Ryan Celli founded Celli’s Fitness Center in 2007 catering to strength athletes and power lifters. Since then, his privately owned gym has relocated, expanded, and added automated membership sign-up.
Like many small gyms, he relies on technology to keep costs down.
As he grew, he added cameras, a door controller, programable music, and a self-serve drink station along with a better gym management system. The investments allowed him to scale back hours and employ a staff of only his wife and son.
However, he soon found well-placed technology returned more than a better bottom line and free time. It just may have saved his business.
Covid-19 strikes Celli’s Fitness
Ryan, his wife Dana or son Noah, are often the only person on the front desk, helping members and new clients.
When someone gets sick, or needs time off, there are few options.
That’s the scenario Celli’s Fitness Center found itself in last December. In October, Ryan took time off for shoulder surgery, leaving management of the Pittsburg, Pa facility to Dana and Noah. “Then I friggen got that Covid. I tested positive Dec. 8th and then we started to panic. If I get it, and then Dana’s going to get it and then Noah, our 18-year-old son, so who is going to run the gym?”
Paperless member sign-up helps gym members run the gym
It was pretty cool, Ryan explained. Clients and personal trainers basically took over and ran the center after they learned of his family’s predicament. They showed new members around, kept the gym clean and directed new customers to the tablet sign-up system powered by Sales Guru©.
“Members were signing up customers for me,” Ryan explained.
Sales Guru©, by Gym Insight, is an installed software that pioneered the use of iPad and android tablets for membership sales. Clients use a tablet, a pc, or the gym’s website to select and pay for a new account. It is fully integrated into Celli’s Fitness payment processing and member management system. This means as soon as someone signs up, all their data is immediately uploaded and available for review.
“I was able to tell members, ‘Hey, just hand them a tablet,’” Ryan said. The new person chooses a membership level, takes their picture, swipes a credit card and signs waivers, all within minutes. Once a credit card is entered, all of the customer’s information populates the contract, minimizing transcription errors.
“The system updates automatically so I can be at my house and see one new member,” Ryan finished.
Paperless membership sign-ups kept Celli’s Fitness in the black
Ryan quickly realized what may have been a terrible financial setback instead turned into successful test of technology: Clients used his website to schedule tours. From there, he managed every step of their experience; ensuring new account sign-ups continued even as he stayed home recovering from COVID-19 with his wife and son.
“Your system saved my butt.”
Today, Ryan and his team are healthy and back at work, grateful for their clients generosity and for well-designed, easy-to-use software.
Gym Insight
At Gym Insight, our gym membership software provides a clear, transparent picture into your company’s financials, and offers a platform from which to run your business effectively. Our software is built in-house, by fitness club owners. There are no cumbersome third-party plug-ins or complicated protocols, and it’s available for a single, low monthly subscription price — no hidden fees, no links to your payment processor. Call us today for a free demonstration on how we can lower your software management costs and free up time and capital.