eSoft Planner’s blog articles provide tips, tricks, and advice on how to create and implement a business plan for your sports facility. From marketing to operations, it will come in handy when starting a new sports facility.
Churches, schools, and libraries usually have rooms that they want to rent out. Businesses can have conference rooms left empty when their employees aren’t using them. Renting them out can increase their revenue. Organizing the rentals of all those rooms can be difficult, especially when it’s the responsibility of volunteers or employees with a lot of other work on their hands. One way to easily solve this issue is by taking advantage of room scheduling program software.
Room Scheduling Program Features
Lots of locations still use paper or spreadsheets to track their rentals. With room scheduling software, it is far easier for clients to book – they just have to visit the page online! Organizers can track their rentals and view reports on pricing and scheduling much faster. Here are some amazing features that our room scheduling software offers:
Pricing Features
Peak pricing for busy times
Offer prepaid or unpaid options during scheduling
Send invoices with payment via the web
Customization Features
Custom durations and pricing
Offer special rates per group or scheduling rights
Ability to offer add-ons (such as for projectors)
Limit how far people can schedule or how much notice you need
Access and Booking Features
Access from desktop and custom mobile app
No double booking
Offer email or text reminders
Get signed waivers for liability and cancellation policies
Conclusion
Room scheduling software can be valuable for all sorts of organizations, from churches to businesses. Empty rooms can be costly for an organization, with a single empty conference room costing your business $6789 per year. In addition, these empty rooms can be used for multiple reasons by people willing to rent them. Make the organization easier for your company and start using room scheduling software.
For more information on how eSoft Planner’s scheduling and management software, including our room scheduling program, can benefit you, schedule a demo with us today.
Did you know that you can reduce no-shows by 29% with automated reminders? Automated communications via text and email can benefit your facility in many ways, including reducing no-shows. Our software utilizes these to send a variety of messages for your customers and staff.
Features For Automated Communications
Here are some features of our software that will make your facility more streamlined:
Client Communications
Confirm any order or scheduled event via email
Send reminders by text or email for scheduled events
Remind your client of your cancellation policy
Confirm all reschedules and cancellations
Staff Communications
Confirm lessons or camps booked
Send reminders (itinerary) of their day
Notify them of all reschedules and cancellations
Benefits For the Facility
Improves customer services: Now, you don’t have to miss any communications. All reminders and confirmations will be sent easily. With personalized messages, it will improve the relationship between you and your customers.
Reduces administrative costs: The services can do all the automated text and email communications. You don’t have to pay someone just to send out messages to your customers. Also, no need to show someone how to send all those communications themselves – it will just send automatically!
Improves staff communication: Staff can easily check their schedules and plan for the day. They don’t have to worry about missing any appointments or messages.
Conclusion
Automated communications can be very beneficial for your facility. Not only will it save you time and money, but it will also improve your communication and your customers’ impressions.
To take advantage of our software’s automated communications, request a demo.
Instructors with strong followings and clientele often have issues with booking clients. eSoft’s individual instructor lesson booking software is designed to be affordable and customizable. For those wondering about how this system can fit into their lives, read more to get top questions about this software answered.
1. What Should I Look For In Lesson Booking Software?
A good lesson scheduling app should make your life easier! First, it should automate processes like sending reminders and notifications to clients/instructors. Next, allow instructors to set their own schedule to book whenever they are available. It should be able to collect payments from clients ahead of time, reducing the risk of cancellation and driving business. Lastly, it should include any features that pertain specifically to your industry.
2. Who Could Benefit From It?
This program is mainly for instructors who are looking for an affordable program to help with clients scheduling and tracking their lessons. Any type of instructor can use it – from sports to arts and photography! If you need help booking clients, it’s perfect for you.
3. What Are The Benefits of Lesson Booking Software?
There are multiple benefits! First, it saves instructors time – they don’t have to worry about messaging back and forth with clients, as they can book online at any time. Clients will also get automated message reminders. Also, it saves instructors money. In fact, some businesses reached a 30% to 45% revenue increase with scheduling software. It reduces the risk of cancellations and requires upfront payment.
