Essential tools for a personal trainer

Everyone who goes into business has tools they use to do their job. A carpenter has his toolbox filled with a hammers and screw drivers. A photographer has his bag with a camera and lenses. A stylist has her scissors and comb. But what do personal trainers have? Knowledge of how the body works, and digital tools to help them manage their clients.

Digital tools help personal trainers grow their businesses and live more organised lives, and your booking management software is at the forefront of your digital toolbox. It keeps your business running smoothly while you’re sleeping, taking time off, or working with customers. It takes your bookings for you and manages your appointments without you having to worry.

A good booking system is one of the most essential tools for a personal trainer, and here are some of the key features you should look for when you pick your software.

Packages

As a personal trainer, your customers may need to book more than one thing at once. Whether that’s multiple sessions at a cheaper rate, or different types of sessions grouped together, packages make booking multiple services a lot easier for you and your customers.

Packages are also a great way to get people to commit to multiple sessions with you. Asking someone to rebook after they’ve just had a tough workout can be a hard sell, but if they’ve already booked a 10 session package, they’ll be glad they did when they’ve recuperated. And so will you.

Classes

If you’re one of those personal trainers who occasionally (or regularly!) teaches classes, a solid classes feature is something you can’t live without. You already know how much of a headache it is to manage one client, but pulling multiple customers into the same booking can give you a migraine! Using a good classes feature will allow you to manage everyone in your calendar at once, remind them to show up, see your attendance sheet, and track who has paid and who hasn’t.

You’ll be able to lose the stress and manage your class bookings from anywhere. Don’t tell me that doesn’t sound good.

Reminders

Nobody likes to get stood up, but it happens to personal trainers too often. We’re here to change that. It’s great to get bookings, but if you’re customers aren’t showing, it’s a big waste of your time and let’s face it – it’s very frustrating!

Email and SMS reminders can ensure that your customers show up on time, every time. In the reminder, they’ll be asked to text you a Y or N to confirm the appointment so that if they can’t make it, you’re not waiting around for them to show their face.

Personal trainers using SMS reminders with Timely have said that it decreases no-shows dramatically.

Michael Hynard, a personal trainer at Les Mills, says that his favourite feature of Timely is the SMS reminders. He rests easy, knowing that his clients are going to show up on time, or let him know 24 hours in advance that they need to change their appointment. “It’s a win-win for the both of us – they don’t get charged, and I can book someone else into that time. So it protects my cash flow.” Michael has not had any no-shows since becoming a personal trainer, and he wants to keep it that way.

Lucy Warren a pilates instructor, agrees with Michael saying that there are no more double bookings, and hardly any no-shows in her business. Timely is “the best thing I’ve ever done for my business,” she says.

Whatever you do, having the right tools for the job helps you to better serve your clients, grow your business, and gain an advantage over your competition. As a personal trainer, easy to use, affordable, and cloud-based booking software is one of the more important tools your business needs. Here at Timely, we know a thing or two about that ;-)