Muhammad JahanzaibYou probably know how this customer journey goes: a prospect walks into your fitness club, grabs a guest pass, works out for an hour, leaves and never comes back.
The first question you may want to ask is: why didn’t they come back?
But the real first question you should be asking is: did anyone follow up with this prospect?
What many tend to neglect on the business strategy side of gym management, is that fitness facilities are no different than any other client-serving businesses. Marketing and sales operations are crucial for continual growth of your facility and ultimately your business. Especially considering the industry-wide problem of client retention, consistent efforts to acquire new clients is necessary for any club’s success.
What Is A CRM System?
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system helps manage customer data. It supports sales management, delivers actionable insights, integrates with social media and facilitates team communication. Cloud-based CRM systems offer complete mobility and access to an ecosystem of bespoke apps.
Why Do You Need A CRM For Gyms?
So How Has Customer Retention Changed Over The Years?
Technology has expanded people’s expectations of customer service. Today, prospective and current clients expect a personalized experience. A positive interaction with you and your fitness club begins with a first and lasts with a lasting impression.
Many businesses have begun using a CRM system in order to achieve an efficient customer service. For example, many marketers agree that having a CRM with marketing automation tools helps improve the customer’s interaction with your business.
But How Do These CRM Systems Work For Gyms?
How Does A CRM System Benefit Your Business?
Some of the essential functions of a robust CRM system are:
- Online and offline marketing
- Email marketing
- Sales and customer service
- Customer-retention and cross-selling
- Marketing and regular internal communication
- Email scheduling
- Lead management
- Reporting and metrics
- Easy and instant access to customer information
For gym managers or owners who are contemplating their options, here’s a look at a few features a fully-integrated modern CRM requires:
Targeted Advertising
It is crucial that fitness club marketers are able to leverage CRM systems to target their ads to the right audience. And if you have an integrated connected CRM, don’t worry. These systems can handle the needs of local and online marketing.
Automated Email Marketing
Centralized database and automated email marketing is a no-brainer for any CRM solution.
However, these systems often need to be trained and even provide simple templates for success.
An integrated CRM solution has a library of content designed to hit the right emotional notes with prospects. This way you can address concerns and manage customer interactions with a human touch.
Sales And CRM
Regardless of whether you run a Club, Personal Training or any other Service-based business, CRM systems provide sales intelligence and insights.
Knowing which members are doing well or how to attract those clients who haven’t been in for a while can bring in new business.
And even if you don’t see a need for a CRM for gyms, you should still consider it. Because you never know when a new gym you sign up with or manager you hire is going to provide another source of client acquisition.
CRM For Tracking Members
Determining the member profile is crucial, especially if you have an integrated solution or a ready-made platform at your disposal.
CRM for gyms should be built for scalability, too. Your database will evolve as you add new members, and it should be able to keep up.
If you know that the CRM you use will work even as your clientele grows, you don’t have to spend time worrying about a switch, either.
CRM systems should help with a member’s interactions with your facility: their classes and exercises for a more holistic view of their needs, interests, and fit into the community.
Ongoing Customer Service
CRM for gyms should help clubs take care of the little things – like sending emails on the way home asking for their satisfaction and feedback. This is a good way to build loyalty and gratitude of your members.
Then there is the call system that many clubs are set up with. These phone lines are often a massive headache for employees and owners alike.
Integrated CRMs that have the capability to automate more of your customer service communication are a great way to build the connection between your client and your business.
Email Marketing With A Goal-Based Outlook
Businesses with a CRM system can get a good handle on customer behavior and marketing opportunities.
You can identify some of your best clients and the best times of the year to market to them. Additionally, with the information that can be gathered from a CRM solution, you can see where you are doing better and where you could improve.
Having access to this information also helps you personalize your customer outreach. When addressing your clients directly, you can do more than just list the things they like about your business. You can tailor your message based on the information you have on them, too.
Integrated CRMs increase your ability to connect with clients through automated customer engagement and communication, but it’s more than a matter of convenience.
An integrated CRM for your facility brings your marketing, sales, client-tracking, and retention efforts together. This solves many customer-service problems, and it adds convenience for both you and your clients.
It is crucial to consider a CRM system that works in coordination with your goals. For example:
Jut as a fitness club client needs a healthy belonging to find success, the CRM of a fitness club has to accomplish the same: by helping clubs create a healthy connection to their members.
So How Does An Integrated CRM System Work?
Linking CRM Systems To Services
Integrated CRM solutions also pave the way for advanced automation. More advanced automation means a level of communication that would be difficult to achieve without it.
In this case, a CRM tool makes it possible to link all your sales and CRM efforts to automated marketing and awareness efforts. This way, you have automated reports, statuses, and insights that help you and your team have an excellent handle on how your clients react to your outreach efforts.
All-In-One Software
Modern CRM software is not just super-useful, but it’s super-easy to use, too. Integrated CRM software for gyms should unite all the peripheral services you need.
From top-notch business intelligence to superb quality customer support.
All your CRM needs in one place
Modern integrated CRM solutions have become powerful enough to amalgamate all the functions you need into one all-inclusive platform. Not only does it mean faster, better and more advanced options. It also means more convenient options, and assurance of your success, too.
CRM software for gyms is an all-in-one solution to build, grow, and sustain your business.
Now, once you have implemented CRM systems in your club, you may consider software designed specifically for it.
CRM For Gyms
The beauty of integrated CRM tools is that the integrations go beyond the scope of marketing.
For example, they integrate with POS – point of sale – software. That way, when a client buys a new package or takes an additional class, that information is automatically updated in CRM.
