Guide to Gym Member Management Software

Whether you’re running a large-scale gym or simply a small yoga studio from your home, there are plenty of tools to make your life easier. Gym member management software can help to streamline your business, automating processes to save you time and money so that you can focus on what’s important.

But what is the best gym management software? And what should you be looking for when you’re trying to decide on member management software for gyms? There are a number of different factors that you should consider when making this decision. Keep reading to find out more about the different features that are available.

Why should you use member management software for gyms?

Lots of owners of gyms and other fitness studios wonder why this kind of gym management system is necessary. Sure, you can do all of your administration manually, but there are a number of benefits to choosing automation to keep track of your memberships. These include:

• It’s much quicker to use software than to enter information manually, which saves you time.

• When you use software, there’s a lower chance of human error.

• Thanks to encryption technology, gym member management software can keep your clients’ data secure.

• Users can enjoy a better interface for booking classes or changing their membership, which can boostcustomer satisfaction.

• Payments can be made easier using software. For example, you can use a Direct Debit specialist like GoCardless to automatically collect payments from your customers on the due date, following an initial setup process in which customers provide authorisation.

While it may cost you subscription fees, finding the right gym management system can actually save you money in many other areas. It also brings a variety of other benefits, so it’s well worth considering for all kinds of fitness businesses.

What features are important for the gym management software?

So you’ve decided to go for it, but what is the best gym management software? The answer will depend on the specifics of your business, but there are certain important features that you should look out for when comparing different options. Some of these features include:

• Scheduling features that will allow your members to book classes and appointments, and staff to schedule events and classes. Glofox, a GoCardless partner, allows you to seamlessly manage bookings and payments online. 

• The possibility to introduce loyalty programmes that allow customers to earn points and benefits through repeated use of your services.

• Financial reporting and integration with your accounting software. Ideally, your gym member management software will display important figures such as your monthly sales and revenue. Another GoCardless partner, TeamUp, enables you to automate repetitive accounting tasks like billing, receipts, and instructor payroll.

• The possibility for data analysis, allowing you to examine customer trends such as attendance and retention. PerfectGym, for example, provides advanced analytics and reporting that you may be able to leverage to maximize your gym's retention rate.

• Health management features for your customers, such as diet trackers and exercise targets. 

• Integrated payment processing that allows your customers to seamlessly pay within the same portal that they book classes and update their membership.

These are just some of the possible features in gym management software, and there may be many more that are suited to the specific needs of your business.

How to decide on the best gym management software

Now that you know about all the available features in gym management software, how do you decide which is the right choice for your business? First of all, you’ll need to take a close look at your company and decide exactly what you need from this software. For example, if you’re trying to build your customer relationships, then a loyalty scheme should be a priority.

Once you’ve got a good idea of what you’re looking for, you can compare options to see which one best suits your needs. Of course, price also comes into play, and some gym management software is more budget friendly than others.

We can help

GoCardless is a global payments solution that helps you automate payment collection, cutting down on the amount of financial admin your team needs to deal with. Find out how GoCardless can help you with one-off or recurring payments.