With the leisure industry changing at an incredibly fast pace, you need a robust, future-proof Leisure Management Solution to operate effectively. But where do you start when looking for the right solution? 

Whether you are a leisure trust, a local authority managing facilities in your area, or a university, you need a future-proof Leisure Management Solution that will allow you to manage all aspects of your facilities while keeping local communities engaged, healthy, and active. 

It’s vital to invest in the right solution for your individual requirements, that meets the ever-changing needs and demands of the consumers you serve. It should allow you to adapt and grow with ease. 

There are eight key criteria you need to consider when choosing the perfect Leisure Management Solution for you.

1. Time and money savings

Arguably, the top thing to look out for is a solution that saves you time and money, both of which are more valuable than ever right now. 

If you are a public sector body, the Crown Commercial Service’s G-Cloud 12 framework allows you to simplify your procurement process, easily assess vendors using services and prices listed, and award new business contracts based upon pre-set terms and conditions. Legend is a part of the G-Cloud 12  framework agreement.  

Leisure centres and gyms choosing to work with Legend will be able to save time on their procurement and achieve value for money.

2. Supports digital transformation

Digital transformation is more than just a buzzword, it’s an essential enabler to meeting the changing needs and demands of your organisation and customers. 

To support digital transformation, you need an end-to-end cloud-based Leisure Management Software solution that’s constantly evolving. A solution like Legend. With heavy investment in development and a close collaboration with clients, you can rely on Legend to be one step ahead and ready to meet your ever-changing needs. 

Beyond this your Leisure Management Solution partner should actively support the digital transformation of the sector, understanding the impact that digital immaturity can have on your bottom line. Legend by Xplor is a strategic partner of the latest ukactive Digital Futures research report, committed to constantly evolving and developing a solution to meet the needs of today AND tomorrow. 

Read the 2022 Digital Futures report here. 

3. OpenActive compliant for increased access

Your Leisure Management Solution should make it easy for consumers to search and book activities through their preferred platform.  

imin founded OpenActive in 2015, it is a community-led initiative for the sport & physical activity sector that’s designed to make booking activities online as easy as finding and booking a hotel room. OpenActive is creating a standard way to openly share information about activities available and how to book them, using effective technologies to help combat the rising inactivity epidemic. OpenActive is now funded by Sport England and coordinated by the Open Data Institute (ODI). 

Your Leisure Management Software should be integrated with imin’s middleware to make use of OpenActive. Whether you’re a public or private leisure operator, your software should let you publish information about available classes, activities, and facilities online – using open data standards – to make it easy for anyone to find and book. 

Legend has partnered with imin to provide the leisure industry’s first live software integration to help public and private leisure operators get more people active. 

This will help you increase footfall and revenue, as well as reaching new audiences. For the wider public, this makes it easy to book and access more physical activity options.

“At the heart of our company ethos is an advocacy to increase the overall health and wellbeing of the UK population by helping people become more connected, more active and to make physical activity more accessible for all. We are therefore delighted to have become the first leisure management software provider to achieve an OpenActive integration as the first step in that direction.” - James Barter, Head of Partnerships, Legend by Xplor/Xplor Technologies. 

4. One partner, one solution

You need to look for a provider who will work in partnership with you. No organisation, leisure centre, or university is the same, and so choosing a Leisure Management Solution that can be adapted to your needs to key.  

Streamline your billing process by choosing Leisure Management Software, like Legend, with fully built-in payments. Without the need to switch between different systems or contact multiple suppliers, you’ll free your teams to better focus on your members.    

With real-time information on member payments, attendance and more in one place – no delays, no manual admin work and no reconciliation required – you’ll have the information you need to deliver memorable, engaging experiences.  

Choose a partner who offers you 24/7 support, so that if the worst happens then you can get back to normal as quickly as possible, even outside of office hours. Central management is key for this; having everything in one place means that you don’t need to worry about contacting several suppliers and getting everything sorted at once. Take the stress away by choosing a partner that lets you manage everything core, central solution.

5. Must have credentials

You entrust sensitive data and vital business processes to your Leisure Management Solution – you need to know it’s safe and protected.   

Legend takes this responsibility very seriously and has the credentials to demonstrate this commitment. As well as being fully GDPR compliant, ISO 27001 accreditation means your information is handled according to stringent processes and standards to reduce risk and keep it secure. Legend continuously audited by the British Standards Institution (BSI).  

Legend is committed to being a supportive and responsive partner to our clients. This commitment to service is underpinned by ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Accreditation.

6. Customer experience 

Another important thing to look for in a Leisure Management Solution is the experience delivered to your customers and members. If the solution makes the customer journey easier and improves satisfaction, then you will not only attract more customers but will retain more too. 

For example, self-service platforms mean that customers can manage memberships, bookings, and payments in one place. Working with a partner who focuses on user experience makes it easier for customers to make bookings and interact with their facilities. 

Mobile apps, such as Legend’s Native App solution, allow customers and members to engage with your leisure centre in a way that is convenient for them. Being able to book a class or pay a membership bill with a swipe on a phone is a lot easier than having to ring up, or, even worse, come into your facilities. 

7. Business intelligence 

Being able to analyse data is incredibly important for any type of organisation, and nowhere is this truer than for public sector leisure operators. 

Proper business intelligence and analysis will allow you to spot any members who might be at risk of cancelling, any payments that are likely to default, and so much more. 

Look for a Leisure Management Solution, like Legend, that will allow for regular, up-to-date reporting so that you can deep-dive into your performance. This will save you time (as you can easily pull appropriate data). And could also save you money in the long run by allowing you to identify and address irregular data points across a range of key performance indicators. 

For example, Legend’s Active Outcomes solution allows operators to track progress and report on referrals from GPs and other healthcare providers as part of a treatment plan. Leisure operators can then use this data to measure success, improve applications for central funding, and better convert referral members to full-time members. 

8. Easy technology migration 

It’s likely you’ll already have a solution or solutions in place for managing your leisure facilities. The right provider will make migrating an easy and straightforward process. 

Often, a new Leisure Management Solution will be a real upgrade to your last. Your new provider will make switching stress-free, carefully managing all aspects of migration and implementation with no unnecessary downtime. 

A smooth migration will save not only time, but also money. Substantial cost savings are a huge benefit to a modern, more reliable service. 

Legend is the leading software solution for leisure operators of all sizes and types. We’re committed to driving improvements in every area of your business, from digital maturity to delivering savings and revenue gains. It’s our job help make things as simple as possible for our clients to run their business. 

Want to know how we can work in partnership with you? Get in touch with our team today.