blog

Correspondence and Mail Merge

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:57:43 -0800

Communication is at the core of every relationship. To develop a rapport with your members, it is important that you have positive interactions with them on a regular basis. Clubware 2.0 has a suite of correspondence tools that simplify the process of communicating with your members, whether it is individually or en masse.

You cannot underestimate the power of personalization. Your members would appreciate even something as simple as being addressed with their first name. You can send e-mails to individual members quickly from the Clubware 2.0 member screen. For bulk messages, you can still customize letters and e-mails using the mail merge feature. Mail merges allow you to send your message to an unlimited number of recipients, ensuring that each member receives the same information with their appropriate contact details.

Communication at the different stages of your client’s membership ensures that they remain engaged. A welcome letter is quite customary for new members and this should be supplemented with follow-up messages at set intervals. The Clubware 2.0 Correspondence templates make sending routine e-mails convenient for you. With a template set-up, you can be assured that your members receive all the necessary information no matter who is sending out the message.

Keeping track of the desired contact points with members is not as demanding as you would imagine. You can instantly add follow-up activities to your diary to match your correspondence and prompt your staff to action. A notification can be set to appear when the member scans in, to indicate that they have an activity due in the coming days. The activity will also be visible to the assigned staff member on the Activities screen and the My Workday screen. This helps your staff organise their workload and stay on top of their member contact duties.

Consistency is key. In the Clubware Correspondence Designer you can insert your logo, add your club details, format text, add bullet points, design tables and add images. This allows you to maintain a professional look with coherent branding throughout all your correspondence, including written letters, e-mails and SMS.

Establishing enduring relationships with your members is essential for building a successful health club. Creating opportunities for positive interactions with your members needs to be supported by an integrated communications strategy. This could very well be what sets you apart from the competition.

First Class Support from the Clubware Team

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:30:00 -0800

A recent Clubware 2.0 Client Survey in New Zealand found that 96% of respondents were pleased with the Clubware Support team’s service, providing the team with an overall rating of Good or Excellent. For 42% of respondents, phone calls were answered in 2 minutes on average and in less than 3 minutes on average for 73% of respondents. Where e-mails or voicemail messages were left, these were generally responded to within one day.

The Clubware Support team is central to ensuring that all Clubware users receive the assistance they need on a day to day basis, allowing health clubs to continuously provide their members with an outstanding experience.

Melanie from t.rok Fitness appreciates the fact that she can always turn to the Clubware Support team if she has any questions. “They can take over from where you are and fix the issues right then and there! Now that is great.”

As a comprehensive facility management software, clients have the highest expectations of Clubware. Anaru from Gold’s Health & Fitness realises that the premium product is only strengthened by the Support team’s performance. “It’s great to deal with a local team with a friendly support line”.

Overall, we were thrilled to learn that 96% of respondents would recommend Clubware to another facility. The most valued aspects of Clubware 2.0 are its ease of use, the ongoing support provided, synchronization with Debitsuccess billing, convenient access to Member data and Scheduled reporting. It is also recognised that there are some areas which need to be refined as part of the development process.

We would like to thank all Clubware clients who participated in the survey. Your feedback has been valuable and we are committed to enhancing Clubware along with all of its associated services to ensure that they meet your dynamic requirements.

After the flood, Genesis Fitness in Jindalee gets back to business – bigger and better than ever

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:36:40 -0700

It was Tuesday, 11 January 2011, in the Brisbane city suburb of Jindalee. The Brisbane River had been swelling for days, and was threatening to flood the city.

As the river finally broke its banks, the staff at Genesis Fitness Centre in Sinnamon Road knew they had to evacuate. They decided they had better relocate the 21 new treadmills that had been delivered that day to the second floor of their gym, where they would be safe.

Little did they know that the flood would be one of the worst in the city’s history. 24 hours later, the first floor, the second floor, and almost half of the third floor of their establishment were underwater – along with all their new equipment.

“It was one of those things you wouldn’t imagine in your worst nightmares,” says General Manager of Genesis Jindalee, Anthony Ikin.

“Most of our staff live right in the nearby areas and had families that needed to be evacuated. We just got out of there and hoped for the best.”

It quickly became evident that the damage was going to be substantial. Anthony’s parents’ two-storey house, which is not far from the gym, was completely submerged in the flood waters. They, like Genesis Jindalee and so many other Brisbane businesses, lost everything.

