More and more fitness centers are switching to computerized management systems. Some even go as far as letting members access their data from the cloud and offering the ability to synchronize data from fitness apps for a more comprehensive management. There are plenty of solutions that make the process of taking your fitness center into the digital age much easier.
Before you start choosing the right solution for your gym and its members, however, there are a few things you need to understand first. Taking your fitness center into the digital age is something that can be done easily once you have covered all of the basics.
Immense Benefits
There are a number of advantages that cloud or computerized fitness center management solutions currently offer. For starters, you can manage every part of your operations from one console or administrative panel. Keeping up with membership payments, scheduling classes, and even managing inventories and supplies can be done easily with the system up and running.
The benefits are also there for the customers to enjoy. As mentioned before, members can check their membership status, book classes or personal trainers, and complete other tasks easily using nothing but a web browser. It is even better if the system allows members to upload data from their fitness tracking apps since the information can help PTs pay closer attention to their members.
On top of that, there are marketing benefits to enjoy. Having a comprehensive portal will attract more users, especially those who are tech-savvy and want to stay connected. You can even invest in your own mobile fitness tracking app, complete with integration with the fitness center management system.
Information Security
One of the most important aspects to review before you start implementing a computerized fitness center management system is data security. You’ll be storing sensitive member information in the system, so you really can’t be too careful when it comes to protecting essential details.
Start by establishing a secure environment for the system to run on. If it’s a cloud-based system, make sure the cloud server is equipped with proper security measures such as SSL security and security software suite protecting the main computer or server.
Data loss is another risk to anticipate. Make sure consumer data is backed up regularly, either to a remote server or an offline storage device. You can set up RAID 1 on the main server for maximum protection; use a server RAID calculator to determine the number of hard drives you need.
A Marketing Opportunity
We’ve mentioned how moving to a computerized fitness center management system is a great marketing opportunity. Before you begin the implementation project, be sure to have a good marketing campaign to go along with the project.
You can take members on the journey with you. Share behind-the-scene videos and stories and let existing members, as well as potential customers, know the key features and details about the system before it is actually launched. Build anticipation and excitement around the fact that you’re taking the fitness center into the digital age.
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