The software is completely customizable. It can be branded for each instructor’s own business. It has features that can’t be found anywhere else – like back-to-back availability and location priority. These will force clients to book lessons one after another to reduce the waste of time. Lastly, instructors can see detailed reporting on their lessons and revenue.
4. Will This Help My Customers?
Yes! The software makes it easier for clients to schedule and reschedule appointments at any time or place they want. They can access their schedule on their phone. Also, they will get automated reminders so they don’t need to worry about remembering when/where their lessons are! They can store payment methods to make the check-out process quick and simple. Lastly, they should be able to view a detailed payment history.
5. How Do Clients Book Appointments?
Clients will be able to access your app via your website or any social media accounts. Then, they will create their own family profiles and sign off on liability/registration waivers. Once their account is fully created, they can book and pay for lessons on their own time 24/7.
6. Can I Schedule Group Lessons With This Software?
Absolutely! Instructors can choose to offer group and/or individual appointments for clients to book. This allows your clients to do the booking themselves, reducing time spent booking clients yourself.
7. What Do I Do If I Have Multiple Instructors, Locations, or Types of Appointments?
The software is customizable, making it easy for someone to put in all of the above! It includes categories that you can change for each type of appointment. Also, it’s easy to add instructors and locations. There are options for instructors to add location priority, so they don’t have to worry about going back and forth to different locations for multiple appointments. They can also choose to book appointments back-to-back, so there aren’t any long breaks between appointments.
8. How Long Will It Take to Set Up Lesson Booking Software?
The set of processes is up to you. It can take as little as a week. Once set up, you will have hyper care/close support from an Implementation Specialist for the first six weeks of use. The Implementation Specialist will be the go-to person to train you and set up the software using video meetings.
Conclusion
If you’re an instructor looking for a new and affordable way to book clients that you don’t have to do yourself, look no further than eSoft Planner’s customizable lesson booking software.
If you are on the lookout for a web-based lesson scheduling app that fits all of your needs, learn more about eSoft Planner.
eSoft Planner is flexible, affordable, simple, and perfect for small businesses and instructors. Request your free demo today. See how we can help you consolidate effort, save time, and increase revenue.
Pickleball is exploding both as a sport and as a business. Pickleball is currently the fastest growing sport in the United States, with participation nearly doubling just last year. Facilities with courts will miss out on large amounts of revenue if they haven’t considered running their own pickleball leagues. Take advantage of this growth and add pickleball to your facility today with pickleball club management software.
Improve Efficiency and Seasonal Revenue With Pickleball Club Management Software
Businesses centered around pickleball need to ensure they are efficiently scheduling their court time. With outdoor courts, that court time and demand will be seasonal. It is especially important to manage efficiency, as facilities geared towards specific sports are almost always seasonal. With eSoft Planner’s software, you can offer peak and non-peak pricing based on the time of day or year. That way, you can earn more money when filling spots with higher demand.
Streamline Your Pickleball Facility with eSoft Planner’s Pickleball Club Management Software
With eSoft Planner’s management software, you can:
Lower admin costs by allowing clients to book their own rentals and lessons
Offer 24/7 registration for summer camps/beginner classes and even leagues
Become more efficient while spending less time managing the facility’s schedule
Improve communication and reduce cancellations with automated email/text reminders
Conclusion
With the massive growth of pickleball as a sport within the last few years, it would be a great benefit to your business to add it to your facility. It will help your facility grow, especially with the community pickleball currently has. Finally, with the help of eSoft Planner, it will lower admin costs and improve efficiency, even in the off-seasons.
Want to learn more about how adding pickleball club management software can benefit your facility? Talk with eSoft experts today. Also, if you would like to consult with experts on how to improve your sports facility, visit Sports Facility Expert now.
Are you an existing facility looking to add new products or services? Are you a new facility wanting to add memberships? Do you need to add a promotion for new business? eSoft Planner’s new feature for preselling memberships is perfect for both types of facilities.
A facility’s membership will have the option to be sold before the start date. The fees will be paid approximately a month before the membership’s start date. It provides opportunities for supportive customers to get it first, and at a discount.
