5 reasons your sports club is losing you money

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Behold our top five reasons why your sports club is losing you money:

1. Your system is disorganised
2. Staff productivity is low
3. You didn't want to invest in a long-term solution
4. You're not providing the best possible customer service
5. Your processes are inefficient

Do any of these sound familiar? Fear not, we have some solutions to help you overcome each one and turn your sports club into a customer-centric and efficient business. Let's dive in.

1. Your system is disorganised

How do you plan your weekly timetable, add students to classes and process payments?

If you answered 'manually' to any of the above then you're wasting too much time (and money) on something that could take you minutes.

With sports club management software, you can plan out your term-based or monthly schedule, while also covering important class information, such as:

• Class capacity
• Days, times, intervals & duration
• Coach and supervisor allocation
• Resources (such as studios, pitches or courts)
• Student bookings

You can then raise fees and sit back as the system does the rest. Ticking all the boxes for a smooth, streamlined and stress-free process.

2. Productivity is low

Let’s do a quick audit.

On average, how much time per week do you spend:

• Managing customer bookings and answering queries
• Class admin (e.g. replacing coaches, updating student progression, etc.)
• Enrolling new students
• Raising fees and processing payments

A digital system typically saves you 4-5 hours a week in admin - imagine how much your productivity would increase if you had an extra hour each day.

Aquatic education leaders, State Swim, have saved 8+ hours of admin time a fortnight since going digital, allowing them to focus more on customer interactions. With less time spent on manual data entry, State Swim boosted operational productivity and have saved around $120,00 per year in staff costs.

3. You don't want to invest in a long-term solution

You might be thinking 'there's no need to change what isn't broken' and we hear you. But using an outdated system is not only inefficient, but it restricts your sports club from being able to grow.

The good news is that sports club management software is designed to suit all business sizes, with a range of pricing models to fit your budget. And although it sounds like an expensive investment, it will save you money in the long run.

Consider customer bookings - by introducing an online portal that syncs with your digital system, you can reduce staff overheads by enabling customers to manage their bookings and payments, 24/7.

The same goes for communication - being able to set up automated emails removes multiple manual steps (such as identifying unpaid invoices, tracing them back to the customer and then contacting them via phone), increasing your cash flow and saving you hours in staffing costs.

4. You're not providing the best possible customer service

People who have grown up in a tech-savvy world expect every interaction with a business to be both seamless and personal. If you make it hard for them, they'll go elsewhere. Similarly, if you're too caught up in admin to prioritise customer interactions, they'll feel neglected and go elsewhere.

Understanding the importance of customer satisfaction, most digital management systems are designed with your customers in mind and can include:

• Online booking portal to empower customers to manage their account
• Automated payment options to reduce queues at reception
• A widget identifying which customers are celebrating a birthday that week so staff can wish them a happy birthday
• Personalised email templates that are automatically sent following certain triggers, such as a new booking or successful payment

5. Processes are inefficient

The trouble with using an outdated system is that down the line, it can be near impossible to find things.

It can take hours, (five per week in fact, according to a survey by IDC) to search through folders to find the information you’re looking for. As well as locating documents, time is also wasted managing the filing system, conducting data checks and training admin staff, complicating the process unnecessarily.

Whereas, with a digital system, all your past and current records are easy to locate in just a few clicks - from a simple student search to an invoice raised three years ago.

Conclusion

Sports club management software can save you time and money while increasing your operational efficiency. It may seem like a big investment but the return is often much greater than the spend. Udio, for example, can automate your day-to-day admin and reduce manual tasks by 40% - all without disrupting your business.

Here's what you can expect from a sports club management system like Udio:

• Booking & scheduling capabilities
• Attendance tracking
• A clean interface that is easy to operate and train staff on
• A range of real-time reports
• Payment processing (manually and online)
• Inbuilt communication tools (such as email & SMS)
• 24/7 customer portal

Remember, while your current model might be okay for now, it isn't an effective long-term solution. Start the process with digital today and you'll certainly see a difference in productivity, efficiency and customer experience. Book a free discovery call to learn more.