abc™ FINANCIAL

Health club managers of multi-facility clubs have enough on their plates without having to worry about delinquent payments. The good news is that the best health club software can reduce delinquencies in a number of ways.

Previously, we discussed how clubs can reduce delinquencies and briefly mentioned a few issues health club software can help solve. Today, we will discuss how the right health club software, in concert with expert billing services, can reduce your delinquencies whether you manage one club or a chain of thousands:

1. Finding Delinquencies – Health club members, just like health club managers live harried lives. Sometimes the unpaid bill hidden at the bottom of a paper stack on the kitchen table might just be your health club’s next delinquency. With the right software and technology, you can be alerted quickly when an account has gone delinquent at any of your clubs - whether it’s across the street or across the country.

2. Closed Accounts or Expired Credit Cards – It’s probably one of the most common obstacles to regular dues payments and is frequently one that occurs without your customer’s realization. A quick determination of a customer’s closed account, canceled credit card or insufficient funds is often all that’s needed to help get them back on track. The faster your software catches such common delinquency problems, the faster you can fix these bill paying snafus.

3. Automation – Health club software can help you automate many of your processes, including billing. This is especially important when it comes to multi-facility clubs. Trying to manage billing processes manually risks errors, which could lead to delinquencies. The right kind of health club software can reduce or even eliminate error-prone manual efforts.

4. Better Processes – Today, collections are more streamlined and convenient than mailing letters or making phone calls. Processes need to be in place to support electronic payments, while accommodating for security compliance issues, credit/debit card rule changes, and systems to minimize payment interruptions. Having the tools in place to accomplish this and knowing what to do with them can contribute to your success.

5. Consolidation of Information – In days past, health clubs had a computer for check-in, a filing cabinet for member files, a manual system for tracking machine maintenance and varied software to manage accounts receivables. Now spread that ‘’system’ across multiple facilities and you have a situation ripe for potential financial troubles. These days, the right health club software keeps all your information in the same place, even across multiple facilities, making your processes easier to find and manage.

Delinquencies are part of the health club management landscape, but can be a particularly menacing problem for multiple facilities. They can be a particular problem for health clubs with multiple facilities. Fortunately there are tools available to accommodate your club’s needs, and those of your guests, that are designed to adapt and expand as your business does.

For more ways to boost your health club processes, request a health club software demo from ABC Financial.

By: Bill Murray
Sr. Vice President of Software Development & Support

CRS 2.0 is coming April 27, 2012. Will you be ready? Check out the changes by watching this video and get ready for improved and expanded reporting capabilities.

https://client2.abcfinancial.com/help/CRS_Help/crs2/crs2video.htm

ABOUT THIS RELEASE
RELEASE NUMBER 2.34.10
RELEASE DATE APRIL 6, 2012

Click here for FULL RELEASE NOTES

Member check-in history has been enhanced to include remote check-ins.

We have added remote check-ins to the member’s Check In History page. Now you can view the member’s check-ins for all clubs in one place. You can sort the list by Check-In Date or by Club.

Email Types
In the Email module, we resolved the following issues:

• The club’s primary email address was not being used as the “From” address in email messages.
• Company logos did not scale proportionately.
• Event notifications listed contact information for the logged in club.
  

Inventory
In the Inventory module, we resolved the following issues:

• The Available Online option was being reset to “No.”
• Default Price was displayed incorrectly before the item was saved.
  

Members
In the Members module, we resolved the following issues:

• The Find Member search was taking too long.
• After rewrite, secondary member invoices disappeared.
  

Recurring Services
In the Recurring Services module, we resolved the following issue:

• Open-ended services were funding completed events at other clubs.

Security Roles
In the Security Roles module, we resolved the following issue:

• The Change Sale Person - Convert and Change Sale Person - Delete Members Security roles were not functioning properly.

For more information, see the detailed DataTrak 2.34.10 Release Notes.

By: Nita Daniel
Technical Writer III

As a Club Owner, Why Do I Want ABC to Automatically Update My Members’ Credit Card Information?

Simply put, if ABC Financial doesn’t have valid credit card information we cannot automatically collect payments. Through our automated updater program, ABC collects more of your income and your members experience fewer service interruptions and late and service fees.

Historically, correcting the issue of inaccurate credit card information relied upon the member responding to ABC to make the update. When the member didn’t respond to direct contact, they missed payments, were charged fees and became confused and unhappy. Bottom line is without automatic updates, accounts with card declines are less likely to have successful collections.

Now, if a member’s credit card is declined, ABC automatically requests good information from their bank or financial institution. ABC puts the changes the card issuer sent into the member’s account. For the first quarter of 2012, 18.6% of declined cards in this program were successfully updated with current billing info.

As a member why would I want my credit card information updated automatically?

