Pilates Business Podcast

Your Software is More Than a Scheduling Tool: How to Use It to Boost Conversions & Retention

• Seran Glanfield • Season 24 • Episode 239

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In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield reveals how your scheduling software isn’t just an admin tool — it’s actually one of the most powerful parts of your client experience. 

From first impressions to seamless booking, automation, data tracking, and integration, Seran shows boutique fitness studio owners how to use features they already have at their fingertips to reduce friction, boost conversions, and increase retention. 

If you’ve ever wondered why one Pilates studio is packed while another struggles — even though they use the same software — this conversation will open your eyes to the real reason why. 

Tune in to discover how to transform your software into a growth engine for your Pilates studio or boutique fitness business.

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Speaker 1:

Have you ever wondered why two studios can have the exact same scheduling software but one is fully booked, with a loyal client base, and the other can't get people to show up after their first class? It's not about the tool. It's about the experience that the tool creates. Your software isn't just an admin system anymore. It's actually one of the most powerful touch points in your customer journey. So today we're digging in to how the features that you probably already have right at your fingertips can completely transform the way that people experience your studio, boost conversions and keep your clients coming back week after week. Keep your clients coming back week after week. Well, hi there, I'm Saren Glanfield. I'm a business and marketing strategist just for boutique fitness studio owners like you. If you're ready to be inspired and make a bigger impact, you're in the right place. All you need are a few key strategies, the right mindset and some support along the way. Join me as I share the real-life insights that will help you grow a sustainable and profitable studio.

Speaker 1:

This is the Pilates Business Podcast. Welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast. I'm Saren Glanfield and I am so glad you're here, especially for this episode, because there is a lot of a lot I want to share with you today. When it comes to software, so much, so much. You know the software landscape has changed tremendously in the last few years in so many ways. Not only do you have a lot more options, but you also have a lot more features within those options at your fingertips. And I think that it is a wonderful time to be a boutique fitness studio owner, because the power that you have within your software really has the ability to drive the growth of your business. There is so much that you can do with your software today if you're willing to. That can really really support your growth and profitability.

Speaker 1:

So I want to talk a little bit today about some of the things that might be missing from the way that you use your software, because I think, if we're honest, when we talk about software, many studio owners find their software perhaps a little frustrating at times. Maybe they use it as a bit of a just a glorified scheduling tool, something that lives in the background, and maybe we only notice it when it breaks or confuses us or confuses a client, or perhaps doesn't do what our friends studio software does right. But the reality is that whatever software you have at your fingertips today is a significantly more powerful version than you would have had even a year ago. So your software today is not just for managing schedules or collecting payments. It's often the first impression that someone has of your brand, of the way that you interact with your clients. It's one of also the biggest drivers of whether a new lead so someone who has yet to even buy becomes a loyal client, or whether they just sort of bounce after they kind of get to that scheduling page on your website before they even step foot in the studio. So I want to break it down for you a little bit today, and I think that one of the things I want you to keep in mind as we talk about this is that we have to continue to upgrade our customer journey, the journey that your client goes through from finding you to becoming a long term loyal client. So from the second they discover you wherever that is the second they hear about you, the second they click on your website to signing up for their first class, to getting that confirmation email, to checking in at the front desk, walking into the studio, how they're welcomed into the studio that whole process is the customer journey, and so much of it today is shaped by your software and that process is essentially what converts people into long-term loyal clients, because that journey can either build trust, build loyalty, build that relationship or quietly drive people away. So I want you to think about your software perhaps in a little bit of a different light today. That's my goal for us in this conversation. I don't want you to think of your software tool just as an admin right, but the reality is that it's an extension of your front desk team and if you have a front desk, it's going to be tremendously helpful to them and to you. If you don't have a front desk team and if you have a front desk, it's gonna be tremendously helpful to them and to you, and if you don't have a front desk team, it is going to be probably your front desk team. So this is an incredibly important element in your business and to support to your business as well, and it can be something that, when you use it intentionally, can help to really create a wonderful client experience that is smooth, streamlined, enjoyable, right, and I think that we've all.

