Volo Innovations

I started training over a dozen years ago, it was my second career change, after many different jobs in different fields. I moved from restaurant and bar management to health and fitness management not exactly on par with each other. One involved late nights, drinking beer and food, lots of food. The other early mornings, drinking power shakes and lots of food; I love training hard for many reasons one of which is that you can eat lots of food before, during and after.

Scheduling as a new trainer did not mean a lot to me as it seemed to be dictated by when the people whom I was training wanted to be trained, so 6am till around 10am in the morning and 4pm to 8 or 9pm in the evening. With many phone calls, emails and texts trying to confirm who was taking which of those popular spots.

To understand what this has to do with automation of your schedule we need to look at the fundamental basis of economics.

Scarcity, this usually refers to materials but for us trainers in the service industry it is time.

Trainers often forget this basic economic formula that we sell time as the commodity for money. Scheduling the exchange of time for payment is not only critical it is a basis of how our business functions. How does this relate to automation of scheduling? Let me tell you about the moment I figured it out.  

Years ago a great friend and client of mine told me something that I have never forgotten, Vic is a cardiologist and a very good one and his schedule is very busy. One evening Vic and I went out for dinner and got to talking about his business and mine and the basic similarities. We are both in health care, mine more preventive his more reactive, and we both basically trade our time for fees. What really struck me as the main difference; he had a secretary and scheduling system to help him. Since we both work 9 to 10 hours a day I asked why does he need a secretary and scheduling program, I do all of it myself? "Simple" he said "I make money doing what I am great at, I am great at being a doctor, the more time I spend being a doctor the more money I make."

It was like a whole bunch of glass was breaking around me and suddenly it became clear to me; spend more time doing what I am great at and I will make more money. How could this have eluded me for so long, it was the answer to a question that I struggled with for years. How as a trainer can I make more money? I looked around and found that every other profession that sells blocks of time used these two necessities of business the schedule and the secretary, doctors, lawyers, and dentists even my mechanic has a schedule and a person to book me.

Yet as trainers we often diminish these as not necessary and I truly believe this is one reason why so many trainers fail or have a hard time seeing themselves as a professionals.  "I am just a trainer" is something I hear countless times at trade shows and in webinars.

I know that most of the trainers out there cannot afford a secretary but scheduling software that acts as your secretary, accountant and scheduling assistant can be found for less than you bill for 1 hour of your time. If this means you can train more or run an extra boot camp then it will be money well spent. 

It is simple math the more time I save (paperwork), the more time I have to sell (train clients), the more time I sell the more money I make (no explanation needed). The bonus is this equals more time I get to spend doing what I enjoy. You truly could not ask for a better reason to automate your scheduling.

Club Solutions in their Feb 09 edition had a great article on things to think about when building the front desk or reception area of your gym or training studio.

This is a great article and I think it was really well written and covered layout right through to software, of which we were one of the companies cited!

Now I know that there are TONS of companies out there that are already saying "We are never going to have our own facility so who cares?". Maybe you are a small, single person business, maybe you are a boot camp specialist that works in the great outdoors or maybe you sublet space from your local community center.

All of these small businesses need the same things that a gym and training studio needs. The ability to run their business easily and with the tools that are affordable and simplify their lives. 

Maybe you will never be able to build your own customized front desk area but you can create a virtual front desk. A place where your clients and members can go and learn about what is happening in your business, when you are free to work with them and what other classes or services you are running that day, week or month. They can check their account, pay their bills and buy more sessions when it is convenient for them. All of these features allow you to create a professional and enjoyable experience for your members and clients.

So no matter what size your business is embrace technology as a tool that takes your business to the next level by allowing you to provide superior customer service without adding to your workload!

Business management software for clubs, studios and trainers. Scheduling, invoicing, member and staff management all in one place, accessible anytime, anywhere. Cut the clutter, end the errors, provide killer customer service.

Vancouver, Canada - March 5, 2008

Volo Innovations introduces a revolutionary new business management software called Volo today at the 27th Annual International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association Convention and Trade Show (IHRSA). Volo provides the health and fitness industry with a remarkably affordable and easy to use business management software that centralizes and integrates appointment scheduling, facility reservations, invoicing, client and staff management, inventory and business reporting. The result is an immediate end to expensive scheduling errors, the ability to do accurate invoicing within seconds and superb one-on-one customer service, all at the simple click of a button. Gone is the clutter of paperwork, the complexity of multiple software programs and the waste of time and risk of error inherent in both.

With Volo, sophisticated functionality is balanced with simplicity. The highly intuitive interface and navigation greatly minimizes the learning curve for management and staff. Even the initial set-up, which is facilitated by Volo support, has businesses up and running within an hour.

Volo is uniquely adaptable. All segments of the industry, including independent fitness trainers, yoga studios, physiotherapists and sports clubs can benefit from comprehensive business management without sacrifice due to budget or size.  Volo is also capable of seamlessly evolving as businesses grow in membership, location and services offered. Say goodbye to expensive add-on modules or the need to suffer through complicated migrations of business data to different software in the future.

Volo uses a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, which provides customers with the added benefit of never having to worry about updates, backups or maintenance. Gone are the days of having to buy expensive new releases for out-of-the-box software. With Volo, everything is done automatically and seamlessly at no cost. Volo also delivers the confidence that everything is safe and secure with SSL 256 bit encryption, secure logins and daily data backups.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer such a robust and dynamic business management software and at the same time make it accessible in terms of price and ease of use", says Barry Duncan, Volo Innovations Founder and Innovations Director. "The long term sustainability of the health and fitness industry is something we are passionate about. With 60% of the industry still relying on paper to manage their business and at the opposite end of the spectrum businesses spending $2,000 to $6,000 a year on software, we're proud to offer Volo as the viable solution".

In celebration of the launch, Volo is offered at promotional pricing for the first year of service. The cost for individual health professionals is $25 per month, (regular $50) and the cost for clubs and facilities is $100 per month, (regular $150).  The $200 initial set up fee is also being waived. Software upgrades, maintenance and backups are free and there are no cancellation fees.

"Volo has been an invaluable tool to keep our business organized and efficient", says Troy Dalton, owner of Groundwork Athletics.  "The scheduling function is ideal for our staff to book and change appointments in real time.  As a manager, the invoicing features have reduced my time spent at month end by 50% and the administration reports allow me to keep a handle on where our business is at currently and what we need to plan for.  I highly recommend Volo to anyone in the training business!"
For more information visit www.myvolo.com
 

About Volo Innovations
Volo Innovations is a technology developer and vendor of online business management solutions via Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology. Founders Nikki Layton and Barry Duncan have translated their combined 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry into software design that has an inherent respect for real world situations and practical usability. Volo Innovations is based in Vancouver, Canada. 

IHRSA 2008

27th Annual International Convention and Trade Show
March 5th - 8th San Diego Convention Center
Visit Volo at booth 448