features
Tech: Smooth service
We asked some of the biggest names in health club management software to share their predictions for the future
Sean Maguire,
MD,
Legend
What makes you different?
We have a single, purpose-built SaaS platform and we’re putting more of our revenue back into the product than pretty much anyone else, which means a huge, continuous investment in R&D.
We work closely with operators and it’s all about engaging with them and developing further ways to help them.
Benefits include more powerful automation and helping them reduce the amount to time it takes to complete tasks in areas such as information security and GDPR. Our customers’ success through efficiency equals good business for all.
Tell us about your most recent updates?
We produce a full feature release every six weeks. One recent addition is a powerful new document management function that is available to all our customers through our free upgrades. This allows them to go paperless, including scanning old paper records and enabling consumers to upload their own documents.
What new features are you currently working on?
We’ve developed some fantastic new customer journeys that address each touch point between leisure operators and consumers. It’s about improving a business incrementally by removing friction points and means operators can reach sophisticated standards of digital marketing and e-commerce without having to invest in third-party expertise or in-house specialists.
If you can get the right product to the right consumer segment, and provide a quality online or app experience – a frictionless journey – then consumers will stay longer and buy more and they’ll tell their friends.
What trends are you observing?
I think the trend for more openness of systems and more dynamism has huge potential for leisure operators.
There are some amazing, pioneering advances happening – in facial recognition software, the adoption of self service kiosks and marketing on social media, especially by budget operators. The focus on outcomes for consumers and the standard of data outputs and analysis are also exciting.
"There are some amazing, pioneering advances happening – facial recognition, self service
and the focus on customer outcomes" - Sean Maguire MD, Legend
Leonie Wileman,
COO,
Premier Software
What’s new at Premier?
Premier recently launched Online – a completely customisable web-suite which integrates directly with the company’s Core sytem and ensures businesses can remain open and trading 24/7.
In response to the new data protection laws that came into force in May, we’ve released a free update to ensure clients have the tools to remain GDPR compliant: from opt-in marketing fields, compliant client consultation forms complete with date and time-stamped e-signatures, through to easy data export deletion.
What are you working on?
One of the most challenging yet rewarding projects we’ve been involved with recently is the development of software for the Haulfryn group.
Initially looking for a booking and membership control system for their leisure and spa facilities, it became clear they required a more extensive solution. A bespoke system was developed to include communication between holiday-booking channels and our Core system. It includes cashless payment for guests on-site, as well as access control and an improved online booking service.
What’s the key to making health club management software user friendly?
As the client journey changes, it’s important for software to continue to adapt to ensure a seamless service. This could be achieved through online booking, enabling clients to book at a time that suits them; through tablet booking points which are placed around the health club, removing the need for customers to wait at reception; or the ability to take payment from anywhere in the building, thanks to wireless PDQs.
Software shouldn’t be a conscious focus for operators, but should simply work in the background, ensuring health clubs operate efficiently and – importantly – that clients have access to the facilities they need, when they need them.
"Software shouldn’t be a conscious focus, but should simply work in the background, ensuring health clubs operate efficiently" - Leonie Wileman COO, Premier Software
Software news
Mindbody report reveals consumer interest in fit tech
Business management software company Mindbody’s latest insight report highlights the adoption of technology in the fitness industry, with almost half (49 per cent) of all customers saying it plays a role in their fitness routine.
Based on data from almost 70,000 UK businesses in the wellness sector, along with Mindbody’s own consumer data, and research on 2,000 UK adults, the consumer research outlines key findings in the wellness and fitness industries, including the importance of flexibility, the desire to combine spirituality with fitness regimes, and the interest in integrating technology into exercise routines.
Mindbody’s data showed a 50/50 split between those who value technology in their fitness routine versus those who don’t, with almost a quarter (23 per cent) of millennials claiming technology helps them to stay motivated. Technology adoption was most prominent in the yoga and pilates industry, where over one in five people (23 per cent) said that technology improved their access to classes; and for business owners, data showed that of the top performing customers, 93 per cent had introduced online and app bookings.
Software news
Exerp lets customers make decisions based on data
Danish club management software provider Exerp’s new on-demand data warehouse will allow operators to analyse hundreds of millions of data points at a time.
Launching soon, the data warehouse will simplify data reports and allow operators to fuel their AI processes to gain critical insights into their members’ behaviour.
“Our data warehouse is designed for large-scale fitness operators who want to make strategic data-based decisions on how to optimise and grow their businesses,” says Exerp CEO Rémi Nodet.
“Questions such as how effective was their last digital marketing campaign and how can they optimise staffing during opening hours?
“With this feature, operators can easily find the answers to those critical questions.”
Based on Amazon’s Redshift platform, the data warehouse allows operators to extract business intelligence and run large-scale queries on hundreds of millions of data points at a time. ?
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