How Management Software Can Protect You From Legal Issues

Our friends at TeamUp wrote this important article for our CC community!

Launching your fitness business requires careful planning and strategizing that cannot be overlooked. You have to create your business plan, figure out where you'll run your classes and operations, understand where to find clients, and check off several other steps that are essential to getting things up and running correctly. One step as a new business owner you most certainly want to get right from the start is figuring out how to protect your business from legal issues.

Now we know what you're thinking...You haven't even opened for business yet and already you should be worrying about an accident? The answer is yes because whether you think they will or won't, accidents do happen. And while some can be avoided or prevented, in the event an accident should occur you want to make sure your business, your customers, and yourself are protected.

Fortunately, there are tools and systems, such as management software, built to help business owners, just like yourself, protect your business from serious legal issues and run your operations safely and securely.  To show you how having management software can help you avoid legal issues, our friends at TeamUp are here to walk you through software features that will keep your business protected and your customers out of harm's way.

Why you need legal protection for your fitness business

Yes, accidents happen, and yes, some won't be as serious as they could be, but without having legal procedures in place for when they do occur, you put your business at risk of a lawsuit, no matter how big or small the incident was. If a customer becomes injured while in one of your classes or performing a workout, you are responsible, and without a document or any type of waiver of liability that says otherwise, it falls on you to handle the matter.

Which can at times end up costing you more than just a paycheck, it can cost you a valuable customer. Slips, dropping a piece of equipment on oneself, falling over, pulling a muscle that requires them to have surgery and go through a recovery process, these and more are just some of the incidents in which a customer might deem you responsible for what has taken place and you'll be left to deal with the consequences.

Legal issues don't only arise from physical injury

And don't forget that legal issues don't just arise from physical injuries as well. They can also occur when customers claim one thing, for example, relating to payments, attendances, membership plans, and it's your word against theirs.

Say a client claims they paid for their membership, but you don't have any record of their payment or having collected it? What now? Or what if a client was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure, but you did not know and included intense cardio in your program? And let's take it another step further and say what if a client missed several sessions and wants to make it up but didn't know that your policy stated that you can't make up sessions without organizing in advance or else they are lost?

The number of issues that can arise without the proper systems in place won't just put you at risk, it will also give you an endless amount of admin to organize that takes away from the customer experience essential to running a successful business and retaining your valuable customers.

Why management software is the solution to keeping your business protected

That's where management software comes in. With the right systems in place to assist you in managing your admin keeping your customers aware of the policies and protocols in place to keep them safe, you'll have a layer of protection that supports you in your day to day operation and eliminates a large amount of risk. Not to mention that management software can also protect you when it comes to recording payments, tracking clients' attendances, recording health and medical information, and storing customer information. To dig deeper, here are the top five ways management software can protect your business and your customers.

1. Collect customer information with forms and waivers

Having a system that presents new customers with automated forms and waivers to fill out and sign at the time of sign up is the first step to protecting your customers and business. Think of forms and waivers as an additional layer of security that customers have to adhere to before even attending their first class.

By requiring them to respond to ParQ forms that ask for their most updated health and medical information, sign policies that state what you and your customer are each liable for, and how to avoid accidents based on the protocols you have set, means you gain the knowledge you need about your customer from the moment they become a member and that your customer can come to their first-class or session with the information they need to ensure their own safety while training with you, as well as you satisfying the conditions of your insurance.

It helps that the best management software also allows you to automate requiring form and waiver updates after a specific period of time so that you ensure you always have the most up to date information about your customer. You can even create your own specific forms so that if there is any additional information you'd like to be made aware of, you can ask and a customer must answer before attending.

2. Keep customer information on hand with a powerful CRM

Once a customer signs your waivers and fills out your online forms, that information is automatically stored in the built-in online CRM. Using your software, you'll be able to quickly and easily review their details, check on customer activity, and go into every session knowing exactly what your customers need in order to effectively and safely train with you. The ability to require their information and then access it anytime from your mobile device, tablet or laptop ensures that you never forget customer details and if you need to review you can do so on the go.

The better the relationship you develop with your customers the better the chance you have to handle any issues that arise smoothly and without further hassle. Your customers will also appreciate how easy it is for them to manage their information and know that you have it on hand whenever you need it.

3. Automate and record online payments

With a system that allows you to schedule, automate, collect, and record online payments for each of your customers, say goodbye to awkward conversations and chasing down missing payments. When customers sign up for a pack or recurring membership they'll know exactly how much each is, when payment is coming up, and won't even have to worry about making the payment thanks to payment processors that connect customers' bank accounts or debit/credit cards to your system.

Built-in contracts allow you to legally secure your revenue from customers who commit to a longer period of training, and provide the evidence you need to support that, without overloading your business with complexity.

Reporting features will help you see when a payment is upcoming, when they have been collected, and when they have been sent to your own bank account. It's simple, quick, and eliminates any squabble over who has or has not paid. And anytime a customers' payment has failed, you know for sure, no second-guessing or wondering if they did in fact pay. Your system keeps track of it all.

4. Update customers of new protocols and class practices with notifications

Keeping your customers up to date on everything from new classes and services to new safety measures and protocols will go a long way in ensuring customers stay in the know. While automated pre and post-class notifications serve to remind customers about their bookings, this is also a good place to remind customers what they need to bring to a class, what they need to do before and after to prevent injuries or soreness, how they can prepare for the next class, and what current safety protocols are before arriving at every class. The more informed they are of your instruction and rules to ensure their safety, the better likelihood they have of complying and avoiding any risk.

5. Stay on top of attendances with membership plans and detailed reports

While it seems easy in the beginning to keep track of attendances manually and check off customers when they come to class, it's also easy to forget. Without an attendance tracker to verify that a customer has in fact attended past sessions, you won't be able to confirm how many classes a customer has left or if they need to renew membership in order to attend more classes. It's uncomfortable, a bad experience, and leaves customers wondering why there isn't more organisation set up.

Fortunately, management software eliminates these issues with detailed membership plans that show how many sessions a customer has included in their plan and deducts one every time they attend a class, reports that give you the ability to quickly double-check, and notifications that remind you and your customer if their plans are running out or running low.

Having the added layer of security and assurance that your software is providing you will let you focus on the actual classes and workouts.

To tie it all together

Protecting your business goes far beyond making sure none of your customers gets physically hurt. Having the proper checks and balances in place to ensure your operations are running smoothly, your customers stay informed with your most important policies, and a system to support you when you need to double-check the facts will help you avoid risk and legal issues and allow you to focus on running a successful fitness business. Because you are a member of Conscious Counsel, you can try TeamUp for free with an extended 45-day trial. Please reach out to their team at partners@goteamup.com

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