As a Personal Trainer myself, I’ve seen first-hand the changes to the fitness industry by new technology. I began my PT career in 2010 during the period that mass adoption of cell phones, computer and the internet began to take place.
Technology advancements had a major impact on the fitness industry. Gyms and personal trainers had closer contact with their clients than ever before. Clients could find gyms and personal trainers through the internet in seconds, without having to flip through a phone book for hours. Personal trainers could contact their clients directly and instantly with a quick text or phone call.
But technology hasn’t stopped developing and as it continues to grow and change it becomes absolutely critical for personal trainers to keep up. In this blog, I discuss the 4 crucial reasons why personal trainers should embrace new technology. Because personal trainers and gyms who implement new technology effectively and timely will have a better chance of succeeding in today’s tech era.
1. Gain a competitive advantage
Across every industry, the pioneers of new technology are the leaders in their industry. It’s no different for personal trainers and gyms. How do you set yourself apart from what other personal trainers and gyms are offering? By providing something different and capitalising on what makes you unique.
A great example of this is Greg McCoy, owner of [HIDDEN GYM] in Texas. Greg gained a significant leg up on his competition after he implemented personal training software, PTminder at his gym.
With PTminder’s advanced client management features, Greg has taken [HIDDEN GYM]’s client experience to the next level. Greg explains, “It also gives a very professional appearance to clients, which helps me build value in the eyes of my clients.”
2. Create an unforgettable client experience
A key contributor to the success of a fitness business is client experience. Today, providing an extraordinary client experience goes beyond traditional methods. Providing clients with options like online payments, regular client assessments, progress reports, automated reminder texts and nutrition plans. All these interactions build-up to create an unforgettable client experience.
But without technology, these things are virtually impossible. With personal training software like PTminder, trainers can now offer all these experiences and more through an app.
This is especially true for personal trainer, Charles Tremblay. For Charles and his business, the fact that the PTminder app is one his clients can use is an essential feature. “My clients absolutely love it,” he explains. “They love the fact that it’s a personal app, and they can take their personal trainer – me – with them wherever they go.”
3. Avoid getting left behind
PTs and gyms that refuse or are slow to embrace new technology run the risk of becoming irrelevant. If you aren’t adopting new technology, it’s likely your competition is. The race is on all the time and your focus should be to stay ahead of tech trends.
One example of this is with online booking scheduling software. This growing trend is becoming popular among gyms, personal trainers and clients. As this develops it will soon become the norm and clients will expect online booking as an option. The benefits of using scheduling software are significant and without it, you are potentially giving your competition an undeserving edge.
PTminder App - Client area class scheduling feature
4. Save time, save money
Technology is a great way to cut costs and save time without sacrificing quality. Reducing paperwork, improving marketing efforts, regulating client payments and visibility of your business’ finance status will help you become more efficient and, therefore, save money.
Paul Wilkinson, owner of UK based gym, Latitude Fitness, proves this to be true. PTminder has helped take a lot of the workload off Paul and his staff and in return allowing the team at Latitude Fitness to spend more time with clients and less time on admin tasks. PTminder, as Paul simply puts it, “makes life easier.”
By moving the focus from day-to-day tasks like manually managing payments, bookings and class schedules to focussing on his clients, Paul uses personal training software effectively to maximise efficiency, cut costs and grow his client base.
Challenges
Many personal trainers fail to adopt new technology because they are too focussed on the ‘now’. Implementing new tech will bring a wealth of benefits to you, your business and your clients long term. Not only saving you time and money but also improving the client experience.
Investing in tech is about the health of your PT business. So how can you find the time to adopt new tech and reap the benefits? It’s easy now with our free 14-day trial. Try out PTminder personal training software for free today. No credit card required.
