Running more than 200 group exercise classes across three sites every week presents challenges, especially when superstar instructors fall ill or take a holiday. Stephen Turner, Director for the Reynolds Group, a seasoned professional with experience across public, private and golf hospitality, understands these challenges only too well.

“A stretch class is never a great alternative for yoga and we would consistently receive complaints when our specialist freelance instructors had to be substituted by our employed instructors,” says Turner.

After adopting CoverMe, a digital platform that simplifies group exercise management for clubs and instructors, these complaints became a thing of the past.

“Finding cover was a daily issue; taking up a significant amount of admin time – approximately 24-hours a week across our three sites. Since introducing CoverMe in November 2023, we haven’t had a single complaint about group exercise. The technology has allowed us to restructure so individual clubs are responsible for finding their own cover, which has saved valuable time and resources,” says Turner.

Ellie Morgan, Head of Fitness and Group Exercise, previously spent 40 hours each week managing group exercise across the group. With the introduction of CoverMe, she now enjoys a more member-facing role, teaching an additional eight hours of classes on-shift, overseeing fitness and group exercise and helping to grow the business.

“As a result of the restructure, we’ve made savings of around £28,000, which we are reinvesting in member services, such as adding new classes,” he says.

CoverMe revolutionises the way fitness professionals manage group exercise classes, providing the ability to source the best freelance exercise instructors in just three steps and less than 30 seconds.

Turner highlights the app’s impact during one of the most operationally challenging times of the year between Christmas and New Year.

“We used CoverMe to find an instructor to take a holistic class at The Retreat, where our Day Pass costs £65 per guest. Two members of the public paid to trial the club. They took the class and both converted to full membership because of the fantastic experience they’d received. That’s two 12-month memberships paid in full generating £2,600, which demonstrates the return on investment CoverMe is generating across all departments.”

Easily accessible and all in one place

Prior to CoverMe, the Reynolds Group managed the process of finding cover manually using different WhatsApp groups for each site. Turner says: “CoverMe is the only thing we now use for finding cover instructors. It’s compulsory and will be part of the self-employed agreement going forwards because it’s so great for organisation and compliance, as well as networking and clearer communication. Previously I would have to read about 40 WhatsApp messages to work out who was covering a class. With CoverMe I don’t have to do that.

“Everything is in one place and easily accessible. Being able to cross reference class cover with the relevant invoices streamlines our procedures and ensures the accounts are correct, which is fantastic.”

The app’s unique QR code system enables instructors to scan in at the club, so managers can track who is in the building. It produces class cover reports and generates automatic, accurate invoices to save further time and administration, and can also be used to find new permanent instructors to take group exercise classes, something the Reynolds Group has successfully achieved.

CoverMe’s Chief Operating Officer and the app’s onboarding manager facilitated a smooth integration process for the Reynolds Group. Turner explains: “The team ensured that both management and instructors were comfortable using the app. There were some minor teething issues, especially among instructors less confident using new technology, but with Beverlee and Edith’s support we easily overcame these.”

Now fully operational, the app has reduced the burden on general managers and front of house teams and has also allowed employed staff to earn additional income.

“Staff are more happy to volunteer to take regular classes off-shift, knowing if they are ill or something comes up, they can easily find class cover,” says Turner.

Desktop version helps present more professional front

CoverMe has also improved communication and workflow for the customer-facing teams. Turner says: “The solution has improved the team’s confidence dealing with member enquiries. The desktop version means staff aren’t glued to their phones on WhatsApp, while reception staff can easily see what’s going on and reassure members about who’s covering a class.
 
“We still have to make some last-minute cancellations, but since launching the app we’ve covered approximately 80% more classes than normal, and haven’t had to deal with any escalated complaints. I would recommend the app to operators managing employed and freelance instructors who are bogged down with messages, cover requests and group chats. It’s great for your network to be in one place.”

Despite initial concerns about losing instructors to other clubs, the opposite has been true.
“Instructors have referred the CoverMe app to other clubs they work with because it makes their lives so much easier, which simply broadens our network of instructors. Our freelance instructors work for themselves, but we treat them well so they are very loyal,” says Turner.

“CoverMe has more than lived up to our expectations. It has improved the work-life balance of management and instructors, both employed and self-employed, helping them as much as us. We’ve said goodbye to Excel call lists and hello to digital and a brand-new community of likeminded clubs and instructors. It’s a solution-based app that does exactly what it says on the tin, and if I ever move companies it would be one of the first things I would take with me.”