In an ideal world, your health club’s non-dues revenue would account for at least 40-50% of your total earnings, significantly boosting profitability. Labor costs, on the other hand, would stay well below the industry average of 45%, and managing staff schedules, member engagement, and inventory wouldn’t require more than a few clicks.
Better yet, you wouldn’t have to juggle multiple software just to keep the day-to-day running smoothly.
Your club management software should be your key to hitting these targets—it should streamline operations, boost revenue, and help you deliver an exceptional experience for your members.
However, the reality for many club owners is far from this.
Many clubs in fact, still find themselves struggling to balance operations and growth, often using too many disconnected tools and missed opportunities to improve efficiency and member satisfaction. After all, running a health club or fitness facility is no mean feat.
On any given day, you’re managing staff schedules, handling member requests, keeping track of inventory, and overseeing finances—all while striving to provide a top-notch member experience. Without the right tools in place, it’s easy for inefficiencies to creep in, costing you both time and money.
“Our previous systems made it challenging to efficiently manage membership dues, class attendance, and revenue tracking, leaving us ready for a more streamlined member software.”
– Tom, Head Project Manager at the Wisconsin Athletic Club
But what if your club management software could do more than just organize tasks and reduce manual workload? What if it could actually help you make money? From boosting non-dues revenue streams to automating tedious processes and even improving member retention, the right software can do wonders for your club.
In this blog, we’ll dive into 10 ways club management software can streamline and boost your fitness business —all while keeping your focus where it matters: on your members and your growth.
1. Streamlined Member Management
Let’s be honest—are you really managing your members, or are you just trying to keep up with them? If you’re constantly switching between spreadsheets, apps, and paper forms, you’re losing precious time and, worse, losing your members. The reality is that disorganized club management software isn’t just inefficient—they’re costing you revenue, engagement, and loyalty.
Members expect more. They want convenience, personalization, and seamless communication.
If you can’t deliver that, they’ll find a club that will.
That’s why streamlined member management isn’t just nice to have, it’s the difference between a thriving, engaged community and a club that’s bleeding members.Reflecting on this, Praveen Kashyap, Founder of SHC, emphasizes,
“We wanted to make the member the center of everything. The app allows them to easily book and purchase in advance, while our backend software enables staff to manage attendance & sell classes right from their phones or iPads. It’s like the experience you get in an Apple Store, where staff can meet all your needs seamlessly.”
Here’s how the right club management software stops that bleeding:
- Centralized Member Data: Imagine having all your member information stored in one centralized platform. How easy would it be to manage memberships? Every interaction, purchase, and class booked is stored in one place, so you never have to dig through different systems to find important information. The member software makes it easy to track member engagement, spot patterns, and deliver personalized recommendations.
- Automated Member Communication: With the right club management software, you should be able to set up automated emails, push notifications, or SMS messages that keep your members informed about class updates, payment reminders, and special offers, without lifting a finger. This keeps your club at the top of the minds of your members so that they are consistently engaged. Whether it’s a reminder for a missed class or a special discount for their birthday, you’re always one step ahead.
- Real-Time Tracking: Every club has members who slip through the cracks. They miss a few classes, lose motivation, and before you know it, they’re gone. With real-time tracking integrated into your membership database software, you’ll know who’s at risk of dropping out and have the tools to re-engage them before they cancel. Send them personalized offers, schedule check-ins, or invite them to an exclusive class—all based on the data.
Give Members the Control They Expect: Members today won’t tolerate clunky booking processes or outdated payment methods. With seamless self-service options, your members can easily book classes, update their profiles, and make payments directly through your app. The easier you make it for them to manage memberships, the more likely they are to stay loyal to your club.
2. Simplified Scheduling and Advanced Class Bookings
50% of new members quit within the first six months.
Ours is an industry where options are limitless and loyalty is fleeting, your club is just one bad experience away from losing half of its new members.
Jarod Cogswell, founder of FIT Academy, says:
“Customer service alone isn’t enough to keep people coming back. It’s a dead term. Member experience encompasses traditional customer service protocols—but it is so much more than that.”
