Get Digital on the Schedule for Best Member Experience
Every day, every week, every month. One of the toughest jobs in club operations is scheduling classes. It’s a careful balance between free studio space, instructor availability and member demand for types of class. Get it wrong and a class or a club can encounter real problems. One of the solutions to help is also one of the last things on the list when it comes to thinking about, scheduling – digital classes and the library of workouts, stretches and specialty fitness content already available to members in your content library.
On-Demand and On the Schedule
Digital content from classes to workouts, stretches and wind-downs is often thought of us as just that: on-demand. Only accessed at the touch of a screen when a member wants it in the studio, or accesses online at home or on their mobile device. But thinking about your full content library as less of a static library of content and more a pipeline of content for scheduling and promotion can really ease scheduling difficulties in any club and create a richer, more robust, 360-degree member experience.
Preschedule Digital Classes Just Like Live
Think of your digital class just like another instructor-led group fitness experience just more flexible. You’re not tied to instructor availability or at the mercy of traffic delays and absences. Many clubs dedicate a studio to on-demand classes and content, but fall short of actually scheduling group fitness classes and promoting them as part of the overall class offering to members. If this has been your approach and you have the dedicated studio space, try scheduling a month, then a quarter of classes. Match types of class with the same popularity live classes enjoy: after work bike classes, morning yoga and stretch, lunchtime HIIT. Make sure to promote the scheduled virtual classes on in-club signage, in member emails, on your app and through word of mouth at the front desk and with instructors.
Use Off Peak Hours and Create Easy Choices
Many members arrive to workout at a time when it’s just not cost-effective to have instructors on hand. Midafternoons for teachers and students, or late night for shift workers, nurses and other healthcare professionals starting their days with some heart pumping exercise just like the rest of us. Make it easy and convenient for these members to get the same group fitness experience as their day-time club counterparts by scheduling group bike fitness classes, equipment-based workout classes and HIIT sessions. Look to let members know of off-peak digital classes a week or two before launch and promote the new schedule throughout your club and online channels.
Schedule Technique Tune-Ups and New Member Intro’s
Digital content also represents a great way to help members work on form and the kinds of technique tune-ups that’s not easy to do during or even after class ends with an instructor. Try creating technique “clinics” using carefully selected digital content and scheduling during unused studio time to provide members with the opportunity to get stronger, better and more confident for their live classes. Similarly, try building a program of scheduled digital “Introduction to…” classes where members get an opportunity to try a new kind of class before they feel confident and ready for the “prime time” of a live, instructor-led class. Or “New Member Mondays” where studio space is scheduled every week for introductory digital classes that synchronize with live instructor offerings.
Digital content creates incredible member convenience for in-club, on-the-go and at-home workouts and classes, but focus some time and attention on scheduling content and you’ll get the most out of your library and boost new and current member experience around the clock.
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