BOOKING SYSTEMS
Gladstone’s Connect system can apply a £2 fine for no-shows
base to 16.5 million people, while a partnership with O2 means users get a priority message when they are near a registered gym. This year a new mobile site is being launched and the concept is being expanded overseas.
GYMSYNC Brand new GymSync is a package that’s currently being trialled by a handful of independent health clubs in the UK. It’s self-managed by the gym and operates in real time: clubs input their own timetable and the system integrates with live bookings. GymSync publishes timetables online
and enables people to book into classes, put themselves on a reserve list and if necessary cancel their place. In the event of a cancellation, the next person on the reserve list automatically receives a notification, making booking into busy classes much easier. The system works via a free app on
smartphones; if people don’t have a smartphone, they can log in via the GymSync website and complete the process by email. The system also sends out reminders about the class and, if the instructor needs to cancel for some reason, this can be done instantaneously via a text box. Payment can’t yet be taken, but there are plans to add this facility at a later date. Subscription to the service costs £30
per club per month. For operators, the benefit is that classes will be as full – and therefore as profitable – as possible. There’s also a reporting tool that can help measure the profitability of classes and inform timetabling.
CLOCKSUSHI ClockSushi offers a booking system on a subscription basis for £49 a month per club, where people can book and pay online. It sends out confirmation emails and SMS reminders about the class.
The system can also be run with
a POS till, so the website links with bookings taken on reception. A number of new features are currently in the development pipeline, including a reserve list.
BOOKING BUG Booking Bug is a cloud-based booking system for clubs, meaning that the availability is always live, whether being viewed by admin or by clients looking for a class online. For a monthly fee, Booking Bug
enables online bookings to be taken and paid for, and sends out automated confirmations via email and SMS. The appearance of the booking page can be customised to look like the fitness club’s own website, and an app can be run alongside it. Of further interest to operators,
Booking Bug offers integrated marketing tools to develop and disseminate online and mobile marketing communications, and can administer promotions, offers, discounts and daily deals. There are also reporting tools to analyse data. Prices start at £14.95 a month for
personal trainers, rising to £49.95 for larger businesses with up to 20
‘resources’ – such as swimming pool, gym, sports courts, etc.
GLADSTONE Gladstone’s online booking module, Connect, works in real time with Gladstone’s Plus2 leisure management software, enabling customers to view, book and pay for classes, sports courts and courses, amend reservations, manage and renew memberships and sign up for direct debit. Gladstone also offers an iPhone
ClockSushi can link online bookings with a POS system
52
booking app, allowing members to make bookings that can also link
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
Booking Bug page can be made to look like a club’s own website
to Facebook, allowing them to tell their friends what activity they have booked and where. Many Gladstone customers have
installed kiosks on-site to act in lieu of – or in addition to – reception. These kiosks also allow visitors to book sessions and buy money-saving multi-class packages. Tickets can also be collected from the kiosks for class bookings made online at home. Connect also has a ‘dishonoured
bookings’ functionality, introducing a £2 fine for no-shows. When South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture introduced this, it led to a reduction in no-shows of around 35 per cent.
BIG WAVE APP Big Wave Media has created an app that can be tailored for each facility, showing timetables and enabling class booking. Simon Beer, head of PR and digital services at Big Wave Media, says most operators are using this as a value-added service rather than charging for the app. Big Wave Media charges a monthly fee
of £225 for one facility; multiple sites get a discounted rate per site. As part of the package, there is an analytics suite, allowing operators to see how many people opened the app, viewed the timetable or booked a class. ●
April 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
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