There are so many different types of CRMs on the market for the fitness industry that it can be hard to know which one is the right fit for your business. In this ultimate guide, we will outline the features you should look for, the questions you should ask before signing up, and how to choose the right one for your needs. The benefits of using a Gym CRM are many, so make sure you read this guide before making your final decision.

What is a Gym CRM and why do you need one

A Gym CRM, or customer relationships management system, is a software that helps businesses manage and grow their customer base. It can track customer data (i.e. demographic information, classes they've taken. membership history, etc.) to help you provide better experience for customers. CRMs can also help track and interactions (like emails, phone calls, messages, etc.) over time, which can help businesses better understand their customers and create more effective marketing campaigns/ a better sales process. Beyond this its also a great way to track new leads that are considering your gym and target them with outreach that can convert them to members of your fitness clubs.

A Gym CRM is essential for any business that wants to keep track of their customers and improve customer service. Without a CRM, businesses have to rely on paper files or spreadsheets to track customer data, which can be inefficient and time-consuming. A Gym CRM can automate all of this data tracking, making it easier and faster for businesses to understand their customers through a wide range of feature. If you're not using a Gym CRM, you're missing out on a powerful tool that can help you measure your sales performance, improve your sales funnels and build customer loyalty.

Features to look for in a Gym CRM

When looking for a Gym CRM, make sure to consider the features that are important to you. Here are some features to look for:

Ability to track customer data

One of the most important features of a Gym CRM is its ability to track your gym client data and customer history. This data can include things like demographic information, classes they've taken, membership history, and more. This information can be incredibly helpful in understanding your customers and providing them with better service (which can lead to higher customer loyalty). A good Gym CRM will track all of this data for you, making it easy to access and analyze the entire customer journey.

Some key features to look out for include:

• Tracking transaction history and purchases
• Ability to associate family members
• Ability to track customer activity 
• Ability to track customer behavior
• Ability to post notes on a members file
• Tracking support tickets and issues members may be facing

Benefits: 

• Improve customer loyalty 
• Keep a customer record for all members 
• Identify your average customer lifetime value (LTV)
• Make your fitness facility known for excellent customer service and fast response times 

Automations

 Whether this be marketing automation solutions or automating administrative tasks automations is definitely something you want in your fitness CRM software! These can help businesses and their employees save time and money by automating basic tasks that would otherwise have to be done manually. For example, a good Gym CRM will automate things like email marketing, customer surveys, and lead tracking. This can save businesses a lot of time and energy, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.

Important components to look for include:

• Billing automation to remind clients of expiring memberships or automated renewals
• Ability to send surveys to customers (psst... if your CRM doesnt have this you can check out our blog on how to make one)
• Sales pipeline automation
• Email marketing tools
• Ad management and other marketing automation tools 
• Pricing and offers management
• Connected to your website and payment processor

Benefits: 

• Keep customer communication consistent 
• Get constant feedback from sending surveys to customers on a reoccurring basis
• Improve your customer retention rate with reminders to renew or automated renewals 
• Improve and execute your digital marketing strategy
• Grow your client base

Lead management

When it comes to a Gym CRM, lead management is one of the most important features. A good Gym CRM will track all of the prospects that are interested in your gym, from those who have just started considering your business to those who have already become members. This information can be incredibly helpful in understanding your target market and creating more effective marketing campaigns.

When looking for a Gym CRM, make sure to consider the following:

• The ability to track leads in real-time
• The ability to track leads across multiple channels
• The ability to track when leads become members
• The ability to export leads into a CSV or Excel file
• Integrations with other software
• The ability to score leads based on how close they are to making a purchase
• Bulk Task Creation 
• Follow-up task creation

Benefits: 

• Generate an average customer persona to better target prospects 
• Determine the cost of customer acquisition for your fitness services
• Push more leads through sales funnel
• Turn 1 time class goers in to loyal gym clients 

Reporting

Reporting is an important feature of any CRM, and it's especially important for businesses that want to track the progress of their gym. A good Gym CRM will have a variety of reports that businesses can use to measure things like customer satisfaction, marketing effectiveness, and more. This information can help businesses make changes and improvements to their business and see results in real-time.

When looking for reporting features, make sure to consider the following:

• The ability to generate custom reports
• The ability to schedule reports to be sent automatically
• The ability to filter reports by date range, customer, or product
• The ability to export reports into a CSV or Excel file
• Templated reports for important metrics (read more about metrics to track as a fitness club here)
• Reports on customer service requests

Benefits

• Improve the fitness experiences of your gym clients with data driven methods
• Create employee accountability with numbers 
• Measure and improve your client engagement 

These are just a few of the features to look for in a Gym CRM. Make sure to consider your specific needs when choosing a CRM for your business.

How to chose the best CRM for your gym type

When it comes to choosing a CRM for your gym, it's important to consider the type of gym you have. Each type of fitness center has different needs, and not every CRM will be a good fit for every business. Here are a few tips on choosing the right CRM for your gym:

If you have a chain of gyms

If you have a chain of gyms, it's important to choose a CRM that can accommodate your needs. Look for a CRM that offers features like membership management, customer tracking, and reporting. This will help you keep track of your customers and their purchase history, making it easy to offer them the best possible service. Most importantly you'll want to ensure you can manage a multi-complex gym or fitness center with this CRM, including bookings at various locations.

If you have a small gym

If you have a small gym, you'll want to choose a CRM that's easy to use and doesn't require a lot of training. Look for a CRM with a simple interface and plenty of documentation to help you get started. You should also look for a CRM that offers a variety of features like billing, lead management, and reporting. This will help you manage your fitness center effectively and keep track of your progress.

If you have a gym/fitness club that offers classes

If you offer classes in your gym, you'll need a CRM that can accommodate that. Look for a CRM with features like easy scheduling and conflict management so you can associate contacts to the appropriate classes and inform them of changes to programs that interest them. You'll also want to ensure that registration for these classes are easy for your customers and integrates well with your CRM so you can keep track of who's registered for what. Joyn's CRM provides the ultimate experience for your customers and specializes in activity management so if you fell in this category be sure to check us out!

If you have a gym/fitness club that hosts a league

If you have a fitness club that offers leagues, you'll need a CRM that can manage memberships and registrations to teams within the league. Look for a CRM with features like scheduling field times, referees, league games, and memberships. This will make it easy for you to manage everything from payments and sign ups to facility and staff allocation.

No matter what type of gym you have, make sure to consider the needs of your business when choosing a CRM. There are many different CRMs to choose from, so take your time and find the one that's right for you.

Questions to ask the sales rep before signing up for a Gym CRM

‍

Now that you know what types of CRMs to look for you'll likely book a demo or two with companies that fit your gym/fitness club needs. Here are some of the tough questions you'll want to ask their sales team before you sign a contract!

- What are the best features of your CRM?

- How many customers have you worked with to improve their sales?

- Can I use your software on my phone?

- What is average contract length for this service?

- What is your customer satisfaction rate? 

- How often are your software updates?

- Do you offer training and support?

- What kind of reports can I generate with your CRM? 

- What industry verticals do you specialize in?

- Is your software customizable?

- Can your CRM integrate with my Gym Management Software

- What are your cancellation/refund policies?

Now that you know what to look for in a Gym CRM, it's time to start shopping around. This ultimate guide has everything you need to make the right decision for your business when it comes to customer relationship improvement. Make sure to consider your specific needs and ask the tough questions before signing up. There are many different CRMs to choose from, so take your time and find the one that's right for you and if you need a hand finding the right fit for your business, feel free to reach out anytime. Thanks for reading!

‍