Twin Oaks takes fitness business to the next level with its cutting-edge, yet easy to use software
The fitness industry’s ever-changing nature makes handling new demands, tech opportunities, growth obstacles and more, something of a juggling act for operators. Twin Oaks, the software provider for health and gyms, is picking up what many are leaving behind, even while bringing new concepts to the table.
Twin Oaks is no stranger to the fitness industry. Founded over three decades ago, the company has seen it all when it comes to the fitness scene’s evolution. It leverages that experience alongside its tight pulse on the modern fitness landscape to establish a unique management technique.
That approach has worked not only to their benefit but that of its clients. Twin Oaks knows what makes a successful fitness business and educates those unaware in a timely fashion, catching the tiniest cracks in brands before they begin to splinter at the surface.
Carole Oat, National Sales Manager at Twin Oaks, spoke with Athletech News on that attentive approach and the company’s plans for the future.
The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length
Athletech News (ATN): Why is Twin Oaks not just a beneficial but a necessary software solution for successful fitness businesses in today’s day and age?
Carole Oat (CO): The Twin Oaks program is straightforward, user-friendly and easy to understand for the common, everyday fitness business owner. It’s not this overly complicated program that people can get lost in. We built in a lot of functionality into the software that makes operating easier for the owner or manager, including automation.
For example, if there’s a point-of-sale report that people want automatically generated in an email to the owner, that can happen in a heartbeat. We do tons of client training and not only do we have a tech department, but we have a client relations department whose job is focused on helping users take advantage of the software and use it to its fullest capabilities.
We price it with flat fee pricing, too. We do not charge a percentage of dues. We built the software so that it can help club owners and managers truly boost their bottom line.
ATN: How has the fitness industry changed over the past few years from Twin Oaks’ perspective? How have you changed your offerings to meet any new demands?
CO: It continues to be more and more demanding as members want more for less. But since COVID, people have refocused on themselves. In the fitness industry, members are looking for more small group training, more one-on-one training, and it’s critical that the gym owners have a software program that can help them manage that.
Credit: Twin Oaks
That’s not only tracking things like personal training, but the ability to communicate to members who are low-users or not using the facility to get out of it what they need and to get their money’s worth. That applies to all sorts of gyms, not only the low-cost facilities, but the higher-priced ones too.
ATN: What are some of the little things Twin Oaks software does that go a long way in terms of spurring efficient back-office operations?
CO: Automation is key – reports, emails, balances owed. For example, when people owe a balance, you can automatically email prompting them to pay in a way that’s most convenient to them.. Obviously, retention is very important in the industry. You not only want to sell the member, but you want to retain the member, keep returns as low as possible, and do various software upgrades or enhancements. This is a very demanding business with average profit margins as low as 5-10%. It’s important to know every penny of revenue coming in and opposite expenses for business success in this industry. Your software should be able to help you do that.
ATNs: Do brands leave money on the table with transaction fees by using outside sources for payments?
CO: Oftentimes, clubs are paying more than they should. With Stripe, Authorize.net and Square, it’s all flat fee pricing so if you do a lot of transactions you’re definitely overpaying. Twin Oaks is a certified ISO which means that the club only pays credit card fees based on the type of card that’s used. Plus, you don’t get the personalized support with Stripe or Square. We’re here to help you and manage the accounts to keep the pricing lower.
ATN: What’s the transfer process like for someone who wants to sign up with Twin Oaks?
CO: When clients need to make a switch we do “complete data conversion.” We convert all the information that we’re provided with. We not only pull over the basic demographic information and the billing information but also past usage history, accounts receivable information, whether they have personal training sessions — anything and everything.
ATN: Can you share any examples or statistics of brand partners that have leveraged Twin Oaks’ software tools successfully and seen notable results?
CO: Every business is different. A lot of times it really comes down to the owner and if they are good business operators. Do they pay attention to what’s working and what’s not? Are they doing simple things like posting the QR code to join on the front door? We have many examples of clubs that we’ve helped. We’ve been in business since 1991. We’re in our 33rd year of serving the industry and we’ve got clients that have been with us that long, so we’re able to see what can be most impactful based on the business.
ATN: When the phone rings, what is the biggest pain point that you’re hearing about today?
CO: A lot of times when we get a call from someone that’s using another software it’s very often the product and the service. Many of the competitors outsource their tech support. It’s difficult for them to get a real-live person on the phone. Twin Oaks emphasizes the importance of live calls and timely responses. We still have a receptionist, which is rare for companies now, and still have the same owners and a team that come from the fitness industry, so know firsthand what it’s like and enhance everything we do based on that experience, even down to the wording used on the software.
Credit: Twin Oaks
ATN: If you look into the future, what’s on the docket for you from a development standpoint?
CO: We’re always working on different things in the software, with new releases every 3 weeks.. Some may be new innovations, but often we’re enhancing the features and products that are already there, such as adding more functionality to the mobile app.
For example, we built in gamification where members can track their workouts and earn badges. Things like how often they’ve gone to the gym or how long they were at the gym, that’s a fun thing. There are so many different, innovative things you can build in functionality for members, but you have to build in functionality for the owners and managers too.
ATN: With mobile apps and gamification, is this a way for fitness brands to stay up to speed with the consumer demand adjacent to brands like Uber or Amazon who really spoil their customers?
CO: Fitness brands need to have the ability to cater to the growing demands of their members, while also keeping a pulse on usage and activity in order to maximize retention and profitability. The more you can alleviate pressure to do that, the more it can help your bottom line.
