Guide to Choosing the Perfect Health Club Software
Every year dozens of shiny new softwares and tools are presented to you by vendors and startups.
They all sell you the promised land. Sometimes you even buy the one you like.
In 2 or more years you realize you have added too many new point solutions. Managing them is a chore. Your software subscription budgets shoot through the roof. And you have created a disjointed member experience.
Or you are using software from an established brand for many years. But your situation is no better.
Members remain uncharmed and churn fast. Your staff is uninspired and overworked. Your data is not in one place.
Selecting the right software is no walk in the park. It is not as simple as picking the same big brand you see others in the industry choose.
It is a fairly complex process and we have put our significant industry and technology experience to create this Guide to help you select the right Health Club software.
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Steps To Pick The Right Health Club Software
Step 1: Find a Tech-savvy Champion in your team to lead the selection process
Technology and solutions offered are changing at an ever faster pace. Don’t be surprised if by next year, you have scores of Generative AI solutions like Chat GPT offered to you. A tech-savvy Champion will be able to keep track of what’s available and what’s coming and help you plan and prepare. For most clubs, an IT or Marketing person is a good fit to lead the process of finding the needs and searching for options.
The “wows” of yesterday like showing the Calendar, Booking a class, sending Push Notifications, etc. are table stakes today. Your members expect a lot more from your app today. They expect the club app experience to be similar to other top of the line Fitness, Purchases, and Wellness Apps.
Step 2: Ask your department heads for their technology needs, challenges, goals, and must-have features
To avoid surprises, involve your department heads early on. While we are sure you have one person, either the IT Head or your Marketing Head, who helps you in this process, it is good to involve everyone. Ask them for their technology needs, their goals and specific feature asks, especially their must-have features.
Also ask them about their challenges with the current software and the current manual methods: challenges related to ease-of-use, customer support, and integrations.
In our experience working with many clubs, often not getting buy-in of your department heads slows down the adoption of the software later, but it also prevents surprise requests from them. For example, a Pilates Director asking to purchase a point software for Pilates in the middle of the year, or a Marketing Director wanting to try a new email tool.
After this data collation, consolidate the must-have requirements from all departments into one document.
Step 3: List your club or gym’s top 5 goals (Be sure to include Member Experience and Revenue related goals)
You can, of course, create whatever goals you want, but our recommendation is to identity the top 3 goals for the club, and be sure to include these:
- Member experience and expectations – Feel free to dream and be as specific as you want. Some examples:
“Make it easy and encourage them for my members to do business with us – My members should be able to book or purchase anything I offer at the club at any time, from anywhere right on the app”
“Make it easy for my members to engage with you – via Groups, or Feedback, Testimonials or anything else.”
- Revenue and Expense Goals – – Include non-dues goals, software budgets or people expenses. Some examples:
“Increase non-dues revenues from Tennis Lessons by 15% .”
“Reduce software expenses by 20%.”
“Reduce the number of people at Front Desk from 3 to 1.”
Step 4: Make your List of requirements and define your budget
So, now you have your department needs and your goals. Using both create your consolidated list of requirements, which include features, usability, integrations, customer service, scalability etc. This may need a couple of iterations and more than a few meetings with your department heads to nail this down. But, spending the time and effort on this exercise will pay off for itself.
Also, define your budget for software for the year. Your considerations can include your goals, your vision for the future and your current budget and spend.
Step 5: Research and Shortlist 3 top alternative (member-facing category) vendors and rank them
This step is both an art and a science. Keep the consolidated must-have feature set on one hand, and the list of your top 3 goals on the other hand. And then shortlist 3 top vendors. Use multiple channels like search engines, software directories, social media, vendor websites and your peers/network to narrow down solutions that fit your requirements.
Step 6: Set up product demos and decide your best fit
Send the vendors your must-have feature list in advance of the Demo and ask for a written confirmation and explanation about them. In your must-have feature list, add your must-have service requirements as well.
Let them know in advance which of these features you want to see on the Demo to avoid getting a feature dump during the Demo.
Why Should You Decide On A Member-focused Software
A simple Google search reveals as many as 172 gym management software in the market. Further, the categories are not clear – whether they are for just club management or for members or for Group Ex.
Ask yourself this question:
“Do we need another management or operations software, or should we look for the best member-facing software?”
Let me tell you why that is important. Some of those management or operations software solutions were designed with just that in mind. Member features were added to them later. And they may not have been designed with your member’s experience in mind.
A member-focused software can significantly contribute to member retention. And you already know that acquiring a new member is significantly more expensive than keeping an old one. By giving your members a wide range of amenities and non-dues to choose from, which are easy to access and pay for digitally will naturally lead to higher revenues.