But here’s the thing – nothing kills a member’s experience faster than a disorganized scheduling system. Double bookings, missed reservations, overfilled classes—it’s chaos waiting to happen. When the booking experience feels chaotic, their enthusiasm quickly fizzles out, and they begin to question their decision to join.
If you’re still dealing with manual bookings and scattered spreadsheets, or frustrated members who can’t find a spot without calling the Frontdesk, your membership management system is failing you.
Your club management software should be packed with a complete and advanced Booking and Attendance solution. Streamlined, easy-to-use scheduling and booking is no longer optional—it’s essential for the success of your club.
Here’s how the right club management software can make all the difference:
- Smart Scheduling and Updates: All your calendars should automatically be updated in real-time when even one of them is changed. Whether a member cancels, a class is rescheduled, or an instructor is unavailable, your online membership software should instantly reflect these changes across all platforms—mobile apps, websites, and internal systems.
- Self-Service Booking: Members shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to secure a spot in their favorite class. Give them the power to book classes anytime, anywhere, through a mobile app. Your membership manager software should enable your members to check availability, book classes, equipment, or spots, or cancel with just a few taps, meaning no more back-and-forth phone calls with the front.
- Smart Waitlists and Automated Notifications: No one likes to be waitlisted, but it’s even worse when that waitlist is disorganized or unclear. A good online membership software must manage waitlists efficiently. When a spot opens up, members should receive instant notifications to claim their spot.
- Analyze and Optimize Class Performance: Beyond just managing bookings, your club membership software should give you insights into class performance. Which classes are consistently full? Which ones struggle to attract attendees? You should receive class performance analytics, including Booking, Attendance, and No-show reports. The best member software should go a step further and let you set specific booking policies for each class and limit the number of participants, ensuring you get the most out of your offerings.
At the end of the day, good club management software should take the headache out of scheduling.
3. Powerful Marketing Tools
The average health club has an annual attrition rate of 28.6%, according to IHRSA research.
Engagement matters. You must build and maintain a connection with your members, or risk watching them walk out the door. Jay Ablondi, IHRSA’s Executive Vice President of Global Products, states that:
“Any type of interaction with a member at risk of canceling can reduce the likelihood of dropping out by nearly 10%.”
Do you really know your members? If your marketing strategy consists of sending out a few generic emails and social media posts once a month, you are setting yourself up for failure.
You are only reaching a fraction of the people who would actually sign up. What’s worse, the members who would attend are not even seeing the promotion.
Why? Because you’re not using a marketing tool that can target them based on their preferences and past behavior.
Your members, like all of us today, are bombarded with offers, junk emails, and messages from every direction. Members crave connection. This is why one-size-fits-all marketing doesn’t cut it anymore. If you’re not reaching the right members, at the right time, with the right message, your campaigns will get lost in the noise and your members will feel abandoned—and there’s no shortage of alternatives willing to step in.
A club management software with an advanced marketing solution can help you target the right members at the right time and further convert those interactions into real revenue. Here’s how a club management software can change that:
- Multi-Channel Communication: Your members are everywhere—on social media, checking emails, texting, and even browsing apps. Why limit your outreach to a single platform? A robust club management software allows you to engage your members through multiple channels simultaneously. You should be able to promote all your departments and services seamlessly using push notifications, social media posts, banners, and emails. Let your messages land where they’re most likely to be seen and acted upon. According to IHRSA:
“Reaching out to a member— by phone, email, text, or social media—more than doubles the likelihood that they will be a “promoter” rather than a “detractor.”
- Targeted Marketing: Research from Invesp shows that targeted emails can increase revenue by 760%. Your club management software should allow you to segment your member list based on specific criteria, such as membership type, classes they’ve attended, and personal preferences. For instance, if a member loves spin classes, you can send them a special offer for an exclusive cycling workshop.
Frictionless Purchases: How many potential sales are lost due to complicated purchase processes? Today, convenience is everything. Club management software can streamline the purchasing experience with deep links that allow members to make purchases directly from their mobile devices or emails with minimal effort. When members can complete purchases in seconds, you reduce the chances of them abandoning their carts, leading to more sales.
4. Hybrid Experience for Your Members with Omnifitness
Live classes are the single most popular gym-type activity.