Three days after the flood, the waters had subsided enough for Anthony and his staff to get back inside the building and survey the damage. The scene that met them was unforgettable.

“There was mud and silt everywhere, along with a horrible smell,” says Anthony. “But the building itself was still standing and the walls were fine, so we just had to start the big clean up, along with everyone else.”

While many businesses in Brisbane simply didn’t survive the flood, Anthony and his staff decided they were going to work hard and get the gym back up and running. After all, they had 2,000 loyal members, many of whom were pitching in to help with the clean up.

“We knew we wanted to rebuild things bigger and better than how they were before. Thanks to our fantastic staff and our extended team, which includes our business partners, we’re making that a reality,” says Anthony.

Although most of the Genesis Jindalee computers couldn’t be saved, they were fortunate enough to rescue their main server, with all of their clients’ membership details intact. Because the gym uses Clubware, they were able to keep their clients updated remotely via the software’s email and SMS functions.

The Clubware Correspondence and Mail Merge feature includes a suite of correspondence tools, which allow health club owners and managers to stay in touch with their members whether individually or en masse. Customised communications can be sent instantly through e-mail or SMS.

Just 79 days after they were flooded, Genesis Jindalee opened again for business with a newly designed facility that is again serving the fitness needs of the Jindalee suburb.

For more information on the Clubware Correspondence and Mail Merge Feature contact Clubware Australia on +61 1800 114 777 or support@clubware.com.au. You can also view http://clubware.com.au/features/correspondence-and-mail-merge/

Class Management

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:17:36 -0700

For those serious about learning a new skill, specialised classes at professional facilities provide the ideal environment for training. Whether it is martial arts, swimming or dance, drawing students to your classes on a regular basis is vital to your facility’s bottom-line. To ensure that your students receive the best service possible, Clubware 2.0 can assist you in the administration of classes, resources, attendance and student payments.

There is no question that creating a personalized approach would make your students feel more welcome. It’s easier to familiarize yourself with your students through Clubware’s customizable views of student details and histories.

Organize your classes right from the sign-up process to avoid any student’s disappointment. Clubware allows you to enrol new students in classes and waitlist students who would like to attend classes, which are full. The Class Management feature helps you monitor enrolment levels, class capacity and student progression from one term to the next.

At the beginning of every class you can perform roll calls and log any planned or unplanned student absences. To keep your students motivated throughout the term, you can design and print certificates to acknowledge an achievement or the completion of a class level. Establishing continuity in the programs offered will keep your students revisiting.

Collecting payments is usually seen as a stressful and time-consuming exercise. Clubware can help manage your student’s payments through integrating account information with the Clubware Billing Company Synchronisation tools. In instances where a student’s account is overdue an alert will even appear as the student enters the facility, allowing you to offer a gentle reminder.

To understand each student’s particular needs, you can track when they received their last correspondence, when they enrolled or last attended a class. You can quickly identify students who have missed lessons and contact them to encourage them to return. Generating comprehensive reports either through the templates available or the report designer will assist in evaluating student retention and class profitability.

Managing hundreds of students over multiple classes does not have to be daunting. With the Clubware Class Management feature administration is uncomplicated, ensuring your students have a pleasant experience. For more information about Clubware Class Management contact Clubware Australia on +61 1800 114 777 or support@clubware.com.au. You can also view http://www.clubware.com.au/features/class-management/.

Comprehensive Reporting

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:00:00 -0700

When running a health club you are faced with multiple decisions every day. Some decisions can be made quickly based on information from past experience or pure business instinct. On the other hand, there are matters which require deeper research and assessment. Doing your ‘homework’ is often time-consuming, which could be taxing for managers who are typically pressed for time. Nevertheless, choices need to be made and ignorance could be costly. The Clubware Comprehensive Reporting Feature could assist you by providing the data necessary for informed decision-making.

Clubware 2.0 has a built-in comprehensive suite of pre-designed reports for the most common tasks including POS Z-Off, expired accounts, member retention and many more. Though you won’t be limited to the built-in reports provided as reports can also be customized through the designer tool which allows you to design, build and re-use your own reports.

