4 Reasons to Use a Check-in Kiosk at Your Facility

Some gym owners utilize a check-in kiosk and some do not. At GymStudio, we advocate for the use of a check-in kiosk and outline the reasons below.

1. It promotes member independence 
A check-in kiosk allows a member or client to check themselves into your facility with or without the assistance of a staff member. Depending on how a coach handles the check-in process, the kiosk should allow either a staff member or the client themselves to handle this process. A well-designed kiosk should be simple enough for the client to approach the screen and quickly understand how to check in while also providing enough sophistication for a staff member to do more​​ advanced processes like create a new reservation or edit an existing one. If your gym is more of an open-access or 24-hour gym, this kiosk should also serve as a way for you to track who is currently in your facility.

2. It helps track member tendencies
Furthermore, a well-designed kiosk will use the class start time or allowance time (specified period after a class start) to determine whether a member is on time, late, or did not show up. Capturing these designations can help keep statistics on member behavior and attendance tracking. Depending on how you structure your memberships, it is vital to know how often your clients are entering your facility and the engagement of your members. You can take a proactive approach to members who display poor engagement by noticing a lack of check-ins or a high amount of late check-ins, and take action to address them.

3. It elevates member experience
Utilizing a check-in kiosk can also elevate the feel and professionalism of your facility while simultaneously creating a pain-free experience for your members. Everyone knows that first impressions are critical and what better way to improve your clients' first impression than having a tablet with a branded screen that allows them to seamlessly check in to their session or your facility? It seems like a small touch, but think about a time when you were impressed by your experience in a business: there was likely some kind of user-friendly tech that had their branding on it that allowed you to quickly move through the purchase or check-in process. The floor might have been dirty and the service or product itself may have been lacking, but the first impression might have covered up those slip-ups.

4. It saves staff time
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, a kiosk that totally operates the check-in system saves the staff members administrative time and rather allows them to better engage with the members of the facility before class begins. Otherwise, staff may be seen staring at a phone or tablet screen and observing member attendance instead using that previous time to interact with clients in a more meaningful way.