Just when you thought that your company had a reliable way to attract new clients, something happens; the onboarding process turns them off. There are two paths when onboarding new members: you can either set new clients up to stay with you for years or see them leave after a few months. The strategy of onboarding new members is important; it's the start of the new relationship that allows your company to cement a long-term commitment to a client.
Make onboarding new members a part of your strategy
New fitness customers face several challenges, regardless of their level of expertise and training. These challenges might include new machine settings, different types of equipment, or even new kinds of monitoring technology. When onboarding new members, a successful customer onboarding process addresses these concerns without overwhelming new customers and creates a pleasant first impression of your company.
A supportive onboarding system is also a win-win situation. While customers profit from the process by achieving a greater understanding of the products and services they’ve purchased, businesses can gain trust, establish long-term relationships with their customers, and increase customer retention.
A hybrid onboarding approach that incorporates digital and on-site interactions is ideal. Because the fitness industry has gotten accustomed to the concept of remote and online fitness training, your onboarding process might be more effectively designed as a hybrid system that provides early guidance and consistent communication. You can always use a successful gym digital marketing strategy for better communication with your audience.
For onboarding new members, you can offer a hybrid onboarding solution, you can cover all the bases, including: a warm welcome, introductions, a recommended roadmap based on client information, and additional perks like nutritional advice and mindset tips.
Digital technology has become a must for onboarding; your fitness business must offer flexible subscription models (physical and digital) to meet the needs of your customers and prospects. One key aspect of a digital onboarding process is the integration of proper software. Hapana is the leading fitness marketing automation software designed to support and engage new members.
How the right technology partner helps you build a successful onboarding program
With the right technology partner, an automated marketing sequence instantly sends a welcome email every time a new customer is onboarded. The goal is to create a comfortable beginning and build proper communication with zero additional burdens. This comfortable vibe makes members feel more confident, valued, secure in asking questions, and socially-ready to interact with other members.
The system also allows fitness studios to set up tutorials, knowledge bases, and frequently asked questions pages to support and educate new members. Your team can customize your email sequence, for example, by adding interactive content to better engage with your customers.
Make new members feel welcome
For new members, the onboarding process can be intimidating because it needs them to memorize dozens of settings across different devices.
This can leave members frustrated and overwhelmed as they strive for one simple goal: an enjoyable and effective workout. At the same time, manual duties load trainers, interfering with high-value-added human interactions.
Hapana greatly reduces onboarding time, making the process smart, seamless, and efficient, increasing members’ happiness and retention. The system will work with the information that customers provide to allow coaches to understand their customers' requirements and goals, set reasonable expectations, and recommend appropriate services such as training, nutritional advice, mindset tips, or recovery guidelines.
Trainers can now focus on each member's goals and needs. Time savings allows coaches to focus on more personalized coaching or higher-end services while members engage in their initial training.
Staff costs are sometimes one of the largest expenses for health and fitness centers; the gym staff is one of the greatest assets of any fitness business. Spending time on tedious tasks reduces their availability for other jobs, meaning that they have less time to put their skills at the service of members and walk them through the onboarding process.
Hapana enables staff to provide members more enjoyable and value-added services from the beginning. Thanks to this innovation, staff can refocus their time on personal interaction, training, and health advice.
Make onboarding new members as personal as possible
When it comes to fitness onboarding, personalization is vital.
Remember, one size doesn’t fit all - the point is to make every new member feel like an essential part of the community. Each new member perceives things differently, so the onboarding strategy needs a personal approach to be impactful. The goal of personalized onboarding should be to encourage your members to become fully comfortable as quickly as possible. Comfortable and motivated members are satisfied customers who are likely to stay with your business for a long time.
Hapana makes maintaining constant communication easy. You can learn how your new members get engaged and, if necessary, give them recommendations. It's also an opportunity for you to listen to them, motivate them, and encourage them to give you and your team feedback.
Getting new consumers off to a good start can boost their satisfaction and raise your company's sales. When your onboarding process is engaging, your customers are happier and more comfortable, and more likely to bring along friends!