80% of gym members plan to use digital workouts.
80% of fitness clubs plan to invest in tech by 2024.
So read the Les Mills and Fitness OnDemand research.
The modern fitness landscape is hybrid, blending the best of in-person workouts with digital convenience. Members today seek flexibility, and the ability to access fitness services both inside and outside of the gym is quickly becoming a standard requirement. They want an omnifitness experience that adapts to their schedule, whether they’re in the gym, at home, or on the go.
“To capture a slice of the $302 billion fitness industry, gym owners must now consider how to create an ecosystem where they can meet members wherever they are on their own health and wellness journey.”
– Fitness OnDemand Bespoke Report 2024
Health clubs that don’t embrace this hybrid model risk losing relevance or worse obsolescence. With a dedicated club management software, you can create a connected ecosystem where your members can seamlessly transition between in-club services and virtual fitness offerings, all while keeping their progress, preferences, and memberships in one place.
- On-Demand and Live Class Options: Your club can’t afford to offer just one or the other. With the right club membership software, you can provide live-streamed and on-demand classes, giving members the flexibility to work out anywhere, anytime. Whether they prefer to work out early in the morning or late at night, they can tune into pre-recorded classes or attend live ones that fit their schedule, allowing for greater flexibility.
- Flexible Membership Options: One size does not fit all, especially when it comes to fitness. An ideal club management software can enable your club to offer dynamic membership options that cater to in-person, digital, or hybrid fitness needs, giving members exactly what they want and the freedom to manage memberships as they please.
- Fitness Tracking and Progress Monitoring: Hybrid doesn’t mean disjointed. Club management software lets members track their fitness journey seamlessly across platforms, allowing members to log their workouts and track their progress, whether they’re at the gym or following an online class at home. This data can be accessed through your club’s app, helping members stay motivated and connected to their fitness goals from anywhere, anytime.
- Real-Time Communication and Engagement: Push notifications and in-app messaging keep members informed and engaged. Whether it’s a reminder to attend an upcoming live class or personalized workout recommendations based on their previous activity, you can use club membership software to maintain a consistent dialogue between your club and its members.
5. Real-Time Reporting and Analytics
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”
Do you really know what’s going on in your health club—right now?
What are the bookings per location, daily app launches, member check-ins, or the revenue being brought in by a specific instructor, class, or program? Do you know which classes are bringing in the most members, which ones are lagging, or what your current revenue looks like—this minute?
Relying on spreadsheets or guesswork is like flying blind in a business that thrives on immediate action.
What if your membership numbers are dropping, but you don’t notice until it’s too late? Are your labor costs inching higher, but you’re unaware because you don’t have the data to see it in real-time? How can you know which marketing campaigns are driving results and which are falling flat if you don’t have access to current insights?
Your club management software should provide real-time reporting with immediate access to critical metrics so that you can make informed decisions—right when they count.
- Member Insights: What do you really know about your members? Are they sticking around for the long haul, or are they leaving after a few months? Are they attending the classes you offer, or are they losing interest? With real-time analytics integrated within your membership database software, you can track member behavior and engagement, to tailor your offerings to meet their needs. By understanding your members better, you can improve retention and build a more loyal community.
- Financial Health at a Glance: With your club management software providing real-time financial reporting, you get an up-to-the-minute view of your revenue, expenses, and profits. Real-time data means you can address financial issues immediately, manage memberships and cash flow more effectively, and avoid surprises.
- One Source for All Your Data: Are you using multiple membership management system to manage your health club’s data? This can lead to wasted time, errors, and confusion. A good club management software centralizes everything—staff schedules, member bookings, class attendance, and calendar events—into one platform. No more juggling multiple apps. This streamlined system reduces mistakes and saves your staff time, allowing them to focus on what really matters: delivering a great member experience.
- Payroll Reports and Automatic Updates: Manually managing payroll can be a nightmare, especially when dealing with changing schedules, instructor updates, and attendance tracking. Club management software simplifies this with automatic payroll updates. It customizes payroll reports based on attendees, services, and instructor performance. Directors can filter by department, class, or pay period, cutting down the time spent gathering data and streamlining the entire payroll process.