Before the Automated Credit Card Updater program, a member would have to remember to contact ABC if their card number changed. Card numbers change for many reasons: they expire, the bank replaces them, or the customer requests a replacement for lost or stolen cards. If a member forgets to update their ABC billing information, their accounts would eventually become delinquent and subject to late and service fees.

With the Automated Credit Card Updater, the member’s credit card information is updated by their issuing bank or financial institution in accordance with their cardholder agreement. This enables ABC to update our records in a timely manner, thus avoiding inconvenient and expensive late fees.

ABC’s Automated Credit Card Updater program benefits both club owners and their members by eliminating unnecessary disruptions in billing resulting in a higher collection percentage and happier members!

Club Vitals is the fitness industry’s only equipment maintenance management software company. Club Vitals allows you to manage your biggest investment, your equipment, using a cataloging system, QR codes and software in conjunction with your in house staff and/or 3rd party repair company.

By using Club Vitals, you will always know which equipment is under repair, which equipment is in good repair as well as whether your equipment is still under warranty or not.

At the click of a button, you have access to the purchase date, make and model, serial number, miles logged, and history of repair for every piece of equipment in your club.

Club Vitals will communicate with you, your staff and your repair staff or company and create accountability for the health of the equipment in your facility.

Club Vitals also allows you to schedule preventative maintenance and ensures it is performed.

As a result of using Club Vitals you will save time and money. You will always know what is going on with your equipment. You will be able to hold your repair company accountable for repairs and repair times and you will have a permanent record of all issues and repairs.

Using Club Vitals will revolutionize how you care for your equipment and will protect your investment. You will save money and will have happier members.

Our product is inexpensive and affordable and carries no commitment. Our service is open ended, and we guarantee you will benefit from using our product. As such we do not use contracts.

For more information on Club Vitals check out our Website, our Explanation Video, or our instructional guide!

By: Jim Thomas
Jim Thomas’ Fitness Management & Consulting

Health Club salespeople who still view themselves as an employee are in trouble in the new world of health clubs. Unless you have actual ownership in the health club you represent, you no longer have a “job” or a “career.” You are now a business and the health club you represent is the platform on which you sell and market. Now, if all you want is a job, read no further.

So how do you compete in this new health club world?

Like any other business in the fitness and gym industry, you’ll need an Internet presence. All the tools to establish one are free with Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter and YouTube. Also, you’ll need to establish a personal fitness brand that offers unique value in your health club.

Building your personal fitness brand, developing your health club expertise, and telling the world about both will take some effort, but the payoff is tremendous… and the short-term effort will lead to very long-term gain.

 To propel yourself to the top of the health club industry, take the following steps:



Create a website. Once your website is complete you should include the following information on it:

• Health Club and fitness bio. Talk about who you are, your education, work experience, some thoughts on the health club industry you are working in and something personal, such as your hobbies.
• Member and Client Testimonials. Create a link called, "What My Clients Say" that includes quotes and video of clients and members saying what a great job you did for them.
• Client list. People like buying from people who already have experience with others like them.
• "Contact me" link. At the top of your home page, include a link with all your contact info, including your office phone number, cell phone number, email address, mailing address, fax number, and so on.
  

Start blogging. This is your online diary, where you write about what's going on in your health club and the fitness industry, the problems your members are having, and how you can help solve them. For the next 90 days, write at least three blog posts per week on issues relevant to your health club and members. You'll be amazed at the viral effect a blog can have. Just make sure you keep your blogs entirely professional. No bashing your health club, the competition, or the boss. Your blog is all about creating business - and the way to do that is to keep it on the high road at all times.

Host a webinar. One of the fastest ways to become a resource in your health club or fitness industry is to teach people something they need to know. Webinars are one of the best ways to bring your expertise to potential new members. Just be absolutely sure your presentation is not a sales pitch, but is focused on helping members and non-members with a pressing fitness or weight loss issue.

Write articles and distribute online. Write some short articles sharing your insights on different issues your members and clients face and post them online. Then submit them to industry blogs and discussion groups. Published articles give you strong credibility and increase lead flow.



If you're worried your health club or gym won't let you do all this, don't be. I have yet to see a health club policy that says you can't have a website about yourself. Policy may dictate what you can say about the health club, but that's fine. The important thing here is to just do it. Your potential members and clients will buy from the person they see as the most visible and having the most health club and fitness expertise in any given market. When you take the steps outlined above, that person will be you.

Now, go turn yourself into a trusted fitness brand!

Doug Holmes has been a part of the ABC Financial software development team since 2005. He previously worked in the financial and data service industries and joined ABC as a programmer for DataTrak. He is currently the Technical Director for the programming team. Doug is committed to constantly improving and enhancing ABC’s software and providing the tools our clients need to be successful.