As you create a report, you can save your most commonly used data filters to easily reuse them next time. You also have the ability to select the fields that you would like to appear in your report. As you finish off you can review your report using the report designer, which features an integrated preview tool that allows you to see your report with real data before printing. This gives you the option to make final modifications if needed to ensure that you produce reports which contain the required criteria and in the desired format. Reports can then be exported into PDF, Excel, RTF, HTML, Tiff and other formats. The reports can even be delivered to your inbox automatically using Clubware 2.0’s scheduled reporting engine. This means you will have access to your critical business data whenever you need it.

Producing the report is only the first step. Your reports would naturally only be beneficial if they are utilized to initiate further actions or improvements. With Clubware you can plan follow-up activities for each member appearing in a report. For instance, staff could be prompted to contact members or take other actions as a result of a report.

Knowing your numbers is essential to managing a successful health club. Clubware relieves you of the burden of reporting, allowing you to focus on the evaluation of your key performance indicators. Equipped with a finer understanding of where you are performing well, where you are lagging behind and the extent to which these factors affect your profitability, you would be better placed for making timely decisions that will enhance your health club’s competitiveness.

For more information on the Clubware 2.0 Comprehensive Reporting feature contact Clubware Australia on +61 1800 114 777 or support@clubware.com.au. You can also view http://www.clubware.com.au/features/comprehensive-reporting-and-customised-reports/.

Retail Management

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:30:00 -0700

With the desire to offer a one-stop shop, health clubs are now equipped with additional facilities such as cafés, internet lounges, juice bars, sporting equipment shops, etc. These are intended to add to the club’s appeal and encourage members to spend as much time at the club as possible. The increased convenience for members unfortunately means greater complexity for the club management. As much as you would like to satisfy all of your members’ needs, the reality is these complementary services are most likely not your area of expertise. The Clubware 2.0 Retail Management Suite can assist in the administration of your retail activities.

Clubware provides a fully-featured, touch screen compatible Point of Sale (POS) Screen which can be used for selling stock, membership payments, lodging sales against members and recording loyalty points. You can accept payments by cash, EFTPOS, credit card, cheque, voucher or a combination of any of these payment methods. Receipts can then be printed at the time of sale and you can even locate past purchases and re-print receipts for members if needed. Discounts and refunds can also be processed immediately using the POS screen. For improved point of sale speed, the POS screen can be integrated with cash drawers and barcode scanners.

From a back-end perspective, stock control will no longer be a cause for anxiety as Clubware automatically debits your stock levels at point of sale and during stocktaking. Intuitive processes for recording shrinkage and wastage of stock are part of the professional retail management solution. Following your periodic stock take you can generate orders for items low in stock with a simple click of the mouse.

The decision-making process is supported by the richness of information recorded. For instance, a summary of your members’ purchase histories can provide some insight into consumption patterns, which could possibly serve as a basis for running attractive retention promotions. Stock levels for multiple branches can also be managed from a single ‘head office’ location with the availability of reporting on margins, shrinkage and profitability.

Members have come to expect more and more from their health clubs. Differentiating your club from your competitors demands going beyond the basics. With Clubware Facility Management Software, providing a professional full-service offering is achievable.

For more information on the Clubware 2.0 Retail Management Suite, contact Clubware Australia on +61 1800 114 777 or support@clubware.com.au. You can also view http://www.clubware.com.au/features/retail-management/.

Managing Your Front Desk

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:30:00 -0700

As the popular adage goes, ‘first impressions last’. The way the front of the house is managed is representative of your health club as a whole. A well-organized system for arrivals, bookings and activities conveys professionalism. When performed well, these seemingly trivial processes can in fact have a significant positive impact on your members’ perceptions of your health club. The Clubware 2.0 Front Desk feature helps you maintain full control over your facility at all times.

As the club’s members arrive at the entrance, their details are displayed on your screen along with any relevant notifications. This allows your front desk staff to engage in genuine interactions with the particular member based on the information available.

Greet your member by first name and with a quick glance, you can be alerted if it is your member’s birthday. You will also be prompted if a member has an upcoming activity or booking scheduled so you can have a casual chat about the activity to keep it fresh in your member’s mind. This also provides the opportunity to address any early concerns, which again would help minimize no-shows. In instances where the member’s account is overdue, this is highlighted at arrival as well so you can offer a gentle reminder on the spot. Clubware 2.0 lets you create customized arrival alerts, which means you can flag ad hoc activities as required. This might include a note that a particular gym member left a pair of shoes last time so they can be returned to her as she enters or it could be a reminder to approach the member to schedule a fitness assessment.