A member-focused software will help you achieve the 2Rs of Retention and Revenue.
Features To Look For In Your Health Club Software
Listing a complete feature list here will be tedious, so I am going to list 10 essential feature-sets you should look for in a software before you make your decision. To look at a comprehensive list of must-have features, access our free checklist here.
1. Calendars should have Smart Scheduling
All calendars should be connected and automatically update when one of them is changed. Let me explain with the help of an example. Tracy is a Pilates instructor at a club. She updates the timings of her Monday evening class. This change should be automatically reflected in the class calendar, her personal calendar and the Department Calendar and on the website and TV screens on the club.
Further calendars should be integrated with Payroll, too. If a sub is selected for a class, then not only are all relevant calendars updated, even payroll should be updated.
1. Calendars should have Smart Scheduling
All calendars should be connected and automatically update when one of them is changed. Let me explain with the help of an example. Tracy is a Pilates instructor at a club. She updates the timings of her Monday evening class. This change should be automatically reflected in the class calendar, her personal calendar and the Department Calendar and on the website and TV screens on the club.
Further calendars should be integrated with Payroll, too. If a sub is selected for a class, then not only are all relevant calendars updated, even payroll should be updated.
2. Advanced Booking and Attendance Solution
Your members hate making phone calls or queue up at the Front Desk to make bookings/purchases. This means that your software should give you a complete and advanced Booking and Attendance solution:
- Enable your members to book their favorite Equipment or a Spot, such as a favorite corner bike, or the first swim lane.
- Enable your members to book Classes, Sessions, Programs, and Clinics.
- Enable you to give preferential booking to your higher tier members thereby increasing the value of their membership. This makes it easier for you to sell premium memberships.
- Allow you to set up booking policies per department or class and limit the number of class bookings too.
It should have the ability to automatically mark attendance based on bookings and Club check-ins.
It should give club staff the ability to book and mark attendance for members and send push notifications when a spot opens up for a class to waitlisted members.
You should receive class performance analytics, including Booking, Attendance, and No-show reports.
2. Advanced Booking and Attendance Solution
Your members hate making phone calls or queue up at the Front Desk to make bookings/purchases. This means that your software should give you a complete and advanced Booking and Attendance solution:
- Enable your members to book their favorite Equipment or a Spot, such as a favorite corner bike, or the first swim lane.
- Enable your members to book Classes, Sessions, Programs, and Clinics.
- Enable you to give preferential booking to your higher tier members thereby increasing the value of their membership. This makes it easier for you to sell premium memberships.
- Allow you to set up booking policies per department or class and limit the number of class bookings too.
It should have the ability to automatically mark attendance based on bookings and Club check-ins.
It should give club staff the ability to book and mark attendance for members and send push notifications when a spot opens up for a class to waitlisted members.
You should receive class performance analytics, including Booking, Attendance, and No-show reports.
3. Marketing Campaigns capability integrated with ALL services
Your members, like all of us today, are overwhelmed by junk emails and messages. So you need to target members based on various criteria like membership type, classes they have attended, and their demographics and personal preferences, etc. when you send them any message.
What you need is a sniper marketing solution as opposed to the shotgun solutions that you might have. You will have a higher close rate and more satisfied members.
The big disadvantage of having multiple point softwares for each department, is that each will not have a powerful marketing component and you will lose the ability to use member data across the club to run marketing campaigns and promotions. An integrated Marketing Campaigns solution makes it phenomenally easier to send the right message to the right member at the right time, based on their personal preferences, interests and activity at your club.
Your software should also have the ability to run multi-channel marketing campaigns for all departments and services using push notifications, posts, banners and emails.
3. Marketing Campaigns capability integrated with ALL services
Your members, like all of us today, are overwhelmed by junk emails and messages. So you need to target members based on various criteria like membership type, classes they have attended, and their demographics and personal preferences, etc. when you send them any message.
What you need is a sniper marketing solution as opposed to the shotgun solutions that you might have. You will have a higher close rate and more satisfied members.
The big disadvantage of having multiple point softwares for each department, is that each will not have a powerful marketing component and you will lose the ability to use member data across the club to run marketing campaigns and promotions. An integrated Marketing Campaigns solution makes it phenomenally easier to send the right message to the right member at the right time, based on their personal preferences, interests and activity at your club.
Your software should also have the ability to run multi-channel marketing campaigns for all departments and services using push notifications, posts, banners and emails.