He is married and has a son and daughter along with two dogs and various small animals that come home on holidays from his wife’s preschool class. Doug enjoys spending time with his family, learning things he didn't know and the great outdoors.

When the herd stays together, it's the shepherd that gets the credit. But without the fast and faithful dog by his side, out there doing whatever it takes to keep the sheep in line, there's simply no credit to be had. As such, you can bet that the shepherd looks over every feature of that hound - from how strong it looks to how fast it can run. If you are looking for new software for your multi-location facilities, you could have a far worse example to look up to.

Multi-location health clubs are a bit like a herd of sheep. Without cohesive control, they have the habit of running amok. Fortunately, whether your personal sheep are 'disparate employees' or 'different financial reporting styles,' the right health club software can serve as that all-important herd wrangler.

If you find yourself in a spot evaluating new software to wrangle your facilities, ask for and insist upon the following features:

• Centralized Data – The best health club software is in the cloud, meaning all of your club’s important information is safely stored in a secure, centralized location. In addition, you can access it anytime from anywhere, via the Internet.
• User Friendly Features – From the front desk to your kids’ club, your new health club software needs to be easy enough for your employees throughout all your locations, whether they focus on member check-ins or employee scheduling. Less chances for software errors means more opportunities for health club profits.
• Customized Reporting – Every health club location has its own set of operational challenges – just like no two sheep in any herd are exactly alike. Yet you can track individual clubs with customized dashboard reporting, allowing you to stay on top of important details for sales, employees, members, events and inventory.
• Membership Management – Your members and prospects are busy people, and you want your health club to fit into their lives as a valuable addition not an inconvenience.
  
  Here is where health club software can set your club apart. Through a web-based software application, you can enroll new members online and provide access to their accounts, providing them with a virtual connection to their home club.
  

If you’re seeing cracks in the foundation of your club through inconsistencies across your locations, the right software can put all of them in the same corral for easier management.

No more wandering sheep, no more potentially profit-draining loose ends. Have you got yourself the right wrangler?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., (April 5, 2012) – ABC Financial Services, the leading provider of software and billing in the Health and Fitness Industry, today announced upgrades to its DataTrak software. The features were demonstrated for the first time through interactive displays at the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) trade show in Los Angeles March 14-17.

“We were excited to unveil our latest software upgrades and were energized at the attendee response at IHRSA,” said Steve Ayers, Chief Revenue Office at ABC Financial. “ABC Financial continues to uphold only the highest level of commitment to our customers and their success. Because the strength of ABC Financial depends on the health of our relationships with our customers, they remain a top priority at all levels of service. ABC Financial continues to deliver cutting-edge technology with one goal in mind – to maximize revenue throughout the clubs we serve,” said Ayers.

Software updates on display are:

1. Tanning Bed Management – allows staff to view details from each bed including session count, lamp hours, and bed hours. Also, it gives the ability to set the default and cool down times for each tanning bed.
2. Employee Portal - allowing instructor/trainers the ability to manage their schedules from anywhere.
3. iPhone App –  provides club members enhanced account access, the option to buy and book personal training sessions, enroll in classes, and view their trainer biographies.
4. Driver’s License Scanner - Simply scan the bar code on the ID and the information will automatically populate. Drivers Licenses, Government ID’s, and Military ID’s. ID scanning works in 48 states and Canada. 

About ABC Financial
Launched in 1981, ABC Financial has revolutionized software and payment processing for the health and fitness industry. Headquartered in the Little Rock, Ark. area, ABC Financial serves approximately 3,000 clubs with approximately two million members throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The company’s innovative club management software, DataTrak, is the most complete web-based software in the health and fitness industry.

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CONTACT:
Steve Ayers
Chief Revenue Officer, ABC Financial
501-515-5066
steve.ayers@abcfinancial.com

The Point-of-Sale (POS) feature of DataTrak gym management software eases transactions with your new and current members by helping you organize and streamline the way your club receives and manages payments.

The built-in Card on File feature allows your members to make real-time purchases - ranging from dues and class fees, to products and branded merchandise - without having to carry cash or credit cards. By keeping payment options simple and accommodating - either charging an in-house account or deducting from a pre-pay account - member purchases become more convenient, increasing revenue potential.

Items can be selected for purchase in multiple ways – UPC code scan, POS buttons, or search by item lists – and they can also be viewed or returned using a receipt number and an easy-to-use search system. This makes keeping and accessing records simple so your staff can turn around requests quickly and efficiently – saving time and keeping both new and current members happy.

This system combines with the balance of features built into our DataTrak gym management software to streamline your payment processes and give your staff more time to spend cultivating the new ideas that will bring new members – and new member dues – through your door.

To learn more about how DataTrak gym management software, and how its point of sale feature can help streamline sales and billing, and increase the revenue potential of your club, request a free demo.