An IT system describes the sum of structures, processes, and personnel that an organisation or business employs or puts in place in order to create, manipulate, store and disseminate information to a designated clientele or to the general public. The IT system is built on sound Information Technology, understood in its four basic components:
- Hardware: encompassing computers, phones, storage devices and other computing devices.
- Software: referring to application programs that make the computer systems to function.
- Databases: which constitute organized collections of related information.
- Networks: a group of information systems that have an interest in the same information or product.
Understood in all the aspects described above, an IT system constitutes an indispensable asset for the success of any organization or business. The gym is no exception to this rule.
An Efficient IT System is the Heart of your 21st Century Gym
Any organization or business that lacks an efficient IT system in the 21st century is non-existent. It, in fact, feels awkward to think that there could be one such entity in an era when Information Technology has invaded every place of work and has not spared our private spaces. People in an office, work and communicate with others working for the same goals from the comfort of their home. If this can be true of a motor vehicle production and sales business, it is even more accurate when describing a human service business such as the gym where productivity monitoring becomes a mandatory essential.
For your 21st century gym, a good IT system will serve to keep a record of a gym’s assets, store data on the clients, and keep a live and engaging communication with the clients wherever they may be. The system will also deliver marketing initiatives that are faster, effective, and reach a wider audience among other benefits. The consequent question is: What characterizes a good IT system for a gym?
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1. It’s User-Friendly
A prospective client searching for gym services will click the ‘go back’ arrow to return and explore other options on a google list if they find themselves on a gym website that is beyond their IT expertise. As a gym manager, you do not want the complexity of your IT system to stay between you and the benefits that come with a vast clientele. To avoid this, it is important that your IT system is user-friendly both in services that the client’s access within the gym and those that they reach from a remote location through the internet.
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Operates as a System
As suggested by the term, a good IT system for a gym is a collection of interrelated parts whose functioning supports the efficiency of the whole. This implies that the personnel and structures of communication in a gym should work in support of the processes that deliver relevant and timely information to the customer. The system makes various practises carried out within the company an even more easier process through convenience accounting, marketing, sales management process steps and various other business features. Such a system will ensure that the manager’s profit-making and the client’s satisfaction are met at the same time.
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Has State-of-the-Art IT
An efficient IT system for a gym should be able to tell its clientele that they have the latest and most efficient facilities and personnel. This implies the use of computers which allow for highs speeds in data processing, high-speed internet access, the presence of gym databases and information in the Cloud, and the creation of communication networks that can respond to client and management needs in an efficient and comprehensive manner. This may mean, for example, that clients can access an easy link on a gym’s website that leads them to another internet site where they can access and purchase bodybuilding supplements.
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It’s Relevant
A great gym IT system responds accordingly to user requests. This means that the system can be qualified as both passive and interactive. The passive suggests that the system provides unchanging answers to client’s questions regarding aspects such as the client population at different times in the life of the gym, which is indicative of customer satisfaction. The interactive underscores the system’s ability to give updated information. For instance, a past client may be seeking to know if a gym they frequented has upgraded its offer in terms of gym equipment and trainers’ quality.
Being a 21st-century gym implies putting in place a good IT system that can ensure the presence of relevant data which is generated by the use of state-of-the-art Information Technology. The data should be readily accessible to clients whenever and from wherever they may require them.
