Hooray for the internet! Without it, we wouldn’t have cats and cucumbers, email and lazy shopping experiences. Gym personnel would also find themselves working a lot harder to onboard members.

Luckily for them, somewhere amongst the myriad of YouTube wormholes and social media, we also have an equally brilliant web function called online joining, removing the hassle of membership collection once and for all.

What is an online joining portal?

Back in the day, people would have to fill out physical forms if they wanted to sign up to a Direct Debit. This was a great deal of rigmarole for customers, who would have to deliver said form to an organisation in person or by post, as well as a pain for organisations, as they would then have to find somewhere to store it.

A quick and convenient solution, the introduction of online joining allowed people to visit the website of the organisation in question and sign up to a Direct Debit from their couch or en route to a fitness class. It remains as one of the most prominent methods of obtaining Direct Debit payments for gyms, due to its ability to efficiently manage the constant flow of new members.

But there are a whole host of other benefits

• Online joining is available 24/7. People can sign up at their convenience, even after the gym’s lights are out for the night.
• The sign-up process is incredibly quick. A few personal questions, some bank details and it’s done with very little inconvenience to the customer.
• It provides an easy marketing tactic for gyms, who generally rely on a well-constructed campaign as a way of getting new members through the door. The sheer ease of online joining is an attractive sales point in itself. Beyond this, a link to the portal can be included in marketing collateral, encouraging people to sign up on the spot.
• Some online joining platforms come with a white-labelling option, tailoring the system to your brand.
• Membership fees can be adjustable. Got an offer on the go? You can amend the pricing to suit this.
• It’s paperless! All data can be stored safely online. This is automated and allows for a much more organised filing structure. Staff can devote more time to customer service and the gym’s facilities.

Can you give me an example of online joining?

DFC’s online joining portal, FastDD, is a popular choice amongst gyms and fitness clubs across the UK. A simple yet effective online sign-up tool, FastDD is bespoke to your branding and secure. Automatic bank verification reduces errors on entry, speeding up the process and ensuring higher conversion rates.

What really tips the scale for most gyms deciding between online joining options, is the smooth integration offered through DFC. As well as being easily implemented into your website, FastDD can also be linked up to a huge range of CRMs. If a CRM is not included in their catalogue, they are happy to extend their offering to include it.

Leisure Trust, Live Active, opted to use FastDD as a way of coping with a growing influx of new members. They needed a way to save time in-house and FastDD provided a fantastic solution. Marketing Manager, Karen Nichol, said: “DFC offered us an additional income generating opportunity. It’s allowed us to concentrate on sales rather than admin.”

Find out more about how you can streamline your gym’s membership provision through DFC here.