Speaker 1:

All of our expectations of the way that we interact with anything digital is higher than they've ever been before. You know, apple paved the way with creating this sort of very unique user experience. That was very intuitive and easy, and I think that we from there have now evolved in our expectations that all of our interactions with anything digital needs to be that way. And you think about how we use different apps on our phone, whether you're on different software, right? Or you know even different websites, right, if you're shopping on Amazon or if you are ordering an Uber, right. We expect those experiences within those apps and within that digital platform to be as simple and straightforward and as obvious to us as possible, and so your software is no different, and your clients expect that from you and your software. So let's dive in to talk about some of the different things that might be holding you back when it comes to how you use your software and what your software is doing.

Speaker 1:

I think that the first thing I want to dive into is perhaps one of the sort of silent killers of your business, which is something I've kind of mentioned a little bit already, but that is that there is friction in your customer journey, and I think a long time ago there was a book. I wouldn't recommend you read it today because it's kind of an old, very outdated book right now, but it was based on website design. It's like I don't know 10 years old and the title of the book was Don't Make them Think. And I think that that is exactly true of what people expect from their interaction with any software, right? They don't want to wonder or question which direction to go in, or what button to click next, or what's the best option for them, or whether they need to, how many. They need to kind of figure it out. They want to be guided forward, right. And the reason is the reason that the that's sort of when we think about that applied to the customer journey in your studio.

Speaker 1:

Many clients leave your studio because not because they didn't like the class. They probably would have loved the class if they could have gotten to the class. They often don't even show up because the process to get to that point was perhaps a little clunky, perhaps the signup had too many steps, perhaps the pricing wasn't clear, perhaps there was not enough information about what the class is or what they should bring or how it all works, and what happens then is that your clients drop off before they even get to experience the magic of your classes, so you lose them before you've even had a chance to wow them, and that probably leaves you wondering. You know what's happening in the business, what's going on? Why is this? Is it because I'm priced too high? And that's usually where people go, and it's often to do with other things in the business.

Speaker 1:

So when we work with our studio owners inside of Thrive, my business coaching program, we do a deep dive into your customer journey, we do a deep dive into your data and your key numbers. The friction lies in your customer journey, so that you're not constantly looking to perhaps drop your prices or change your prices or fire instructors, that actually you are able to fix the gaps in the customer journey, to reduce the friction and to make the whole thing a lot more seamless. Right, because that first touch point, that first booking, if it's smooth, clear and welcoming, it will build trust before they even step in the door. Which first booking, if it's smooth, clear and welcoming, it will build trust before they even step in the door, which is fantastic. Right Now, what I often see is that studio owners who have, you know, been in business for a little while, or even those that are new to business opening those studios I know there's many of you listening. You know we set up our software for what we need at a time when we open right. So that's probably just the basics. It's got the schedule up there. It's got your pricing options. It's got the buy button. Maybe there's a waiver in there as well.

Speaker 1:

Might not be using right Things like one-click booking, waitlist, pre-filled kind of payment information, branded email templates, so many things. And when you don't use these, you know they may not feel like you're adding friction, but they're certainly not making the experience as streamlined as it could be right. And whenever you're not utilizing these features that the software companies are creating and delivering to you, you're probably leaving money on the table right. Because here's the thing these software companies whether it's Arketa or any of the others that we talk about and I talk about with my studio owners inside of my Thrive business coaching program they are creating features that support your business growth. Why? Because they want you to succeed. They want you to make money. The more money that you make and the more successful you are as a business, the more likely you are to stay with them as a software provider. Maybe upgrade to their next package, maybe do that add-on of all the things that they also offer. So they want you to be as successful as possible, right? And so if they're rolling out features that you could be using and choosing not to, then you probably are leaving money on the table, and so we don't want to think about our software just as the basics. We want to make sure we are aware of all of the features that it offers and how we can use all those features to support and grow your business. Right? So be informed about your software. They are rolling out new things, new tools, every single month, you guys, and if it's been a while since you had a deep dive and educated yourself on what that looks like, then please consider this to be the time. The world of software and incorporating AI and all these things is just evolving at such a rapid pace, you guys, that I don't want you to be left behind. So learn about what your software offers. Learn about what it does and can do for your business. I promise you you will not regret it.