Check the Calendar to view exactly what is happening in your facility today. You can even expand the view to a week or a month. This helps you monitor which classes are on the timetable, which resources are booked and whether your staff have appointments planned with any members. With quick access to daily activities, you can ensure that you maximize the use of your resources such as studios, courts and other amenities by limiting idle time.

You can easily add a new booking for a personal training session, fitness assessment, squash court, sun bed, etc. straight into the calendar. There is also an option to filter your calendar view by staff members, locations, classes or resources. The Roster feature displays when your Personal Trainers are available so you can book appointments on your PT’s behalf. These functions are designed to make keeping track of your facility’s activities simple. For instance, creating a new booking while speaking to a member over the phone can be done instantly with the full calendar of activities right in front of you.

The front desk serves as a health club’s information hub and the efficient management of your front desk is central to establishing systematic day-to-day operations. Clubware 2.0 helps ensure that you create a seamless administration process, which leaves a lasting impression on your members.

For more information on how to take control of your front desk contact Clubware Australia on +61 1800 114 777 or support@clubware.com.au. You can also view http://www.clubware.com.au/features/front-desk-administration/

Client Management and Retention

Mon, 09 May 2011 10:30:00 -0700

One of the key factors in growing a successful fitness club is customer retention. Keeping your customers happy and coming back through the door is what’s going to keep you in business. But if you don’t have the administrative processes in place to ensure your customer’s experience of dealing with your club is smooth and stress-free, chances are they will find somewhere else that does.

A comprehensive software package could mean a world of difference for staying on top of your club’s operations. Clubware includes a full range of features that help you provide your customers with an outstanding experience as you administer everything from member arrivals, classes and bookings, to accounts, concession cards, reports and even retail management through the one integrated system.

Organizing your processes will provide the framework for efficient operations, but your members will only stay if they start to see results from all of their efforts. Knowledge of their fitness goals, special requirements and interests are all tools for building an effective fitness program, customized for the individual member. With Clubware’s Membership Management feature all of your members’ data is at your fingertips.

Consistent communication with your members is essential for building lasting relationships. Messages of encouragement during the first few weeks of joining help keep the newcomers motivated. Tracking their progress along the way demonstrates your commitment to helping them achieve their targets. Regularly sending your members information on new promotions and updates on the club’s activities are also beneficial for maintaining a healthy rapport and creating a social environment that continuously draws them back to the club. A Facility Management Software, such as Clubware allows you to easily manage correspondence with your members, whether it is through individual calls or bulk e-mails and SMS.

Each member is different so it is important to pay close attention. Check individual member activity and find out when they last visited or attended a class. If a member’s visits to the facility appear to be in decline, find out why and address the issues before that person decides to leave. Make a note of which activities a specific member participates in and send relevant news or special offers to peak their interest. They would surely appreciate the effort you put into personalizing the experience.

As they say, knowledge is power. Generate accurate reports on membership data to help you make informed and timely decisions that will support member retention. Do you know your member’s demographics? You can easily create a report to understand the characteristics of your members. Based on this information you can fine-tune your services to ensure that you are satisfying your key clientele. Discover which group exercise classes are the most popular and find a way to replicate this success. Identify the low-performing classes and reflect on whether you need to reallocate your resources or change your approach completely. Learn which memberships are expiring within the next 30 days and get in touch with these members immediately to encourage them to renew their memberships.

The benefits of using a Facility Management Software like Clubware are clear. The ability to manage your members effectively allows you to develop enduring relationships with your members, where retention comes naturally.

For more information on how to improve your customer retention using Clubware, contact Clubware Australia on +61 1800 114 777 or support@clubware.com.au. You can also view http://www.clubware.com.au/features/member-management/.

Managing Your Prospects

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 19:47:49 -0700

Members are at the center of your business, and the success of your health club is dependent on your ability to skillfully convert prospects into long-term members. Any potential client who has registered an interest in joining your health club is considered a ‘prospect’. Generally, prospects are new members who have not joined your facility for any period of time in the past. Clubware provides you with the tools to support the entire process, from the qualification of a prospect to sale.

At the initial point of contact your aim is to form an accurate picture of the prospect’s profile and interests to be able to tailor your sales pitch. Clubware has a built in pre-sales questionnaire, which allows you to conveniently select relevant data such as the number of likely visits per week, hobbies, fitness goals, etc. You can easily click through the questionnaire as you speak to your prospect.