CRM options can even integrate with your members’ membership cards and even your call system. These integrations allow CRM to work in your facility seamlessly. Whatever the solution you choose, it should offer these four things:
REALTIME VISIBILITY
Sales and marketing can be complicated. Organizing the data they generate is a real challenge. Segmented reports on each sales category or marketing campaign you undertake can give you clear insights into what’s working and what’s not.
EXPORT AND ANALYTICS
Most CRMs allow you to export and share reports. It’s crucial to be able to export your data and use that data for analytics and to create automated reports.
CLEAR RETENTION CHART
Creating clear retention charts from CRM is a great way to understand your success. This enables you to monitor how your prospects and clients react to various campaigns and business offers.
CLEAN BIDDING
Finally, CRM needs to offer a clean bidding and a user interface. This is crucial for making your CRM responsive, accessible, and intuitive. If your CRM is hard to work with, it’s hard to gain insights.
What CRM For Fitness Club Owners Needs To Have?
As a fitness club owner, you’ve most likely put a lot of effort into making your membership experience a clean, efficient, and pleasant one.
This new generation of CRM tools makes it possible to create this experience with the same care and efficiency.
CRM software for gym owners should be easy to use and intuitive. Just like you, your staff members should be able to find customer data rapidly and accurately.
Our recommendation for a business CRM system for gyms is:
Flexible CRM
The first thing you’ll need to do is get a clear picture of your requirements.
Then you can look for a solution that is flexible enough to meet your needs, it should support your goals, and provide you with a platform to track your progress effectively.
For example, you can track what your clients like the most, and the most effective ways to reach them.
You may want a solution that offers relevant features and provides you with rich insights into your customers and their behavior.
By focusing on these aspects, you can find the most suitable supplier for customers who require reliable, secure and modern communication tools to drive business growth.
A CRM System For The Future
The more advanced your CRM solution, the more advanced your marketing can be.
Recent years have seen an explosion in consumer expectations. Every marketer knows they have to stay plugged in and alert at all times.
In light of increasing regulations and consumer expectations, a CRM system will become not just an asset, but a necessary requirement for your business.
The best CRM for gyms may include these eight essential features :
Prepared For The Future
All new CRM systems need to be flexible and powerful. It should easily connect to third-party devices and applications. For example, your CRM should be prepared for wearables.
It should also be flexible with the latest technology, too. That way, the platform you choose will grow with you and your business.
New And Improved
Even if you don’t know it yet, there may be some new, cool features on your CRM system’s future. These new features could totally up your game and give you a competitive advantage.
Do our research before you make your choice.
A/B Testing Available
This feature lets you test variations of your campaigns and offers. This gives you insight into what people react to, and how it works for your business.
CRM Marketing Campaigns
This is vital if you want to get a clear picture of your clients and how they behave. This feature lets you optimize your campaigns, too.
Automated Sales And Marketing
Automation eliminates the need for resources that don’t add value. This is important in a CRM.
The fact is, most clients don’t need even one personalized message. They still need plenty of them, though. Nobody has the time or resources to make all the personalization necessary.
Automation can help you make more customized messages to your clients, and that, in turn, will enhance your services.
A Two-Way Communication Tool
The best CRM for gyms will be a two-way platform. It’s easier to make the deal with a communication tool for gyms that allows for two ways of communication.
This includes text messages, image messages, push notifications and email notifications. In the end, CRM is not something only for sales, it’s also for solid customer support.
Solid Customer Service
A CRM solution should allow your staff to communicate with your followers. This way, you can provide people the information they need, include invites, and they can make a reservation, request support for a class, and so on.
This can be the start of engagement and a two-way conversation with clients.
Access From Anywhere
Being able to access your CRM system even when you are out is essential when you are on the go. This is important because you could miss out on classtime reservations. You could also not be able to make a timely decision on a client who needs your support.
Create Personalized Messages
Personalising messages makes customers feel special. They want to feel like their needs matter. And you want to do everything you can to help them stay with you and come back.
The best CRM for gyms should allow you to create customized messages for everyone. Make sure you allow people to choose their favorite ways of communication. And you should let your clients pick from a variety of options, too.
Some other features to consider for CRM for gyms
- CRM for small companies
- CRM for gyms should be easy to use
- Customer support
- Segmented data
- Activity streams
- Multiple users
- Automated tracking
As technology advances, our expectations of it change.
As such, CRM systems for gyms need to keep up with the latest consumer trends.
This is because we’re all used to seeing products and services that make our lives better.
User experience is everything today. Modern CRM software for gyms has to offer rich, interactive content, smooth and fluid navigation and ease of use.
Your customer should be able to book classes, get info on offers, view recent articles, and get relevant content without any difficulties.
Customer Support For CRM For Gyms
Customer service is a critical aspect-more so than ever before. Because of the high competition in the gyms industry, consumers have a multitude of options to choose from. A single customer could decide to jump ship very quickly, if he or she feels heart.
According to a report by IEA market research firm, online fitness programs are the future of the fitness industry, but that trend has been on the rise for a while.
Recent years have seen a major shift in the way we train, and our expectations are only growing. Customer service for gyms is just as important as marketing and sales for gyms. And it is this customer service that will set you apart from the crowd.
With the right CRM software for gyms, you will get an edge on your fellow fitness clubs, and you will have the resources to provide better, more personalized services and offer your customers a better customer experience.
When you have the right CRM for your fitness business, you will have:
- Lower customer attrition
- Better sales
- More business
- Easier management
Whether you’re a new fitness hub or a successful fitness chain, you want to be as easy and convenient for your clients as possible and generate more revenue.
That’s why it is so crucial for gyms to make the right technology choices.