Speaker 1:

Okay, let's talk about automation next. I talk about automation a lot. It's very important for you to utilize. This is one of the features I really recommend you utilize. If you haven't yet, this is again, maybe your next thing to do on your list of action items following this episode.

Speaker 1:

But too often what we find is that studio owners either don't use the automations in their software or they have turned it on and they did it a couple of years ago and they've forgotten about it. And guess what? Your business looks different today than it did two years ago, right? So you want to make sure that you have made checked in on those automations, that they are working for you. You'll know if they're working for you because the data will tell you if they are or not, and they represent the business that you have today. It's amazing how often we change things and then we don't go back and check that our automations align with our current business. So automations are important. They are used throughout all of the businesses that I know who are most successful in the industry, and that doesn't mean that they have to sound robotic In fact, I would really like it if you made them not sound robotic but when you do them right, when they're done right and these are all things that I share with my studio owners inside of my Thrive Business Coaching Program.

Speaker 1:

We show you, step by step, which automations to use, how to put them together and what to say in all of those emails and text messages. When you do it right, it truly deepens that connection that you have with your clients. These touch points are critical in the world we're in today because, again, our attention span is shorter than ever before. When you think about all of the digital touch points you've had between you know now and this time last week it was probably in the thousands, and so you have to be a part of that, and we want to make sure that your touch points are impactful and they're meaningful. So, instead of automation being robotic or ignored, I encourage you to use it sort of as sort of you want to keep it alive, as it were, and use it to connect on a deeper level with your clients.

Speaker 1:

I had a client I was working with we spoke actually earlier this week and we were looking at some of the data and looking at the customer journey. And I was saying to her I think you can do better with some of this and let's have a look and see what it is that perhaps could be missing. And we went kind of through my checklist, we went through the customer journey and and I said you know. I said I think we need to revisit your automations. Do you have them running? And she said, yeah, we have. We have had them. We've had them running for, like you know, two or three years. I was like two or three years ago so I said, okay, let's revisit, let's take a look. We can definitely. We can definitely improve because the world has evolved. You know our tone, our brand has evolved, and so that's what we're working on, and this is an example to you guys of you know this is a a constant work in progress, right, that we are upgrading and up-leveling and refining the way that we, our business, operates each and every week and every month and every year, and that is how we build and grow successful businesses, truly, okay, I know I went off on a complete tangent. I'm coming back to the software now.

Speaker 1:

Okay, let's shift gears a little bit and talk about data. Okay, so I get it. Reports, analytics, dashboards maybe it's not something that lights you up love that stuff. I love looking at your numbers. I want to know what the numbers are saying. But I want you but, and I recommend that you get familiar with those numbers, um, and once you crack it, it's not that hard. I've seen so many um studio owners who I've worked with, you know, come in sort of, when we start these conversations about data and numbers and what those numbers look like, tell me, okay. Okay, I'm not a numbers person, all right, force me to sit down, look at them. Fine, sarah, and I'll do it.

Speaker 1:

And then, just a few months later, they're the ones who are like all right, it's the first of the month. Let me check my numbers from last month, let me have a look and see what they're telling me. And they're excited to look. Right, they're excited to look for two reasons Number one, they know what they're telling them. But number two, they know what they should be doing or what to do next to improve and grow their business further. And when you do that, month after month after month, those numbers are exciting because they look good. So your numbers are telling you a story about your business, okay. And so we want to know what's happening behind the scenes. And again, business Okay. And so we want to know what's happening behind the scenes. And again, I've done a ton of episodes on this and we know it's not just the top line revenue number that we need to look at.