Promotion For New Business: The Features
A new feature in preselling memberships is that you can set a specific date for the membership to start. That way, you get to choose which day (usually the 1st or the 15th) works best for your facility. Also, staff will be able to buy these memberships for any customers, in case they run into any issues with purchasing the membership themselves.
Promotion For New Business: The Benefits
One of the main benefits of memberships is that it brings in consistent revenue. With preselling memberships, we can improve cash flow before offering products or services. This extra cash flow allows you to potentially save or invest in expanding the product or service. It is also a good tool for improving customer awareness, especially for newer facilities.
One of the powers of preselling memberships is the ability to offer special promotions. Oftentimes, facilities will discount a standard membership in order to create the fear of missing out in their new possible customers. This allows them to sell more memberships in advance, which, in return, increases cash flow and improves confidence in your business model.
Conclusion
eSoft Planner’s new feature for preselling memberships is a great promotion for new businesses. Not only will it increase revenue, but it will also be easy and accessible for your staff and customers to utilize.
Want to learn more about how preselling memberships can work as a good promotion for your business? Talk to eSoft experts today. If you’re looking for some other ideas on how to improve your business, learn more about our new access control features here or our event tickets options here. Finally, if you want to consult with experts on how to improve your sports facility, visit here.
Instructors with strong followings and clientele often have issues with booking clients. By making use of a instructor lesson scheduling software, it can help with client scheduling and lesson tracking. Read more below to find out all the ways it can help you and your business!
1. Lesson Scheduling Software Saves You Time.
Lesson scheduling software makes it easier for clients to schedule. They can go to a system to schedule or reschedule their own bookings, without having to text or call instructors to ask them to change it every time. It also allows you to automate texts and emails to clients to remind them about appointments. Overall, it saves instructors and business owners a lot of time previously spent organizing client appointments on their own.
2. Lesson Scheduling Software Saves You Money.
Lesson scheduling software can reduce the risk of cancellations by requiring upfront payment. It also lets you offer different priorities and pricing to different clients based on their “Client Grouping.” Something else it takes off your workload is it allows clients to safely tokenize their payment method to be stored on their client account. This will streamline payments and will also make booking streamlined for your users.
3. Lesson Scheduling Software Allows For More Customization.
Anyone who uses lesson scheduling can use this software! Instructors who teach sports, arts, music, and more will find advantages in adding this software to their business. This software is also fully customizable! Each feature can be turned on or off. It has categories you can edit to the types of lessons you offer. You can also change pricing based on season or time of day. Also, you have detailed lesson and financial reports that you can look at and filter by several categories.
4. Lesson Scheduling Software Helps Instructors.
eSoft has special features that can be turned on to help instructors manage scheduling and notifications. You can use back-to-back availability, so instructors never have to wait hours between sessions. They can go straight from one lesson to another. It also lets you turn on location consistency, so instructors don’t have to change locations from session to session. They can stay in the same spot!
Conclusion
Many robust software programs offer systems that are expensive and include extra features that you would never use that they charge you for. That is why we created an individual instructor program at eSoft Planner to be able to offer instructors an affordable scheduling app that can be branded to help launch their own businesses.
If you are on the lookout for a lesson scheduling app with a web-based app that fits all of your needs, learn more about eSoft Planner.
eSoft Planner is flexible, affordable, simple, and perfect for small businesses and instructors. Request your free demo today. See how we can help you consolidate effort, save time, and increase revenue.
Small business sports facilities are investing in new technology to streamline and automate their operations. One of the newer and more popular business strategies is offering a 24-hour access control membership to the space for athletes to train.
The benefits are simple – Lower Admin Costs and more time available for your customers to book.
Not only can you offer codes to customers for each individual rental they reserve, but you can also offer them Priority and Status by combining the use of an access control system with a simple membership program. There are 2 simple Membership models that you can adopt when using access control as the selling point.
1. Priority and Status Memberships
This is the simple idea of allowing customers to purchase a membership that gives them special priority/status/pricing, etc. Think about the standard Silver and Gold memberships: A silver member may be able to schedule up to 6 hours a month and only able to schedule 7 days in advance. The benefits that these are giving them include access to the facility and the ability to schedule a week in advance, whereas a non-member would have to pay for each booking and only be able to book 3 days in advance.
