Ahem. I have an annoucement.
Attention fitness center managers! Your services are no longer needed. Please proceed in an orderly fashion toward the exit, and best of luck in your future professional pursuits.
If this announcement doesn’t fill you with joy — if, in fact, it makes you just the slightest bit angry — don’t shoot the messenger. I only realized fitness center managers were on their way out the door after reading an article about a new kind of manager — the non-human kind — making its debut in one of the largest chains in the business. 24 Hour Fitness, San Ramon, Calif., purchased RetailAction, a software application manufactured by Reflexis Systems Inc., Dedham, Mass., that promises to “boost operational productivity and consistently execute its corporate strategy in all of its more than 375 clubs in 14 states.”
24 Hour Fitness also believes its new, automated managers will actually help make members happier and more satisfied. “We are confident that integrating labor scheduling, task management and compliance management will enhance customer experience significantly at our clubs,” says Dan Benning, senior vice president of operations for 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide.
In light of the renewed focus on making fitness centers a hub of social activity that extends beyond sets and reps, am I alone in thinking that this is a strange step for an industry leader to take? How can a bunch of fitness center employees working at the beck and call of a computer effectively serve the needs of a notoriously unpredicatable group of fitness center members? Call me crazy, or just old-fashioned, but I have a hard time imagining a workforce happy to be micromanaged by a computer chip.
3 comments:
I couldn't agree with you more. This is utterly insane and is yet another reason why managers need to measure up to their worth. Either measure up or be replaced by a robot. Can't you see the future around the corner? We should rename the industry to "Vending Machine Fitness" if this keeps going.
I work for a fitness center that relies heavily upon customer service in both the gym and the community. Our Managers have the ability to tell you the name of nearly every member who walks through our doors. We emphasize so heavily on customer service that we utilize a personal checkin process that pulls a picture, birthday, and name of each member so that they can be greeted by name. New trends in robotic managers will continuously be covered up as "what's best for the member" while in truth it is simply a device to save that corporate dollar. Next time you are in a 24 hour fitness with one of these units, attempt to negotiate a refund for a family emergency, or even ask it for help with a machine, or you could even swing by just to say hi and enjoy some friendly conversation. Health clubs should be social gathering places, not hard lined robotic fitness centers.
It appears you have missed the critical point. In any business icluding running fitness centers there are a lot of activities and tasks that need to be accomplished, hopefully most of these are tied back to the member. By ensuring these tasks get accomplished at the right time, and that staff is scheduloed at the right time (for members), then the managers will have more time to interact and help their members. Most fitness centers have managers that while passionate about fitness are really not very good at management, to help them will help the member.
Post a Comment