Speaker 1:

There's a lot of other data points we want to look at to help us understand what's happening at the customer journey level. And when you're looking at data in that way, what happens is it becomes sort of like your GPS system. Right, it becomes like your Google Maps or your Apple Maps or your Waze. It helps you to perhaps change direction, course correct before you get to the accident right On the highway. You can work around it and still get to where you want to get to, so you can course correct earlier when you have data helping you right. And so inside of your software, your data is there, and every software is a little bit different in the way that they present that data to you and what data you can get. But again, when we look at data, it always helps your business grow. So we don't want to first of all stop thinking about it as A something that I'm not good at or B as boring, and start to think of it as perhaps an insight into what your customer is actually experiencing.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so I want to finish up with just talking quickly about one of perhaps the most overlooked features, and I think that is integration. And when I say integration I mean that your software scheduling, email, payments, waivers it ideally sits within one platform and ideally, because of that, then feels seamless and feels branded to your clients right. If it feels patchy, if you've got different software for doing different things, then we see a lot of inconsistency and sometimes it can even seem unprofessional. I don't want that for you at all. So we want to make sure that what your clients are experiencing is an incredibly consistent experience, because it's that consistency that your brand is represented by and that means that they need to get emails with the same tone, same fonts, same colors, same branding right, and that it feels like it's cohesive, it's aligned with you and the way that you interact with your clients when they're in the studio.

Speaker 1:

So we want to make sure that your software is seamless and is in step with your business as a whole, right? We want to make sure that everything is working together, from your marketing that you're doing on social media to your email marketing, to the events you're hosting, to your automations, to the class timetable and class descriptions. It all should work together, it should all feel on brand and it should all be designed to do one specific thing, which is to attract and retain your clients over the long term so that your business can grow right. So when everything works together, when everything is aligned, when everything is on brand, that's what builds that trust and loyalty. The experience for the user is seamless. It will be easy for them to keep booking and coming back. Right, and I'll tell you, this really can make or break it. You know, people can have a fabulous class experience or really enjoy attending your class, but if it's a pain to book, guess what. They're going to go find something else. There are a lot of options out there right now and, like I said earlier, our expectations are higher than they've ever been. So, all right, let's zoom out.

Speaker 1:

Your software is no longer just your back office tool. It's a part of your brand now, and it's also that sort of silent front desk team or admin partner that is truly shaping the experience your clients have when they go through that booking process. Right, you're no longer doing that for them. You know they're not picking up the phone anymore and calling you and you're not putting it into your paper calendar anymore. Right, you want them to feel, though, that same care and nurture that they would have felt in that experience, in their online experience, right, in their digital experience. So we want to reduce friction right. We want to make sure we're using the features your software has with intention right, in a way which, again, is aligned with your brand. We want to make sure that your communication and your automations are thoughtful and we want to make sure that we are tracking those data and understanding the story that that data is telling us about how you serve your clients. And that's truly when you make it as simple and as easy and as enjoyable as possible for your clients to get to class right and it becomes the whole thing, becomes an aligned experience that your clients trust and enjoy and then also, by the way, recommend to their friends.

Speaker 1:

All right, so the thing is, you guys, you do not have to figure all of this out alone. Like I've mentioned already, inside Thrive, my business coaching program, we dig into how to use your software not just to schedule your classes but to scale your studio. I help you to focus on creating those customer journeys that convert, that retain and that inspire your clients to keep coming back and inspire you so that your studio grows with you working perhaps a little bit smarter, not necessarily more hours. So if you are interested in learning how to streamline your business and you'd like to build a rock solid brand and finally stop feeling like you're duct taping everything together? I'd love to invite you to check it out. You can go to spring3.com. Forward, slash, thrive the links in the show notes and let's make your studio work better for you because, yes, your classes are amazing, but it's the experience around those classes that keeps clients coming back.

Speaker 1:

Thanks so much for tuning in you guys. I'll see you in the next episode. Did you love this episode and want more? Head to spring3.com and check out my free resources that will help you run a profitable and fulfilling studio business. And before you go, one last reminder there is no one way to do what you do, only your way. So whatever it is that you want to do, create or offer, you've got this. Thanks again for joining me today and have a wonderful rest of your day.