How to Integrate Your Gym Software with CRMs, Payment Gateways, and Accounting Systems

Modern gyms tend to rely on a few different software solutions for day-to-day operations.

The most important piece of the puzzle is your general gym management software: the central system that will usually take care of things like class and trainer scheduling, online bookings and member management.

Some gym management software, like GymMaster, goes even further, handling access control, billing, payment processing, membership management and more.

But even the most capable gym management software won’t do it all. Your gym tech stack works far better when all of your tools can talk to each other, so integration is critical.

How do you ensure that all your gym software is integrated? Read on to find out.

What is gym software integration?

Gym software integration is the process of connecting all your different tools and software systems in a way that allows them to trade information within one another and work together. When your tools ‘talk’ to each other you can automate any number of otherwise manual tasks, all while removing opportunities for human error.

Let’s say a member wants to book a class that isn’t covered by their membership. When all your tools are integrated, a huge amount of admin is done without you having to so much as press a button.

The member visits your website or app, where they choose their preferred class and time through your booking system. The online booking tool is integrated with your chosen payment gateway, which lets the customer pay on credit card.

Once the payment is processed, the transaction is automatically logged in your integrated accounting software, the availability of the class is automatically updated in your scheduling tool, a confirmation email is automatically sent out to the member, and the class is automatically logged against the member’s profile in your CRM.

That’s the power of integration: technology takes care of the low value busywork, streamlining your operations, minimizing human error, and freeing you up to focus on the fun, high value stuff.

Let’s take a look at a few more specific ways in which integration can enhance your fitness business, in terms of operational efficiency, revenue generation, and providing an enhanced user experience to staff and members alike.

How CRM integration enhances client management

Client relationship management (CRM) systems, which gyms often refer to as membership management systems, help you to manage and analyze customer interactions, track leads, and improve your relationships with your customers.

By ensuring your CRM tool seamlessly connects to your gym management system, you can enjoy a wealth of benefits:

1. Better member engagement: Combining member data with CRM-driven insights helps you to personalize your communications, to offer targeted recommendations and promotions that increase member engagement and retention.
2. Automation: Automate previously manual tasks like scheduling, billing and membership management to reduce the administrative burden faced by your staff, minimize human error, and let your workers focus on higher value work.
3. Improved marketing effectiveness: CRM insights can give you a deeper understanding of member behavior, which you can use to better target individuals with personalized marketing and promotions.
4. Centralized data access: When your CRM and gym management software are fully integrated, you gain a unified view of member information, attendance and purchase history. It’s all there in one screen, which helps you to provide every member with the same high-quality service.
5. Better retention tracking: Integrating your tools can help you to track levels of member satisfaction and engagement. You can identify those at risk of leaving, then employ timely interventions like discounts and rewards to improve retention.

Some gym management systems, like GymMaster, have a built-in CRM - what we call our Membership Management feature - which comes complete with a sales dashboard, customizable member profiles, member communication tools and business KPI tracking.

You don’t need to integrate a CRM - all the functionality you need can be found right there in the tool!

Streamlining payments with payment gateway integration

A number of advantages come from integrating your preferred billing provider within your gym management software:

1. Enjoy convenient payment processing: Members can make payments and you can take payments efficiently within your main system - there’s no need to navigate to another portal or screen.
2. Enhance the member experience: Easy, secure, integrated payments make sign-up and renewal processes smooth and simple, which can improve member satisfaction and loyalty.
3. Automate recurring payments: Recurring payments such as monthly memberships can be fully automated based on the membership terms listed in your gym management system.
4. Reduce your admin: By automating the taking and tracking of payments, you can reduce admin time and let your staff focus on enhancing the in-gym experience enjoyed by your members.
5. Improved financial accuracy: Integrated payment systems reduce errors associated with manual data entry, which improves the overall financial accuracy of your business.

We have designed GymMaster to offer either partial or full integration with your chosen payment processor, to ensure you enjoy all the benefits mentioned above.

GymMaster is even capable of linking your payment processor with our Access Control System. If a member hasn’t paid their account, you can set up the system to automatically deny them access to your facility.

Integrating accounting software for better financial management

Once a payment is processed, what then?

Integrating your accounting software with your gym management system can help you minimize manual data entry, track your expenses and generate accurate financial reports.

Transactions from sales, invoices, and expenses sync automatically, reducing the need for manual input, which in turn reduces errors. This integration provides real-time insights into cash flow, revenue and budgeting that power better financial decision-making.

And with financial records consistently updated and organized, you’ll streamline tax preparation and compliance.

Common challenges in gym software integration

Software integration can present a number of hurdles for your gym to clear. But being aware of these potential issues is the first step to overcoming them. Common challenges include:

1. Data compatibility: Your tools can only ‘talk’ to one another if they’re speaking the same language. Any integrated software will do just that, usually with the help of an API.
2. Security concerns: Integrating systems increases the volume of shared data being shared. You need robust security, and you need to give members access to your privacy policy.
3. User training/adoption: Staff may need additional training to understand your new systems and workflows, and members may need encouragement to adopt systems and use apps.
4. Increased costs: Custom integration can be expensive, requiring technical expertise, bespoke development and ongoing support. GymMaster’s out-of-the-box integration capabilities can therefore prove very valuable.
5. Technical maintenance and updates: Regular maintenance and updates may be needed to ensure all integrated tools remain compatible as they evolve.

Best practices for successful software integration in gyms

Now that we understand the whats and the whys of gym software integration, let’s turn to the hows. To successfully integrate software at your gym, follow these best practices:

1. Identify your integration needs: Assess what solutions you need - CRM, billing, scheduling, accounting - and how they will need to connect to one another. Define your integration goals, e.g. improving data accuracy or retaining more members.
2. Choose compatible software: Select software solutions that are API-friendly and compatible with each other. Better yet, choose an ultra-capable gym management software like GymMaster that offers almost all the functionality you will need in the one tool, as well as a wealth of integrations.
3. Ensure data security: Prioritize platforms with robust security policies. Ensure your chosen tools are GDPR compliant.
4. Involve all stakeholders: Engage the staff members who will be using the system. Consult your IT and management teams. If you plan to offer a mobile app to members, consider selecting a few trusted clients to test it out.
5. Migrate data: If you need to transfer data from a legacy system, create a data migration plan that includes data cleaning, organization, backup and testing, to avoid information loss or duplication.
6. Train your staff: Offer training on how to use your new integrated system, and the automation possibilities integration presents.
7. Monitor performance: Track the integrated system’s performance, paying special attention to things like syncing accuracy and response times. Update and maintain the system as needed.
8. Have a support plan: Find reliable tech support who can help you to address any issues that might arise after you’ve integrated your gym tools.

Ready to implement gym management software that offers all the features and integrations you could need, right out of the box?

From payment processing to 24/7 Bluetooth door access, GymMaster is designed to get your gym working more smoothly and efficiently than ever before.

Try our all-in-one gym management system today.