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the membership joining process as well as issuing membership cards, is once again provided by Clarity Commerce. Anson explains: “With FitSpace, we’ve again adapted our expertise to produce an automated solution that reduces the admin burden and the need for staff at front desk. It’s the same concept as for leisure centres and cinemas, but with a signifi cantly reduced range of services and a much higher focus on membership process automation.”

seamless service

Fitness4Less is another of the low-cost clubs but, unlike FitSpace, they still operate a staffed service approach at club reception. Director Emma Edwards says: “Automation at member check-in has always been a critical requirement for our clubs. However, unlike a low-cost airline, because members use the club several times a week, there’s something positive about seeing a familiar face at check-in, even if staff are just monitoring rather than attending. They’re there to help if needed. “Simplicity and speed are key

watch-words that we’ve tried to apply throughout. In looking at the membership joining process, we’ve

Fitness4Less uses Fiserv’s software to run an automated check-in, but with staff still behind reception to assist members if necessary

deliberately cut out the interrogation of new members regarding goals and objectives, experience and fi tness. We felt this process was often a signifi cant barrier to joining a health club, as well as taking an inordinate amount of time to complete. With Fitness4Less, it’s a matter of basic details and direct debit, then off you go.” The check-in and club management

solution used at Fitness4Less is provided by Fiserv. “Club operators can easily set up our software to run member check-in either as an automated, unattended process or as an attended one,” says James Barter, senior projects manager, Club Solutions, Fiserv. “The unattended option checks the

member in automatically, whereas the attended check-in requires a staff person to meet and greet the member and attend to their pre-booked courses or appointments. As is the case at Fitness4Less, though, there’s always the option for the software to run in unattended mode and for

“THERE’S SOMETHING POSITIVE ABOUT SEEING A FAMILIAR FACE AT CHECK-IN, EVEN IF STAFF ARE JUST MONITORING”

50 Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital

the member’s status still to be visible to them on a screen fi xed onto the turnstile when they check in. ”With regard to automating the

membership joining process, we’ve gone to great lengths to develop a seamless relationship with billing providers so members are able to join online, with their data seamlessly passed straight into the member database. In the case of Fitness4Less, the direct debit billing provider is Harlands Group, and the automation achieved with the joining process means there’s no manual data entry by staff at all.”

added extra support

But while many software providers have automation capabilities in membership check-in, there are still good arguments for a personal ‘meet and greet’ service when a member visits their health club. Bianca Boone, sales director for

management software provider Go Figure, Inc., says: “Automation options are built into the iGo Figure software, but many of our 8,000 clients worldwide still feel very strongly about personal contact at member check-in. “iGo fi gure is able to track a huge

range of member activities which can be fl agged when a member checks in, and that a member of staff can pick up on. For example, personalised greetings to address each member, such as ‘happy birthday, Mr Member’ or ‘did you have a nice holiday, Mr Member?’ Alternatively, employees can be alerted to special

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