Managing a health club or fitness business means you have to wear a lot of hats. You’re a salesperson, marketer, instructor and sometimes janitor all rolled into one. With all of that responsibility, it can be hard to accomplish everything on your to-do list.
There’s a solution for that: automation.
You may hear the word “automation” and think about machines replacing the personal interaction you give your customers. If that’s what you’re thinking, it’s time to change your mind. Here are three ways automation can help you focus more on the relationships you have with your clients and less on your to-do list:
Waitlist Notifications
How often do you have a class that needs a waitlist? And when one of those classes has a waitlist, how do you tell customers when they’ve made it into class? It’s likely you call, text or email them, right?
With the help of automation, you don’t have to put that task on your to-do list. Customers on a waitlist will be notified immediately when they make it into class — no matter what time it happens. That means your 5 a.m. cycling class will be full, no matter what.
“We Miss You” Emails
Do you spend hours each week calling former customers trying to get them back into your health club? Imagine a world where you didn’t have do that — you could just set a discount former customers get when they’ve been absent for a set amount of time. This means your team can focus on the people inside your business, rather than the ones who are missing.
Online Booking
This is a big one — does your front desk revolve around answering the phone when people want to book classes? Think about all the tasks you could get off your to-do list if those staff members were used for other projects. That’s possible when you automate online booking.
Instead of members calling to get into their favorite class, they can book their spot whenever they have time. Plus, with automation, you can control how far in advance you want your customers to book. Whether you want to open your HIIT class to customers two weeks in advance or a month, you can do that.
You’ll spend less time on the phones, and your customers will feel more invested in booking their spots ahead of time, meaning you can focus on the class itself, rather than how many people are in it.
Automation doesn’t have to be the enemy — and with tools like waitlist notifications, “we miss you” emails and online booking, you’ll be free to focus on making your business the best it can be.
To learn more about MINDBODY, visit mindbodyonline.com.
