Check In - Does Your Check In Improve Communication, Prevent Fraud & Offer New Revenue Streams?
Check in has been added to ClubReady - we looked at this normally mundane activity and thought - how can we improve it? How can we make that something of value to a clubs customers? How could check in be a way for clubs to improve communication and how could it even create new revenues?
Normally club check in involves the customer walking in and telling a person sitting behind a desk their access code, or scanning a bar code. The front desk person then checks they are who they say they are / that no billing issues exist & then the customer goes on into the club. For Personal Training - the typical process is more like a check-out - either signing a form or walking with the trainer to a key pad to enter in a pin code together with the trainer. It’s a chore that often gets forgotten, especially at the end of a training session where those involved have better things to do. It’s also open to manipulation & fraud.
ClubReady check-in merges both those requirements (member check-in and PT validation) into one process & makes it an opportunity to interact with the customer in a much better way.
Colors, logo’s and so on are all customizable in admin setup (found at Setup > System Defaults > Check In Kiosk Setup). The check-in kiosk screen is a user interface that customers self serve at. If a successful authentication is entered then the check-in screen gives the user a welcome screen that can contain items like how many visits they have made to the club, club messages, advertising, birthday greetings, any sessions they have today or redirect them if any billing issue exists.
So - What About Validation That Personal Training Sessions Occured?
If selected in the check-in kiosk setup - Customers can be asked to confirm that they are there for a specific booked session. This validation is far better done before the booked session when it will not be forgotten about. Really the goal is to validate that the customer was present for the booking, not to create a chore for the customer to have to do after the session is over, or even worse to create a situation where the customer tells the trainer their pin code and asks them to do it for them so they can get out the door quicker.
So, the customer has validated they are there, and confirmed a specific booking - what about the trainers validation? Well if the check-in system is in use and dependant on settings and trainer permissions - they cannot log off the session unless the customer has also logged it. In a PT only environment to make the client “log off” even more robust username(or email) / password authentication can be used instead of a pin code.
This makes it easy & convenient for the client (as well as presents a very professional image of the club), completes this key step when the client is probably waiting around instead of trying to get out the door, and separates the client & trainer from doing a validation at the same time in close proximity. The client can also always see from their login area which sessions they’ve confirmed as being in the club for.
So What About The Communication & New Revenue Opportunities Part?
The screen the customer see’s after they check-in is a golden opportunity to communicate a message or even show an advertising message. This can be all customized from the check-in setup. In addition - you might want a different message for somebody who has never purchased services like training vs somebody who is a PT customer already - this is all easily done. You probably sell advertising on your in club TV’s - now sell advertising on your check-in too!
Now, instead of posting communications on the bathroom door, use the check in to capture a moment when you have the customers full attention. The potential is significant to really impact customer communication.
“Please Make Sure the Email Address Below Is Correct So We Can Update You with any Club Updates and Changes to Your Account!”
“Refer a Member in March and We’ll Give You a $25 ClubReady Credit!”
and so on…
So What About Monitoring?
Monitoring of the check in is real time and can be done from any admin login - maybe from the front desk 2 feet away where the front desk person wants to check they are the actual person in their photo, or from the other side of the world if you so wanted. Admin users who enable check-in monitoring get real time updates on their dashboard, or updates from any page in the admin site they happen to be on, or from the check-in monitoring page. ClubReady is web based but monitoring works just like desktop installed software would work.
