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Club Management Software

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Archive for June, 2007

Featured Question

Start Up Facility
Posted by Michelle from Pittsburgh, PA, US on June 15, 2007

I am in the development and planning stages for a new facility. I want to make the right choice in club management software, what should I look for?

There are a number of factors to consider when you evaluate club management software solutions. And, the criteria varies depending on the size, scope and requirements of your operation.

At a basic level, however, you should be looking for technology that is strong enough to provide you the performance, scalability and expandability that you need to support your operation and any future growth of your database or your facility. You don’t want to make this buying decision again because you have outgrown the product or it doesn’t perform in your environment. Changing your software provider is not as easy as swapping out a treadmill. Make sure you are getting a strong, secure, expandable, and intuitive technology solution. It may sound like every software provider does the same thing…..make sure you see what is “under the hood” to find the major differences. Don’t settle for less since this decision is pivotal to your bottom line success.

Look for an integrated billing solution since operating your billing separate and apart from the rest of your solution results in operating inefficiencies and poorly managed receivables. If you are interested in using additional software products from the industry for online booking, retention, health/risk assessment etc., make sure your club management solution can interface with these products. The club management software should be the foundation of this type of enterprise solution

What kind of reputation does this provider have from a serviceability and support standpoint? Are they responsive to your needs? And, how well do they understand their client’s needs? Do they have an experienced team of professionals that truly understand your business? Depending on the complexity and unique requirements of your facility, you may want to check their project management, program customization, and product development capabilities.

Finally, you’ll want to be given the option to run your solution through the internet since there are a number of benefits to this method of operation. Check into the options that are provided.


Other Fitness Apps
Posted by Tom from Santa Monica, CA, US on June 15, 2007

What about integrating with other applications for retention, fitness assessment or online scheduling?

The ability for club management software to integrate with external applications should be an important consideration when choosing club management software. These integrations are becoming common requirements, rather than "nice-to-haves". In fact, there are mini-verticals developing within the fitness industry specializing in software addressing fitness assessment, online scheduling, retention, nutrition, and rewards programs.

It's important that you don't operate these applications independent of the club management software; if you do, you run the risk of data duplication and/or inaccuracy. This translates to inefficiency in your operations, which ultimately reduces your bottom line. Club management software should serve as the centralized hub, or foundation, on which all of these applications "bolt on".

Partnering with a club management provider who has integration capabilities and interfaces with these service providers (in addition to other software that may be specific to your club environment) will only add value to your club management software and ultimately, your business.


Room temperature for fitness facility
Posted by Jennifer from Dallas, UT, US on June 10, 2007

What is the best temperature for a fitness room used for both cardio and weight training?

It seems that this particular sparks a lot of debate among owners and operators. However, 68 degrees is the acceptable standard in our industry. I’ve worked on several projects for new facilities where the mechanical engineer will recommend up to 76 degrees. 76 degrees is pretty standard in an office building, but a fitness/health club is a unique environment with many more considerations. Anything over 70 degrees in a cardio/strength area is way too high.


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Pamela Kufahl
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