Purchases capability to sell more – amenities, services, and smoothies
Simply stated, this implies your members should be able to purchase all Classes, Programs, Clinics and even products like smoothies on the App. They should be able to book and pay for a service provider like a Personal Trainer or a Yoga Trainer on the App. Your software should have the flexibility to bill your members via the billing company or via Stripe.
Last but not least, it is really not ok for your members to struggle with a queue and wait for a smoothie after their workout – your software should enable that purchase. All of this won’t be possible without an integrated Purchases solution. Imagine a point for smoothie purchases, and asking your members to download yet another app for just smoothies!
Purchases capability to sell more – amenities, services, and smoothies
Simply stated, this implies your members should be able to purchase all Classes, Programs, Clinics and even products like smoothies on the App. They should be able to book and pay for a service provider like a Personal Trainer or a Yoga Trainer on the App. Your software should have the flexibility to bill your members via the billing company or via Stripe.
Last but not least, it is really not ok for your members to struggle with a queue and wait for a smoothie after their workout – your software should enable that purchase. All of this won’t be possible without an integrated Purchases solution. Imagine a point for smoothie purchases, and asking your members to download yet another app for just smoothies!
5. Enable family and friends to enjoy the club amenities
Your software should enable your members to invite their friends and family members to classes, programs and book and pay on their behalf. This makes it easier for non-members to experience your offerings and convert to members sooner. One of our clubs recently enabled Guest bookings for a Goat Yoga Program and offered separate pricing for members and their guests. The Program got sold out within 36 hours of launch!
5. Enable family and friends to enjoy the club amenities
Your software should enable your members to invite their friends and family members to classes, programs and book and pay on their behalf. This makes it easier for non-members to experience your offerings and convert to members sooner. One of our clubs recently enabled Guest bookings for a Goat Yoga Program and offered separate pricing for members and their guests. The Program got sold out within 36 hours of launch!
6. Automated payroll for your trainers/coaches
Your managers should be able to set up different types of pay rates in the software: hourly, special pay for any class/service taken (regardless of the class duration), a commission rate (useful for Programs where multiple events take place). You should also have the ability to pay the instructors either a fixed rate or a commission, or a combination of all. An example of the combination is that a Pilates trainer who teaches a group session should get paid hourly/fixed rate, while the same trainer in an one-on-one session should get paid a percentage commission.
Last but not least, your payroll should be fully integrated with your calendar and instructor substitution. Any changes in the calendar and instructor assignments should be automatically reflected in the payroll.
7. Facebook like community and social network for your members and staff
Will the software you choose enable you to create a Facebook or Reddit like community at the Club? Will it let you create a group for BARRE, another for Goat Yoga and one for all Tennis students being trained by your Pro called Rocky? Will the software let people become friends, and message each other albeit with some privacy norms? Socialization is the cornerstone of an engaged community at your club, and the software you choose should facilitate that through social networking capabilities.
7. Facebook like community and social network for your members and staff
Will the software you choose enable you to create a Facebook or Reddit like community at the Club? Will it let you create a group for BARRE, another for Goat Yoga and one for all Tennis students being trained by your Pro called Rocky? Will the software let people become friends, and message each other albeit with some privacy norms? Socialization is the cornerstone of an engaged community at your club, and the software you choose should facilitate that through social networking capabilities.
8. Web Apps are still both popular and useful
Now that phones have taken over our lives, it seems almost counter intuitive, but still a lot of customer segments use the web to do transactions, especially senior citizens. While the Mobile App is the primary vehicle for all member engagement, to provide a complete member experience especially for certain segments, like seniors and even non-members having a Web App is almost essential. Especially if your club is doing any non-member business like Kids Camps, Special Events, your software provider should be able to give almost all the functionality of the Mobile App on the WebApp.
For example, your members should be able to see all classes in the department displayed – with information about the plans, classes, and benefits on the club Web App; filter it by date, trainer, or class and make a booking for any Class/Resource/Spot.
9. Flexibility to set up policies at the club level or for specific departments
It is the small things and the nuances that matter eventually. When you look for a feature in a vendor’s software, go deeper and look wider. For example, waitlists – How many types of waitlists are there? Is there a separate window for Late Cancellation and Class Cancellation?
Also, look for evidence of how much you can customize for your club and at what level – for your departments or for your locations. For example, can you set up different cancellation, no show and attendance policies for every department? Can you send notifications for reminders for a class, and can that be either the same for the whole club or different for every class?
10. Hybrid experience for your members
The software you select should be capable of giving your members access to your in-person and your virtual services seamlessly. Imagine a member, Ron, who comes regularly for a Strength Group Ex class to the club, he is going on vacation for a week. Ron should be able to join this class from his hotel room using live streaming. And on missing the live class, be able to access a recording of the class via their phone as part of an extensive library of on-demand videos.
