The Playbook: How Gyms Can Cultivate Excellence Through Staff Training
For fitness facilities, staffers are your frontline soldiers for success. But they need the proper onboarding and ongoing support
This story is part of “The Playbook,” a weekly column that takes a deep dive into the future of business, management and technology, with an eye toward practical applications for fitness and wellness executives
Employee development investments serve as both an essential strategic need and a vital benefit that leads to improved service quality and increased morale and retention rates. A successful team development requires ongoing training, which starts immediately after hiring and continues through each stage of a staff member’s professional growth.
But it takes work.
Onboarding Is Critical
First, the initial onboarding process establishes the foundation for future success. In my experience as a business counselor for a municipal economic development agency, I worked with owners on structuring effective onboarding, training and helping their employees create career development plans.
The onboarding process is a fragile moment, like being on a honeymoon. During this time, new employees should learn both their job duties and the gym’s organizational mission and customer service standards and values. When employees understand their role’s contribution to the organization’s mission, they experience immediate support and engagement.
Navigating an Evolving Fitness Industry
The fitness industry’s continuous evolution also requires staff members to receive ongoing professional development to stay adaptable. The combination of training sessions about fitness trends, new equipment, technology fand customer service best practices maintains employee knowledge and performance levels. The organization demonstrates its dedication to long-term growth through its support of certifications, workshops and continuing education programs. Performance feedback provided regularly helps employees grow in their positions through constructive feedback that guides their development.
Training programs should include both fitness expertise and essential skills which include customer service excellence, sales and retention strategies, and problem-solving and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Staff training in relationship building and conflict resolution and environment promotion leads to better member experiences while maintaining operational consistency.
Training delivery methods hold equal significance to the content being taught. The training process remains effective and engaging through the combination of group sessions for team building and one-on-one coaching and role-playing exercises and online resources which provide flexible learning opportunities. The Playbook move here is to leverage technology.
Where To Find Staff Training Solutions
Earlier this year, StoreForce, a leader in workforce management and performance optimization, teamed up with Multimedia Plus (MMP), creators of the Incite training and communications platform, to deliver what they described as a transformative solution for retail and service operations including gyms, hotels and spas.
This strategic collaboration merges StoreForce’s expertise in labor optimization and performance metrics with MMP’s mobile-first training and communications capabilities. Together, they empower retailers to confidently implement new campaigns, product launches and policy changes, ensuring every aspect of the process is streamlined for maximum impact. Retailers will not only optimize their labor force to drive profitability, but also ensure associates are well-informed, engaged and ready to perform at the highest level.
Amid today’s dynamic retail environment, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to helping retailers adapt proactively. The complementary strengths of StoreForce and MMP aim to equip retailers to drive in-store performance while building highly skilled and prepared teams capable of navigating rapid change.
It also empowers businesses to be more nimble and ready. David Harouche, CEO of Multimedia Plus, emphasized the critical role of readiness in retail success.
“Retail success comes down to readiness and execution. By aligning our solutions, we’re providing retailers with the tools to connect knowledge and skill to measurable performance outcomes,” he explained.
Through this partnership, StoreForce and MMP are bridging the gap between operational efficiency and frontline preparedness. The collaboration promotes smarter coaching, faster decision-making, higher conversion rates, higher customer loyalty rates and increased long-term customer value.
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