Club management software is essential for success in today’s fitness industry. With the tools to make daily operations and collections processes much simpler and more efficient for clubs, Jonas Fitness is one of the industry’s top club management software solutions.
Here, Drew Baker, the vice president of Courthouse Club Fitness, shares insight into the club’s partnership with Jonas Fitness and how they’ve gotten a competitive edge from it:
How were you introduced to Jonas Fitness and why did you decide to partner with them?
DB: In 2013, Courthouse was looking for a new solution to member management. We had been with our previous provider for over 15 years, so we had become accustomed to what we knew and very unfamiliar with all the new opportunities that were available. We sought out three different companies, and set out to best understand how they operated and which might be a best fit for our needs. Jonas’s member management software, Compete, ended up being an obvious choice for us. From the basics, like member check and agreement sales, to the more complex side of back office reporting and billing, we knew the system was very robust and would provide us a lot of customization.
How has Jonas Fitness helped your club improve its daily operations?
DB: Since we’ve partnered with Jonas, we’ve seen an uptick in the ability to sell memberships and training, since we can do so from a tablet right on the training floor. We can also analyze any number or metric in real time, allowing us to provide immediate feedback and coaching to our club staff. We’re able to identify trends, anticipate losses and thus better strategize our game plan due to the data we are able to pull from the Compete system.
Why is it so important to have a great CMS partner like Jonas Fitness?
DB: Your membership management system is your bread and butter. You can have the best programs or training systems in the world, but if it’s complicated or time-consuming for staff or for members to enroll in them, you might be losing business. Compete has a simple front and back office interface. It’s easy for our team to learn and maneuver through the software. We are currently in the process of utilizing Jonas’s most recent update, which allows members to pre-enroll in classes and training programs. This will allow us to track usage, see which programs are high performers and pay commissions based on attendance.
Club staff can also be better prepared by knowing how many are and who is showing up on any given time and day. Small and large group training are at the forefront for Courthouse. Getting people into directed exercise is our main goal. We see a much longer lifespan when a club member is engaged with fellow participants, led by an instructor or trainer.
How would you describe Jonas Fitness’s customer service?
DB: Jonas has always been very responsive for Courthouse. Since the first day of our partnership, we haven’t stopped giving them feedback on what we feel could be improved or added within the software. All of our requests have been taken seriously and many have been added within the software. This makes running our business a lot easier and prevents us from road blocking new initiatives simply because “the software doesn’t have the capability.” We have direct access to an account manager who can answer questions and connect us to the right folks within Jonas to get our problems solved. It’s always felt like we are their most important client.
Why should other club operators consider working with Jonas Fitness?
DB: Switching softwares is never fun and when you do, you really want to feel like you’ve made the best choice for the future of your business. No software company is going to satisfy every need for every client, but it’s nice to have a provider that has your success as their main objective. We’ve altered our business to better align with our CMS, but I feel like Jonas has also altered Compete to allow us to operate the way we need to in an ever-changing and very competitive fitness landscape.
For more information, check out jonasfitness.com.