10. Hybrid experience for your members
The software you select should be capable of giving your members access to your in-person and your virtual services seamlessly. Imagine a member, Ron, who comes regularly for a Strength Group Ex class to the club, he is going on vacation for a week. Ron should be able to join this class from his hotel room using live streaming. And on missing the live class, be able to access a recording of the class via their phone as part of an extensive library of on-demand videos.
But, Also Look Beyond The Features
1. Look at the vendor team – Are they from the industry? Do they have sufficient tech expertise? What are their values? Can they play the role of a trusted advisor for your technology needs and business goals?
2. Pay attention to their customer service – Who leads the team? Have you met them? What does their onboarding process look like? What training requirements will you have? Can the vendor fulfill those? Do they have customer testimonials to back their claims?
3. Switching to new software is always tricky – Purchasing an App is an investment not only in how much you are paying for it, but the time it takes for your staff and members to learn how to use it.
Does the vendor have a clear and frictionless onboarding process to help you do so? Your club or gym does have unique requirements in terms of how your departments function – How will they help you set up your departments on the App? Will they do the customizations you need or find you smart workarounds that are as effective?
4. Check App Ratings and Testimonials – App Ratings on the App and Play stores will tell you how satisfied members are with the App. Plus, check the volume and quality of the testimonials coming from clubs and talk with one or more of them.
5. Is the vendor committed to meeting your current and future needs – Check if this company will meet your future needs as technology evolves at a very fast pace. Ask the question, “Will this App vendor solve my problems not only for today but my future problems as well?”
You can also check if they listen to their customers and add features. An easy way to answer this question is to check how many releases do they do in a year.
6. Study their pricing carefully – What are the one time costs? What are the monthly/annual subscriptions? How often does the vendor revise their pricing? Are they transparent about it on their website? And do they bind you to long-term contracts?
4 Key Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing A Health Club Software
1. Do not get taken in by big names and a slick sales process – Instead of the brand in front of you, focus on who you are and what your goals are. You don’t want to become a part of a story that is not yours. You should keep your requirements front and center. For example, if you are a full-service, multi-location health club, your ideal software should be designed for such and not a gym or a fitness studio.
2. Do not forget to consider the service reputation of the vendor– Do not focus only on features. Ask questions about their onboarding process and ask for that documentation. Also, ask for service standards and relevant client testimonials. Maybe even ask for who are the likely team members who will be the account manager for you when the contract is signed, and whether the vendor offers a dedicated account manager or not.
3. Do not forget that “The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts”– Department heads in a full-service club with many departments, might want to shop around for Apps for their own department. Then you end up with 6-10 different software/apps. With so many apps, not only are you going to incur a lot more spend, but also, be forced to invest much more time onboarding and learning.
More important, you may not realize the relationships between the data: How much data is going to be duplicated and reside in multiple databases? Or how relevant member data will not be available for insights or marketing or promotion just because it is all scattered across multiple applications and different databases.
With one common data set, one onboarding process, and one member experience, you will get the benefit of Aristotle’s adage that “The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts.”
4. Look for depth in the vendor’s solutions – Are they vanilla or are they mature enough to meet your
complex needs? For example, can they accommodate a family’s booking requirements? Do they have safe profiles for children? Is messaging on their platform secure?
Summing Up
Start with being clear about your current tech stack, your goals, and then go for the vendor who meets your requirements, and who has a team you can meet and visualize yourself working with.
SHC meets your desired must-have features and is building new capability to enter Healthcare segments to ensure new revenue streams and new growth pathways for health clubs. SHC also has the flexibility, the team, and service to back up their features.
With a full-stack member-facing solution for health clubs and gyms, SHC is focused on the 2 Rs of Retention and Revenue.
Our specific solutions include, but are not limited to Booking and Attendance, Instructor Substitution and Payroll, On Demand Video, Live Streaming, Fitness Plans, Marketing Campaigns, Purchases, Tennis and Pickleball, and a lot more.
In the old days of enterprise software, in all industries, not just the fitness industry, there were 2-3 top players in a market, and customers had no choice but to choose one. Today you have many options to choose from – you should look beyond the big brands because their solutions may neither be designed for your members nor meet the service standards you expect and deserve.
Today we have 115 clubs using our software. Many of them switched to us from bigger brands because of the limitations of their solutions and service. Rather than looking for the minimum that you need today, look for what is possible and what will be crucial for your club to retain members and generate revenue.
We would love to hear from you about your software requirements. Please reach out to us via our website.
