At Punchpass we hear from a lot of fitness studio owners who desperately want to change to a different studio management software (usually ours!), but are really worried that the switch might prove challenging for their customers, their staff and themselves. Or worse, that making the change might have a significant financial impact on their business.
We completely understand those concerns and know that it’s incredibly important that you’re able to continue offering a smooth booking experience for your customers (and to not lose out on any revenue!) during the switch. That’s why we’ve spent a lot of time refining our transition process and making sure new clients have everything they need for a stress-free experience.
We’ve already helped thousands of businesses make the move to Punchpass and have learned a thing or two along the way – here are our top tips for making a smooth transition regardless of which provider you choose:
1) Look to the future when you choose your new software provider
When you’re choosing a new booking software you’ll generally start by checking out the included features to make sure it’s going to do what you need it to do, then by signing up for a free trial so you can work out if the new booking software has the right feel and functionality for your immediate needs.
That’s the perfect approach and will give you great results, but we also recommend considering what you’re going to be needing from your new software in a month, six months or a year.
Ask yourself questions like:
- Are you going to want to be able to view and rely on specific reports?
- Is it important to be able to see specific statistics about your customers over time?
- Will you be able to easily add extra instructors, users, classes and passes without incurring extra costs?
- Is there an option to grow into offering different types of events like workshops, multi-week courses and teacher trainings?
- How did you feel about the type of support you received when you reached out for help?
- Are there any changes to your business that you know might change your software needs? (Adding more space, starting to host events, a local partnership, etc)
Taking the time to make sure that your new software is going to take care of you now and in the future will save you from having to make another switch sooner than you might like!
2) You SHOULD look at making other changes
Moving to new booking studio software can already feel like a big move but surprisingly it can actually be a good time to consider whether there are any other systems you might have in place within your business that aren’t serving you anymore.
Maybe it’s time to shake up your pass and membership offerings, increase pricing, update pass expiration policies/T&Cs or move classes around on the schedule.
Although that might seem like too much change all at once, we’ve actually found that these types of changes are received in a positive light while you’re simultaneously making the switch to a new studio booking software.
Bundling everything into the same transition period also means that your community can navigate all of those changes at once and feel settled sooner. Plus you’ll feel like you have a new, refreshed studio which can be incredibly motivating, especially if you’ve been in business for a while!
3) Get everything ready to go
Once you’ve chosen your new studio booking software, it’s time to set up all of your new classes, passes and instructors so you can build your schedule and configure your payment workflows.
Testing the class reservation sequence from the customer perspective is the best way to see whether you have things configured to give your customers the type of experience you can be proud of. The customer experience is VERY important and you want to be comfortable with how things work, so you can answer any questions your customers have.
At Punchpass we’re happy to import your existing customer list and any current pass information so that your students can pick up right where you left off with your old software. Just email it over to our team, and we’ll get everything entered into your account within a couple of days.
Building your schedule and passes is obviously the most important part of your setup process but personalising your Punchpass account is also a great way to reassure students that they’re in the right place and provide them the information they need to easily sign up for classes and make payments. We’ve got some great guidance to make sure you know how to make that happen, which brings us to…
4) Lean into some help
We’ve already mentioned importing your existing customer list (and their remaining pass balances if you like!) but there are lots of other things that our team can do to help with your transition.
We can also show you, your staff and your students how to use Punchpass as an app, make sure you’re happy with the way your Punchpass schedule and payment page appear on your website, and guide you to extra support and education via our YouTube channel, blog posts (you’re already doing that one!) and helpful articles that are easy to understand. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
5) But not too much help! Be sure to do the work.
There’s the opposite problem – we see situations where clients don’t do the necessary work, which means they don’t really understand how the system works. If we add all your classes, how are you going to add another one in 6 months?
It’s important to find a balance where at the end of the process you at least have a decent understanding of how things work. You’re not going to be an expert, but putting in the time to understand the basics will pay off a LOT as you move forward.
6) Make time for a thorough review
By this point you should have your account mostly set up and are almost ready to start taking bookings and payments.
But there’s nothing worse than taking the time to set everything up and then realizing that you’ve added incorrect information, left an embarrassing typo or missed an opportunity to really make your new software feel like an extension of your business and branding.
Do you have a friend with great attention to detail? Now’s the time to buy them a coffee and have them go through your setup to check out your settings from the admin dashboard and also by signing up as a test customer to make some bookings.
If you’re switching to Punchpass from another studio booking software then it’s also a great idea to book a call with one of our friendly team so that we can review your account together, find out what’s the most important to you and the way you want to do business, and make sure your account is optimised to ensure a warm welcome and future success.
7) Pick a smart date to make the switch
The transition from another software to Punchpass generally goes very smoothly but it’s still a good idea to pick a transition date when your schedule is a little quieter. Pick a day mid-week where you know you’ll have easy access to the support team (i.e. maybe don’t switch on a Friday afternoon!)
If possible, it’s also wise to make yourself (or a trusted team member) a little more available than usual in the days following the changeover so students can easily contact you to resolve any issues or confusion.
A little extra time helping folks during the transition will pay off when you see all of your customers get up and running quickly and you feel your admin responsibilities immediately decrease.
(But we really can’t emphasise enough how smoothly things normally go!)
8) Relax, and give yourself a pat on the back!
You did it! 🎉
Making the move to a new software can be daunting, but it’s also incredibly rewarding and you’ll start to feel the difference right away.
Wondering how we do things here at Punchpass? Here’s our support article that gives an overview of the process we follow.