6. Automated Payroll Management for Your Staff
Is your staff always scrambling to find their schedules?
Do you dread the end of the month when payroll processing turns into a chaotic mess?
Do you struggle to keep track of staff hours and performance?
If your answer is “yes,” you’re not alone. Many health clubs are trapped in a cycle of inefficiency that drains their resources and stifles growth.
Imagine this: You’ve got a talented team ready to provide top-notch service to your members, but due to poor scheduling and time tracking, they’re constantly stressed and frustrated. Meanwhile, your labor costs are spiraling out of control because of inaccuracies in payroll. This can be a financial pitfall that can cripple your business.
The truth is, when staff management and payroll is chaotic, your club suffers. You risk alienating your best employees, leading to high turnover rates and unhappy members. A robust club management software can turn this all around.
- Simplified Payroll Management: Payroll is often one of the largest expenses for health clubs, and getting it right is crucial. With club management software, payroll calculations are automated, saving you time and reducing errors. Your managers should be able to set up various pay rates, including hourly wages, special pay for any class or service, and commission rates for programs with multiple events. You can easily track employee hours, overtime, and commissions, ensuring that every staff member is paid accurately and on time.
- Real-Time Updates: A club management software that seamlessly integrates payroll with scheduling means that any changes made to the calendar—whether it’s a new class or a substitution—are automatically reflected in payroll calculations. This real-time update prevents discrepancies, ensuring that your staff is compensated accurately for the hours they work, regardless of last-minute changes.
- Automated Time Tracking: Manual timekeeping is outdated and error-prone. Membership database software allows instructors and staff to clock in and out through their mobile devices, ensuring precise tracking of hours worked. This level of accuracy not only keeps your payroll in check but also fosters a culture of accountability among your staff.
7. Purchases: Capability to Sell More Amenities, Services, and Smoothies
Are you missing out on potential revenue by not making it easy for members to buy classes and programs?
A robust club management software should enable your members to purchase classes, programs, clinics, and even products like smoothies right from the app.
Booking and paying for services such as personal training or yoga sessions should be just as easy. Whether it’s a one-time booking or an ongoing service, the club management software should accommodate all types of Purchases.
- Purchases for Classes, Services, and Products: With effective club management software, they should be able to book and pay for classes, programs, clinics, and even products like smoothies without a hitch.
- Flexible Billing Options: Your club management software should support diverse billing options. Whether it’s through your existing billing company or Stripe, you should have the flexibility to choose the payment method that best fits your club. This ensures smooth transactions for both the club and its members.
- Family Bookings, Transfers, and Refunds: Managing family accounts or handling refunds shouldn’t be complicated. A good club management software will offer easy transfers of bookings between family members, process refunds quickly, and allow members to manage multiple bookings with ease.
- Guest Passes: Don’t restrict your offerings to just members. With a dedicated membership manager software, you can let your non-members easily purchase guest passes, and day passes, and access your services—all through your app. This opens up a new revenue stream while showcasing your club’s offerings to potential future members.
The Future of Fitness
The fitness industry is evolving, and to keep up, you need more than just passion—you need smart tools like online membership software to deliver an integrated fitness experience. From streamlining operations and delivering flexible membership options to enhancing member engagement through real-time communication and DMs, the right club management software is your gateway to success.
SHC, a full-stack member-facing solution for health clubs and gyms, is designed to help you do just that—and more. With SHC as your dedicated club management software, you can offer your members a hybrid fitness experience, track progress across platforms, manage memberships effortlessly, and provide personalized communication that keeps your members connected and engaged.
Whether it’s booking classes, smart scheduling, or delivering on-demand digital experiences, SHC is focused on the 2 Rs of Retention and Revenue.
Our tailored solutions encompass a wide range of features, including but not limited to Booking and Attendance, Instructor Substitution and Payroll, On-Demand Video, Live Streaming, Fitness Plans, Marketing Campaigns, and Purchases for amenities like Tennis and Pickleball. And that’s just the beginning—there’s so much more we offer to elevate your fitness facility.
You can achieve everything we’ve discussed—and beyond—using SHC. Book a demo today to see how SHC can transform your club into the ultimate omnifitness destination.