Health clubs and gyms throughout the country offer their members a wealth of programs and activities to help them reach their goals and fullest potential. Like other service-based businesses, they rely on accurate scheduling for many of these programs, such as personal-training sessions, aerobics and spinning classes. From setting session times to booking rooms for club activities, an efficient system for managing the day-to-day scheduling at these facilities is important and can mean the difference between a well-run operation and one flustered by its scheduling challenges.
Fortunately, health club and gym operators have options for improving their scheduling processes. One popular one that athletic facilities nationwide are turning to is online scheduling software.
Some readers may be thinking, “Booking an appointment time with a member or scheduling a room for a gym activity is an easy task. Why would a gym need to focus any time on this or incorporate software into their operations?”
The reason is simple: Traditional methods of scheduling and booking appointments-such as taking appointments by phone and writing them down in a paper appointment book-are tedious, time-consuming and, in some instances, expensive. Additionally, they can also be inconvenient to members wishing to book their sessions or activities during non-business hours or manage their schedules online.
Even electronic calendars popular with some business operations, such as those offered by Google and Microsoft, lack the functionality to truly automate the entire scheduling process. To accomplish this, the best option for health club and gym operators is appointment scheduling software.
DEFINING WEB APPOINTMENT SOFTWARE
• Online member self-scheduling. This feature allows members to schedule and manage their appointments and sessions online at their own convenience. All that’s needed is an Internet connection.
• Automated e-mail and text message reminders. Sent automatically, these reminders can reduce the number of “no-shows” by over 50 percent. Members also enjoy receiving them prior to their scheduled appointments or sessions.
• Record-keeping and reports. Web appointment software makes it easy to access member information and create reports. Some systems offer standard reports that only require a few clicks of the mouse to download and view.
• E-marketing capabilities. Health clubs and gyms oftentimes send members information on upcoming events, specials, discounts and other relevant news. They can utilize online appointment software to easily create a mailing list of client e-mail addresses, as well as include a button or banner link in the marketing piece that directs the reader to their scheduler.
• Online payment options. Members that schedule their session or activities online may also wish to pay for them at the same time. Some online schedule software providers give them the ability to quickly and securely make payments through the scheduler.
BENEFITS TO HEALTH CLUBS AND GYMS
Health clubs and gyms that incorporate Web appointment software into their operations can expect to see positive changes to their appointment and booking procedures. This can include:
• Time and monetary savings. Giving members the option of scheduling and managing their sessions and appointments online can result in fewer phone calls and e-mail from them. This will free up staff and trainers to focus on more important tasks. In some instances, it could even result in more training sessions scheduled per day.
• Fewer “no-shows.” Missed sessions are not only frustrating, they can also cut into a health club or gym’s operating revenue. Additionally, they waste valuable time slots that other members could have scheduled their sessions in. Automated reminder e-mails and text messages can significantly reduce these.
• Member convenience. More and more health club clients conduct their daily activities online, including scheduling appointments. Most will appreciate this benefit of scheduling and managing their workout sessions and other activities when it’s best for them, not just during business hours.
• Automating the entire scheduling process. From start to finish, a good appointment-scheduling software system can automate a health club or gym’s scheduling procedures. This means less time spent on scheduling sessions and more time with your members.
Scheduling and managing appointments and sessions is probably not the most exciting part of operating a health club or gym. But it is an important task that needs to be done accurately. Thanks to online schedule software, these facilities are getting their appointment scheduling procedures in shape by turning in their paper appointment books and electronic calendars for robust appointment scheduling software.
Eric Richard is the public relations specialist for Appointment-Plus, an online appointment scheduling system that has booked over 50 million appointments and reservations since its launch in 2001. Over 4,000 businesses throughout the United States, Canada and 10 other countries rely on the software for such tasks as online appointment scheduling, booking rooms, facilities and equipment, accepting online payments, sending reminders, and e-marketing. Its developer is StormSource Software, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based technology firm specializing in the development of online appointment software for a wide variety of applications and industries.
