for meetings and/or recurring commitments
• Synchronization of all bookings. If your employees book spaces and time for members, members book their own appointments, and staff change their schedules, these must all synchronize. Verify that cross-referencing takes place in the program to prevent errors from occurring.
• Notification of schedule changes. If a change is made, the system needs to send an email notification to the member and to the trainer or instructor.
Billing and Payments
Your club management software may have an integrated booking and scheduling option already. If not, you might have to consider a separate system. Be sure the system has a way to communicate with the club management software to prevent billing problems and confusion for both club staff and members.
No matter what provider you choose, be sure to verify that they are currently certified CISP compliant if they are going to process credit and debit cards. This certification tells you that they have gone through a rigorous review process that authenticates them as having the highest security measures in place to ensure the safety of members’ card information.
Additional Features
Check into the additional features each company can provide. These may not have been on your original list, but when it comes down to making a choice between two similar systems, these features may tip the balance.
• Reports for attendance, payroll, package sales and redemptions
• Ability to charge booking fees with monthly dues, paying online
• Multiple options for scheduling and payments-i.e., which types of appointments must be paid for in advance, which ones can be booked online, limiting the number of people on a court
Cost of the System
Once you have determined which providers may be right for you, then look at the costs. Find out all fees associated with the use of the service, including those for e-commerce functionalities-charges to build and host the functionality and additional processing fees. Don’t forget to look at your current club management system. If there is an integrated bookings module, it might be worth paying an additional fee to use it. In addition, consider the cost of training employees on a new system and integrating the booking and payment information.
There are many booking and scheduling options on the market today. The right system should be efficient, easily accessible, easy to navigate and user friendly, and just right for you.
Susanne Nauseda has an exercise science degree that she put to use in the industry for 10 years prior to joining Twin Oaks Software, where she has worked for the last 12 years. You can reach her at 866.278.6750 or at snauseda@tosd.com.
