With the recent rise in COVID 19 cases and the new stricter measures in place, some of your members may, understandably be feeling anxious about coming into the club, so it’s more important than ever to put measures in place that give your members confidence and help them to feel comfortable about visiting and keeping up their fitness routine. Here are 5 ways to help you encourage your members back into your club with confidence.
1. Reassure Your Members Through Effective Communication of Safety Protocols
This is really stating the obvious, however, the importance of this step cannot be underestimated. It is critical that your members are aware of the safety protocols and ramped up hygiene efforts that you have implemented, to allow your members to work out in a safe, socially distanced environment.
A great way to do this is by filming a short video tour of your facility, which could show your members where the hand sanitiser stations are, the reorganised gym floor, the one-way system etc. By providing members with visibility of the changes and measures you have put in place, they will naturally feel more confident about coming into the club.
Whilst video is an extremely effective method for communicating the changes to your members, email should not be overlooked. As you know, the situation with COVID 19 is ever evolving, even in the last couple of weeks there have been updates around rules and restrictions so we recommend sending regular weekly update emails to your members, reiterating the latest advice and also using it as an opportunity to reinforce the benefits of exercise for staying healthy.
Social media is also a great channel in which to keep up that line of communication with your members. Try posting images that show members (with consent) working out in your facility, showcasing the socially distanced, safe environment that you’ve created for them. This provides a double benefit, social proof and reassurance.
It’s also important to remember that as human beings, we are not fans of change, we are creatures of habit so while there may be members that are reluctant to come to the club due to fear of mixing with others and catching COVID, there will also be members that are simply avoiding it due to not being sure of how the club is now operating, they may not know how to check in, or what processes to follow when they arrive, therefore communication really does play a crucial role in encouraging members back into the club with confidence.
2. Provide Members with Club Capacity Insight
By providing your members with visibility of club capacity, you are empowering them to make an informed decision as to when they visit the club. The most effective way to provide this information is through a member app, as this gives them full insight at their fingertips.
The FitSense Member App provides this feature and shows members how busy the club is in both real time and over the last 7 days, in one tap, so members are able to see capacity trends over time as well as a snapshot of how busy the club is right now.
Amazing app, really easy to use, I love how you can see if the gym will be fully booked or not!
Amy, Gym Member
3. Allow Members to Book Their Gym Visits in Advance
Mobile slot booking provides members with assurance that when they block out time to exercise, they will be able to gain instant access to the gym. Not only does this provide you with total control over the number of members in your club at any one time, helping ensure you adhere to social distancing guidelines and hygiene regulations, but also provides members with confidence that they will not be required to wait around when they arrive, can jump straight into their session and enjoy a safe environment in which to exercise.
This slot booking functionality is built right into the FitSense Member App. Clubs can set start times, duration, and capacity of slots. One of the key benefits of the FitSense Book a Visit feature is that it prevents entry to the club without a valid booking, automating the entire process so club owners/managers do not even have to think about it. When the member books their slot through FitSense, they receive a mobile notification just before their booking starts, and once they arrive at the club, they can gain instant access. This leads us nicely onto the next point – providing a contactless check in experience.
4. Provide Contactless Check In
Low touch digital solutions are playing a pivotal role in getting the fitness industry back on its feet and encouraging members back into clubs, and contactless check-in is no exception.
Providing members with a quick, contactless, self-check in solution is instrumental in keeping members safe and minimising the spread of germs at your facility. Members do not want to be hanging around at reception in queues or entering pin numbers into a keypad, which happen to be breeding grounds for germs. Instead, they want a fast, easy, hygienic solution that will not let them down. A perfect example of such a solution is Mobile QR Code Check In, which enables members to use their own personal mobile phones to gain access to the club by simply scanning the QR code upon entry.
Mobile QR code check-in is integrated into the FitSense Member App. Once the member has checked in, they can see any check in messages from the club, as well as their visits goal and how close they are to achieving that.
These are just some of the ways you can help to encourage members back into the club with confidence. Let us know in the comments if you have any other suggestions that will help our club community!
For more information on any of the features discusses in this blog, email [email protected] or call us on 01844 348300. Alternatively, visit our website www.clubwise.com