Then, you offer the premium/gold membership and allow them unlimited access to the facility and the ability to book 2 weeks in advance. The possibilities for this type of program are endless.
2. Open Access Memberships
Another membership Model to think about especially if you are limited by the population and community around you would be the open-access membership. Charge a set price each month. Also, allow each customer to have their own key fob or code to gain access to the facility
Conclusion
Both of these membership models are best when setting them up as auto-renewing memberships. The subscription business model is still considered one of the best models out there. Consumers are now aware of this and often balk at subscription services, as they know the value depends on their usage. So, you may want to price these memberships low enough to increase their perceived value so that you would be able to sell enough memberships to be profitable.
For additional consulting about possible membership options and to learn about all the possibilities, go here. If you want to learn more about how eSoft and access management can help your facility, request a demo or read more about access control here.
When it comes to sports scheduling, there are many problems and few solutions. If you’re in charge of scheduling everything from tournaments to practices and games, then you know about the headaches that come with managing all those moving parts. You also probably know that finding a sports scheduling app that offers affordable pricing, ease of use and powerful features is next to impossible.
Enter eSoft Planner: your low price solution for your sports scheduling needs! eSoft offers adaptable pricing based on how much power you need. So, if you have just one league or sport, we can help with some of the lowest rates and best user experiences in the sports scheduling industry. Even better, we don’t force anyone into signing unreasonably long contracts. We know the eSoft difference is something truly special! In addition, you don’t need to worry about customer service either – since we are consistently ranked #1 in this area among all sports software providers in the country. We’ve been helping organizations across America schedule their programs since 2007. There’s no problem we won’t be willing to assist you with.
eSoft Planner offers affordability and adaptability. With a la carte pricing, you aren’t forced into high rates; pay for what you need and want.
You can choose the features that work best for you and get the most bang for your buck. With multiple modules to choose from, you can tailor the software to your business no matter the sport, hobby, or layout of your space.
The software is easy to use and can be customized to fit the needs of any facility or sport. It’s designed around your business, not the other way around. Then, you don’t have to pay for features you won’t use or train staff on features they won’t need.
eSoft Planner is a favorite sports scheduling app among trainers, coaches, organizations, and academies across the country.
eSoft Planner is a favorite sports scheduling app among trainers, coaches, organizations, and academies across the country. After 15 years of leading the industry, eSoft boasts a growing list of satisfied clients. As the ultimate sport scheduler software, it helps optimize, streamline, and grow sports / training businesses across the country. There are eSoft Sports Software clients in every state in the country (and many more countries around the globe), and the number is growing every day!
The eSoft Sports Software is a powerful and easy-to-use tool that allows you to manage your entire sports business. It’s the only software in the market that offers both unlimited, consultative customer service from dedicated U.S.-based experts, as well as no pricing increase for growth or expansion. We’re here for you every step of the way.
There are a number of benefits to using eSoft as your sports scheduling app. One of the most important is that it helps you save time, money, and resources. It streamlines your business processes and reduces admin time and report creation. Also, the eSoft Sports Software allows you to create custom reports that can be exported in any format (PDF, Excel, Word, etc.) for easy sharing with your clients or other stakeholders. It’s just another key example of the power and convenience of eSoft Planner.
The system is flexible, powerful and so affordable you don’t have to think twice before buying – Whether it’s swimming pools, courts, fields, or something totally unique.
eSoft Planner is flexible, powerful and so affordable you don’t have to think twice before buying – Whether it’s swimming pools, courts, fields, or something totally unique.
Whatever your needs are, eSoft Planner can help. It schedules leagues, tournaments, and practices. Further, it can track inventory, sales, revenue, etc…
Whether you are looking for a way to track your players and their progress or just need a simple way to schedule games and practices, eSoft Planner has the tools you need.
Clients love the service they receive from their account managers and other support staff at eSoft. eSoft Planner is consistently ranked #1 in customer service.
eSoft Planner has been trusted by thousands of sports organizations. Clients love the service they receive from their account managers and other support staff. In fact, eSoft Planner is consistently ranked #1 in customer service across the entire industry.
