For hotels, restaurants, discos, and gyms too, the year 2020 was the worst. Being considered particularly risky for COVID-19 contagion, the latter, together with swimming pools, were in fact among the first businesses to be closed. What happened last spring is unfortunately being repeated in these weeks of autumn, with fitness centers once again called upon to make a sacrifice. The only thing to do is to look forward to reopening, therefore thinking about how to organize the gym in order to make it safer, more protected, and to optimize business on a daily basis. In this sense, digitization is satisfying the needs of gyms looking for solutions: think for example of live streaming of sporting events experimented in March and April, as well as booking of courses via apps, very much appreciated by users who can thus be sure to avoid crowds.
Why digitize gyms?
It is a new management system for gyms; an access control system; an app for booking equipment; a digital archive to speed up work at the reception. Why is it necessary to digitize fitness centers, especially now? First of all, to increase the number of members. At first there were the Millennials, accustomed by their very nature to knowing, evaluating, reviewing, booking and paying for everything online, including gym memberships. However, they were joined by many other potential customers, looking for safer access to exercise facilities: after the lockdown experience, many people started looking for information directly online, found various services on websites, signed up for courses via app, and so on. But that’s not all: we must not forget that, at the business level, digitization is always synonymous with savings in operating costs. Just think, for example, how much software for the management of gyms can speed up reception tasks and the possibility to reorganize staff shifts in a more intelligent way by also introducing the installation of self-service tills for payments, for new memberships or for service integrations.
How to digitize gyms in view of the restart
Software for managing gyms is only the first step for effective management of fitness centers. When you can count on a cloud-based management system for sports centers, in fact, it becomes possible to bring about great innovation throughout the facility. For instance, you can finally effectively automate control at entrances, avoiding the common problem of members coming at the wrong time. In addition, it becomes possible to give members the chance to book different rooms and courses, with possible targeted promotions. Think about new memberships: how convenient could it be to solve the whole bureaucratic process of joining the gym if the new member could just swipe his health card? There are numerous possible solutions to make a gym’s procedures smarter, better organized and safer: the important thing is to be able to count on a reliable and competent technological partner.
