In the fitness industry, customer service is imperative. Gym owners and trainers rely on consistent communication to ensure clients are informed, motivated, and held accountable. There are so many variables in effective communication with clients, and even small communication changes ensure significant success.
We all know it’s difficult to stay in touch. With family commitments and engagements, long-distance relationships, or even high school reunions–the infinite list of social obligations and stressors can take its toll on all of us. And when you’re a personal trainer or gym owner, it just goes without saying that every single day is a battle to stay connected with everyone equally.
Each day, a gym owner or trainer receives multiple inquiries regarding their services. Questions about scheduling and pricing questions, the location of the gym and directions on how to get there, questions from clients discussing their specific goals, and lastly, questions from clients seeking answers to everyday activities. Which meal is better post-workout? Which regiment should I follow this week? They’re endless.
It’s Hard Keeping In Touch With Clients
In fact, gym owners and trainers spend more of their day communicating with prospective and current clients through phone and/or email than they do training clients in person. Beyond the daily communication, their phones and email inboxes double in capacity when there is an upcoming event and/or seminar from potential attendees. So the tools that benefit communication and customer service for gym owners and trainers are essential.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was some kind of tool that enabled you to stay in constant contact with all of your clients at once without sounding too automated? It reminds me of those old sitcoms where some guy tries to be on two dates at once, and it always crashes and burns. But that’s reality. We can’t be in two places at once, and we can’t be talking to two people at once. It’s just not possible.
But the good news is that there is the technology for not just gym owners and personal trainers, but all kinds of business owners that can make it feel like you’re having constant contact with not just two people at once, but everyone at once. With the advent of the telegraph, communication became possible across hundreds of miles–and now, with the advent of new tools, communication is possible across hundreds of people.
How VoIP Can Keep You In Touch With Clients
One such tool is VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which utilizes the internet and broadband to make phone calls rather than telephone lines. MightyCall is a system that uses VoIP to set up these systems for small businesses (and would work well for gym owners and/or trainers). They offer a variety of helpful services such as:
- Greetings
- Call recording
- Voicemail
- Contact book
- Texting
VoIP systems give gym owners and trainers the opportunity to convert prospective members into paying clients much more easily. Imagine someone starts out with a free trial or set of classes at your gym. Instead of making sure to follow up with them on the same day, you are now able to have them simply check a box or give them your phone number. Then, they are automatically enrolled in a personalized greeting that makes it feel like a more personal touch. And as personal trainers, how often do we hear that it’s the personal touch that keeps people coming back again and again?
With everything being done through one outlet, it is easier for the trainer to manage communication and answer frequently asked questions. In today’s world, where texting is the preferred mode of contact, MightyCall’s system has the ability to text as well. As prospective clients skim around websites of potential gyms to visit, gym owners and trainers want to be assured that prospective clients know exactly how to purchase services and how to attend their first class or else the chances of them actually coming in will quickly decline.
After all, in this day and age, if purchasing something isn’t simple, then it isn’t worth the time. If you have a jumbled website, an out of date POS system, or something that just gets in the way of making a purchase, then you might as well kiss that prospective client goodbye forever. But with MightyCall’s VOIP system, you can rest assured that contact is being made without you making the needless effort.
Nothing Beats a Personal Touch, But VoIP Helps
Of course, MightyCall isn’t a substitute for a personal touch. It’s intended to make the personal touch more personal. Think about it–when you’re trying to dial and text and communicate with an endless amount of prospective clients, you’re potentially taking away valuable personal time from current clients! I mean how much easier would it be if you were able to just send out weekly meal plans to everyone at once? You would save so much time and headache.
When converting a prospective client (lead) to a paying member, communication and customer service is key. According to data from customer experience platform Tenfold, most leads close after nine follow-ups, but 44% of the time, sales reps give up after one or two follow ups.
It’s clear that you need to stick with a potential member to get them signed up for your gym. You need to have a system in place to ensure there is a consistent follow up of at least ten-to-twelve follow up phone calls and emails from the moment they become a lead. Thankfully, MightyCall’s VoIP system can directly aid in the consistent follow-ups and communication.
It might seem annoying to get that many follow-up calls, but truth be told, almost no one is going to get that many. They’re either going to sign up with you, or tell you to buzz off when they get sick of the communication. But at the end of the day, it’s better to get a firm answer than no answer.
How VoIP Helps You Communicate With Employees
Beyond the communication and customer service of potential and existing clients, a gym owner would benefit from utilizing a VoIP system to track their employee’s communications as well. Now we’re not talking about big brother or micromanaging here. What we’re saying is that with VoIP services, you can make sure that your employees are freed up to actually work with clients instead of doing outreach.
It can be difficult to find a time that works well for all staff members to attend in-house meetings, however, with a VoIP system, you’ll be able to deliver constant communication and information to your gym trainers which will ultimately keep everyone up-to-date on all of the gym happenings.
A gym owner or trainer has to juggle finding new clients, converting leads into paying clients, and most importantly, keeping their current clients happy. The one constant among all three of those is communication and customer service. While some digital tools can be stressful to implement, VoIP systems are an easy, affordable, and efficient way to manage the daily communication struggles that all gym owners deal with from time to time.
What’s Best For Your Clients? Easy Communication
Look, at the end of the day, whatever kind of communication system you use to get in touch with your clients, everything aims at the same goal: easy communication. Your clients want you to get in touch with them in a way that’s convenient, fast, and simple. If it’s clunky or outdated, your more than likely going to be treated like a spam caller instead of someone they trust.
We’re all busy–personal trainers know this wll. But when you’re the owner of a small business, whether you’re a personal trainer or an entrepreneur, communication is critical. And with no marketing budget and no one to man the phones, you’re often on your own when it comes to staying in touch with clients.
VoIP systems are ideal for small business owners with few helping hands and plenty of multitasking to do. The basic features such as contact lists, call forwarding, and sync mean that you can organize your small business communication effectively and handle business calls anywhere.
With all these features and more at your fingertips, it truly has never been easier to get in touch with prospective clients, and keep in touch with current clients. With VoIP, you can get back to the things you actually love doing, like encouraging that client who is struggling with results, or celebrating with the one who sees his hard work paying off. Just remember, this is a people business, and people need to hear from you to know you care. Let VoIP make caring a little easier.
Author: Rebekah Miller
Rebekah Miller is a writer for Exercise.com and MS of Kinesiology. She is a personal trainer; certifications: CSCS, NASM- CPT, RYT-200, and Precision Nutrition. She also founded and runs a strength and conditioning facility in Florida.