The executive team and employees at eSoft have a personal interest in the success of their clients. It makes relationships stronger and more meaningful than any other business in the sports planning space. Further, eSoft’s staff is comprised of former trainers, athletes, and facility owners, giving us unique insights into the industry and what it takes to help our clients succeed.
If you’re a coach or owner of a sports organization, you’ll find that eSoft Planner is the perfect solution for your needs. We offer flexible options to fit any size of business and budget. Also, our software is extremely easy-to-use, yet powerful enough to meet the demands of any coach or business owner. eSoft Planner is the industry standard for sports organizations and has been trusted by thousands of clients over the last decade. Clients love the service they receive from their account managers and other support staff, which is why eSoft is consistently ranked #1 in customer service across the entire industry. The executive team and employees at eSoft have a personal interest in the success of their clients. Therefore, relationships are stronger and more meaningful than any other business in the sports planning space.
The Problem With Sports Scheduling and Our Solution.
Sports scheduling and management require a lot of time and attention to detail. The problem with sports scheduling is that it can be hard to find an affordable solution that works for everyone. Our solution solves this problem by providing an affordable, flexible, and powerful software program. It has been trusted by thousands of sports organizations nationwide. Also, it aligns with the varied, diverse landscape of needs that confronts so many coaches, owners, and trainers.
With eSoft Planner, you can easily manage clients, classes, courts, guest passes, inventory, merch, and customers without spending hours on the phone or at a computer. Then, you’ll have more time for coaching, hiring, marketing, and growing your business!
You can even utilize the software’s marketing capabilities to send email updates, point to blogs and social media, and promote client achievements.
Affordable, Flexible, and Powerful
Sports scheduling has never been easier. eSoft Planner offers a low-price, high-power system that is customizable, user-friendly, and easy to use. It works with any sport or activity and can be used by organizations of any size. Due to that, sizes range from a single team up to the biggest leagues in professional sports. If you need an affordable solution for your sports scheduling needs, then look no further than eSoft Planner!
eSoft Planner is the simplest, easiest way for sports teams and organizations to schedule their games. It’s loaded with powerful features that let you easily manage your team schedules, player availability, game results, and more. To learn more, check out some of the capabilities below:
Another key aspect to consider is that as your program grows, your subscription rates will stay the same. Perhaps even better, our software is so robust, that we can actually personally tailor it to your exact needs. One sport, multiple sports, inventory management, marketing capabilities, and more! The sky is the limit, as we’ll never engage in practices that hinder your bottom line and/or your ability to grow.
Conclusion
Countless reviewers, clients, and coaches have found that eSoft Planner is the best option for sports scheduling. Given the unique variety of needs in the sports and training industry, we find that clients’ reasons for choosing the software are as robust and wide-reaching as the software itself. Whether it’s the ease of adding new trainers or clients, the powerful field/court reservation mapping options, seamless barcode-integrated guest passes, or one of the many other proprietary capabilities that have made eSoft the authority in the industry, there is almost a certainty that eSoft Planner will help you take your team, league, group, or academy to the next level. For more information, feel free to request a demo or give us a call and speak with a dedicated expert today.
As the sports scheduling market grows, you’ll want to lean into software that is built with you in mind, operated by companies that prioritize you. From time and time again, eSoft earns clients from under-committed competitors for this very reason. Finally, now is the time to experience the most robust, client-focused, sports scheduling and planning software in the country.
How to Build an Exit Strategy for Your Sports Facility
It’s always more fun to create your new business plan than it is to think about how you’re eventually going to STOP running it. But even if your sports facility stays open forever, you won’t be around to see it. So your business plan should conclude with your personal sports facility exit strategy.
If you’re going to show this business plan to potential investors or partners, you’ll want to use this section to emphasize that you’ve planned for all scenarios to protect the business and their investment. (If this business plan is more for your own planning use, you should still add this section. It will help guide your leadership through the years.)
Before we talk about what to write in the “Exit Strategy” part of your plan, let’s talk about your exit options.
1. Sell Your Share in the Business to Your Partners
If you open your facility with other financial partners, any one partner should be able to personally exit the business by selling their portion of ownership to their partners. Your partnership agreement should include the details of how this should happen, and the agreement should be reviewed by a lawyer.