Armed with your prospect’s personal details, you have the opportunity to customize your approach to suit the prospect’s identified interests and fitness aspirations. Creating a connection by appealing to the prospect on an emotional level ensures engagement, increasing the likelihood of closing the deal.

Following the first appointment, ongoing communication with your prospects is essential to winning them over. Consistent communication with prospects is effortless with Clubware’s e-mail and SMS correspondence capabilities. It is important that you reach your prospect at the right time and through the most appropriate channel, whether it is for an upcoming promotion or for a simple reminder.

All relevant activities including reminders and follow-ups with the prospect can also be recorded on Clubware to keep track of progress and results. Reports can be generated to display the number of existing prospects, which particular membership sales consultant is communicating with each prospect, and many other indicators that could provide valuable insight on your staff performance and facility’s operations.

At the much-anticipated time of conversion, all of the prospect’s details can be immediately transferred to the members’ records. This will again serve as a resource for formulating your future member retention strategies. To learn more about how you can successfully manage your prospects using Clubware, contact 1800 114 777 or support@clubware.com.au. You can also view http://www.clubware.com.au/features/member-management/

Clubware in Australasian Leisure Management Magazine

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:20:46 -0700

Clubware is in the March/April 2011 issue of Australasian Leisure Management Magazine. The article can also be viewed online:

http://www.ausleisure.com.au/default.asp?PageID=2&Display=True&ReleaseID=3652

Clubware now in 500 Fitness Clubs across Australasia

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:52:30 -0800

When you join a health or fitness club, one of the first things you’ll usually do is meet with a personal trainer who works with you to tailor a fitness programme to suit your individual needs and goals. With a plan in place, and a support person with the knowledge and expertise to keep you on track, the likelihood of achieving those goals is greatly increased.

In similar fashion, Debitsuccess and FFA PaySmart have helped hundreds of fitness and health clubs achieve their business goals by providing a comprehensive software resource for their club in the form of Clubware – an industry specific facility management software package designed and developed with feedback from the health and fitness industry.

Since launching in 2001, Clubware has incorporated a number of new developments to its software based on that feedback, including a major rewrite in 2006, which has kept it at the forefront of technology for the fitness sector.

As a result, Clubware recently celebrated a significant milestone with the installation of its 500th application in Australasia. Debitsuccess and FFA PaySmart are now getting ready for a fresh surge of business interest in Clubware with the launch of its new look, interactive web site, set for March 2011. The site will feature a range of new elements for Clubware users including secure access to software updates, news, tips and other support tools.

Steven Holmes, Group IT Manager, who has overseen the development of the Clubware software since its inception, says that the software’s capacity to evolve as the industry’s needs have changed is the key principle underlying its success.

“Clubware is now the premium package in the Australasian market for health club facility management software. The Clubware platform is a mature, fully-fledged, sales and customer retention management system that helps clubs administer their customers today, but still continues to develop and update regularly,” says Holmes.

He says Clubware provides an “outstanding experience” for managers with its intuitive ability to track sales and prospecting activity, administer accounts, fitness programs, concession cards, member arrivals, bookings, classes and retail management in the one system.

Holmes says a key aspect of Clubware’s capabilities is its seamless integration with the billing services provided by both Debitsuccess and FFA PaySmart, meaning that club managers can also easily manage their billing and credit control through Clubware.

“The benefits of using Clubware are clear. It provides the tools to help you increase member retention, manage accounts efficiently, create easy reports and organize your correspondence with members as well as prospective members, including access to a handy SMS text capability.”

Holmes says the system has been recently updated with aspects that make it more customizable for clubs and recreational facilities that run classes for members, such as swim schools and martial arts training groups.

“We’re installing a new site every week, and the feedback we get has been increasingly positive. It always informs our development so that users with our subscription always have the most up-to-date software.”

Clubware is available as a lease option with a low total cost of ownership. It’s available for one monthly fee, which includes installation and training. Subscribers also have access to telephone and remote assistance support services, which helps them deal with any technical issues from the same experts that work on its design.

“Think of it as having access to your own personal trainer for your business, just like for the fitness regimes that you run for your customers,” says Holmes.

For more information on Clubware, visit the new web site at www.clubware.com.au, or contact Clubware Australia on +61 1800 114 777.