Have you changed your phone for the last 5 years? No!? What about 10, or 20?

What kind of phone did you have 5,10, or 20 years ago? Was it a smartphone? How much did technology change since then? It is ok to have an old cellphone, but I am sure it would be a big limitation today. If you can type twice as fast, you can send twice as many messages, but what if your phone could help you get the food you like or get directions to your destination. A lot has changed within the last 20 years and what we use today has become in fact, a “smart” phone!

Could you imagine life without your smartphone? What is the first thing you look for when leaving the house!? Your smartphone is the solution to all our problems, that is how you think. It is all about convenience! You do not mind using it anymore. In fact, you might be addicted to your smartphone.

Now think about your club and your clients. When did you introduce your software? Is it convenient enough? Can it become part of your clients’ and staff’s smartphone? In fact, most software built their core in an era where smartphones were not as important, they made everything around desktops. The main issue is that we operate clubs and businesses using methodologies built on old habits, and software built on a vision created 20 years ago.

Clubs must evolve

Clubs have standard operating procedures which are in place for decades. This way of running the business is wasting precious resources and wasting clients’ and staff’s time every day. We have talked to clubs that recently have created their own software based on procedures that will become obsolete in a few years. Remember, if your software is not dynamic and easy to be updated you will be stuck with the wrong software, for years to come. It is like buying an old phone model for the next 10 or 20 years. Do not do that to your members, staff, and budget!

If clubs want to increase revenue, decrease costs, keep staff and clients happy, they must simplify the way the club operates; to do that, they need to add convenience to all stakeholders of the club, and that is done by empowering their smartphones. A next-generation mobile-friendly solution is able to send less invasive updates and keep up with the trends smartphones will dictate.

Clients and Clubs are Growing Apart

Clubs that are not willing to change are clearly going to miss out. You can explore it more in the previous article Adapt or Fail. We need to reboot our thoughts and let them go. The world has changed, and technology is changing exponentially over time. Customer’s habits have been spoiled by advanced technology, and only those who adapt to this trend will be able to keep customers happy. I am not saying you must forget good old manners and genuine interaction, that is why people join clubs, but you need to offer all conveniences clients are getting used to.

Changes must be Quick and Prompt

One last thing I want to point out is the speed of decision-making at the clubs. It takes too much time and effort to recognize a change must be made, and even more, time to implement it. There are too many steps involved in the decision-making process and by the time a change has been completed, it is already time for another change. Technology and clients’ behavior are evolving way too fast for traditionally managed clubs. This issue does not allow clubs to keep up with trends and to ever achieve a high level of efficiency.