2. Best Option: Sell the Business to a New Owner or Owners
The process of selling your business can be expensive and complicated. It’s not simple to put a value on a business, after all, and there are plenty of legal and accounting fees. However, it’s usually the best exit strategy for sports facilities, because it makes you the most money.
Here are a few common buyers for sports facilities:
Related businesses. Look for companies that could benefit from expanding into your market. Complementary businesses – like apparel or equipment stores – or your competitors could look to expand their business into your location someday.
Current employees. It’s common for facility staff to be interested in purchasing the sports facility where they work, and they can be good buyers because they already understand the business. (Side note: Owners who want to sell to employees often use a “leverage buyout model” that allows the buyers to make payments over time rather than buy the whole business upfront. Unfortunately, this often results in plenty of headaches if the new owners stop being able to make payments. Get as much money upfront as possible to avoid losses and/or being sucked back into the business you tried to exit.)
New sports facility owners. If you list your business for sale, you might get inquiries from new potential sports facility owners who are looking for space and equipment. Although, they may find buying your business outright more practical.
3. Close the Business and Sell All Your Stuff
If you can’t find a buyer, you can simply close the business and sell your assets (building, equipment, furniture, etc.) to whomever will give you the best deal. This isn’t the option you want to include in your formal business plan. However, it is worth noting your assets and the resale value of your equipment and infrastructure.
Add Your Exit Strategy to Your Business Plan
Now that you’re familiar with your options, you can summarize your sports facility exit strategy in a short paragraph to conclude your business plan.
Here’s an example of what it could look like:
All of DNA Sports Center’s owners will agree to a detailed, legally approved document that specifies the terms of any individual’s potential exit from the business.
By consistently investing marketing dollars in DNA Sports Center’s brand and image, focusing intensely on reaching profitability, and by investing in and maintaining quality pitching machines and fitness equipment, we’ll make sure that our facility is attractive to any potential buyers from the sports performance industry.
That’s it — we’ve come to the end of the business plan series. We hope you’ve found some useful information. The team at eSoft Planner is ready to help you make the most of your sports facility because we want you to be successful. Talk to our team today about how eSoft Planner can support your business.
The Space – Describe your ideal physical building for your sports facility. Make sure to include:
The facility’s square footage
A few sentences about what makes it ideal
A list of both monetary and temporal costs of the purchase or rental and maintenance of your physical facility (including cleaning, estimated repairs, and utility costs)
If you don’t have your site finalized yet, you can put estimates into this section.
The Equipment – Describe the equipment you will need to run the facility and discuss how you will use it. List estimated costs, both upfront and ongoing, including taxes, shipping, maintenance and installation.
Here’s an example of an introduction to the infrastructure portion of your operations plan:
DNA Sports Center’s facility features an open turf field that can be split into various pitching tunnels and batting cages. It also features a strength training room, a staff office and a WIFI-enabled waiting area for parents. Because we are operating out of a previous fitness facility, our physical costs will be kept to a minimum by taking advantage of existing resources. The following equipment will need to be purchased and installed: (include a list of equipment and costs).
Part 2: Staff
Describe the staff positions at your facility. Make sure to list the job titles and include:
Specific job duties
Weekly hours for each position
Wage ranges
Staff payment methods
Certainly, you should briefly note your sports facility’s hours of operation and describe when services would be offered to maximize revenue.
Here’s an example of an introduction to the staff portion of your operations plan:
DNA Sports Center will hire qualified candidates for the following positions: Office Manager, Speed and Agility Program Director / Sales Director, Director of Baseball Operations, Director of Midwest Prospects (an elite baseball team). The rest of our staff, including sports-specific instructors, will be considered contractors. (Include the list of roles.)
Conclusion
Your sports facility operating strategy does not have to be elaborate, but it does need to support your vision. By following the steps for describing your operational strategy, you are well-positioned for the next step of your business plan – developing a financial strategy.
The expert team at eSoft Planner has worked with thousands of sports facility owners just like you. We know what it takes. Our implementation team excels at helping you use the tools to make your dream a success. We love to hear about your plans, and we want to be a partner in your vision.
