Running a fitness studio means focusing on what truly matters: connecting with students, sharing your passion, and creating an environment where everyone can learn and grow. To do that effectively, having the right booking software is crucial—it needs to make your life easier, not harder. We want to share our experience with a booking app I used and why we realized that finding the right one can make or break your business.
The Struggles of a Bad Studio Booking Application
We initially chose a booking app for our studio, thinking it would be the solution to keep everything organized and seamless. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a source of ongoing frustration. Despite paying the market rate for this software, we were continually faced with a range of issues:
User and Admin Unfriendly Interface: Our students found the mobile app difficult to navigate, and many ended up abandoning their bookings because of how unintuitive the experience was. This led to direct customer loss—a painful hit for any small business. Our staff has to reach out to some students to do the booking for them.
Time and Energy Drain: Instead of simplifying our workload, the app added to it. With too many steps required for even the simplest tasks, we spending hours managing bookings manually.
Inaccurate Data: Incorrect data from the app forced us to cross-check records manually. Booking inaccuracies, missing information, and inconsistent payment records not only cost us extra time but also frustrated our customers when there were issues with their bookings or payments and we have to apologise and compensate our customers when the vendor of the app did nothing to compensate us.
Avoid These Red Flags When Choosing a Booking App
If you're running a studio and considering a booking app, here are a few lessons we learned the hard way. These insights might save you time, money, and headaches:
Pricing Structure: Pay Per Active Student
A good booking app should have pricing that aligns with the size of your studio. Paying per active student is a fair approach, as it scales with your business. A reasonable benchmark would be S$0.50 or less per student per month —anything more, without significant added value, just isn't worth it. With our previous app, we paid more than it was worth, which added to our frustration.
Subscription Terms Matter: Be Cautious of Contracts
Always read the contract terms thoroughly. If it's a subscription, you should be able to terminate by giving one month's notice. If the contract locks you in for longer or makes it difficult to cancel, consider it a red flag. A good booking app provider should offer flexibility, understanding that your needs may change over time.
Workarounds Are Warning Signs
During the sales pitch, if the provider tells you that you can "work around" their system to meet your basic requirements, that's a big red flag. Your booking app should have the features you need already built in, not require awkward fixes or extra steps. Workarounds become a nightmare when you're trying to keep operations smooth, especially during peak times.
Local and Responsive Support Is Key
Having a support team that's local or at least in a similar time zone is crucial. If their support is only available during limited hours, and if weekend support is missing, you'll find yourself in a tough spot when something inevitably goes wrong on a Saturday or Sunday. We experienced the frustration of needing help during a busy weekend class, only to find the support team unreachable.
Avoid Manual Work at All Costs
The whole point of a booking app is to automate your processes and make things more efficient. When we found ourselves having to do manual work due to the limitations of the app, it became clear that the software was doing more harm than good. Look for a system that minimizes manual inputs, offers integrations, and gives you easy access to reports that are accurate and up-to-date.
What We Learned: Top Features to Look For
Ease of Use: Your students and staff should be able to navigate it effortlessly, including uploading of photos or videos.
Flexible Pricing: Cost should align with your usage, ideally per active student who is taking a class.
Cancellation Flexibility: Subscription-based services should allow easy cancellation with short notice.
Local, Responsive Support: Support should be available on weekends and outside of office hours.
No Workarounds: It should fulfill your basic requirements without compromise.
Number of Clicks: The number of clicks to perform a task should not exceed 3.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right booking app for your studio can have a massive impact on your day-to-day operations. It should streamline your processes, reduce administrative workload, and, most importantly, make it easy for students to join and enjoy your classes. If you're currently using a system that’s creating more work for you or driving your students away, it might be time to rethink your choice.
Our previous app taught us some hard lessons, but we are taking those lessons forward in finding a better solution. If you're in a similar situation, we hope our experience can help you avoid the same pitfalls. Remember, the right booking app should be a partner in your success—not an obstacle in your journey.
Share your booking app struggles with us in the comments or reach out to discuss the booking apps that have worked for you.
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