Customer Support That’s Engrained in Our Culture

I have been in customer service within the active and outdoors community for several years. The​ ​minute​ ​I​ ​walked​ ​through​ Zen​ ​Planner’s​ doors​, I knew ​that​ ​this company​ ​was​ ​going​ ​to​ ​be​ ​different from others I had worked for in the past. ​​Culture​ ​is​ ​one​ ​of​ ​those​ ​industry​ ​buzzwords​ ​that​ ​many​ ​companies boast about, ​but​ ​the​ ​crew​ ​here​ truly ​lives​ ​and​ ​breathes​ ​our​ ​values.​

It​ ​totally​ ​makes​ ​sense​ ​after having recently​ ​gone​ ​through​ ​the​ ​rigorous​ ​interview​ ​process​ ​myself-​ ​the​ ​objective​ ​is​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the​ ​best​ ​fit for both​ ​the​ ​position​ ​and​ ​the​ ​family.​ ​This​ ​factors​ ​into​ ​the​ ​office​ ​environment​ ​(complete​ ​with​ ​Nerf​ ​guns,​ ​lunchtime workouts, big wheel​ ​bikes​ ​and​ ​dog​ ​friends)​ ​and​ ​ultimately​ ​trickles​ ​down​ ​to​ ​our​ ​interactions​ ​with​ ​clients​ ​who use​ ​our​ ​software.​ ​There​ ​are​ ​over​ ​90​ ​employees​ ​at​ ​Zen​ ​Planner​ ​who​ ​are​ ​passionate​ ​about fitness​ ​and​ ​helping​ ​business​ ​owners​ ​share​ ​their​ ​passion with others.

As​ ​an​ ​NASM​ ​graduate​ ​and​ ​personal​ ​trainer,​ ​I​ ​previously used ​MINDBODY®​ ​to​ ​manage​ my​ ​schedule.​ ​I​ ​was​ ​new​ ​in​ ​the​ ​industry​ ​and​ ​was​ ​given​ ​access to the software​ ​as​ ​a​ ​contractor​ ​for my​ ​studio. My​ ​naivety​ ​surrounding​ ​member management software and using a difficult-to-navigate solution​ ​meant​ ​many​ ​hours​ ​of manually​ ​tracking​ ​attendance,​ ​emailing​ ​and​ ​texting​ ​clients​ ​and​ ​having​ ​those​ ​awkward conversations​ ​about​ ​past​ ​due​ ​bills.​ ​Although​ ​it​ ​ended up being a good​​ ​learning​ ​experience​,​​ ​if I​ ​knew​ ​there​ was a user-friendly software​ ​like​ ​Zen​ ​Planner​ ​out​ ​there,​ ​a​ ​tool that​ ​I​ ​could​ ​spend​ ​more​ ​time​ ​growing​ ​and​ ​less​ ​time​ ​catching​ ​up,​ ​I​ ​would​ ​have​ ​switched​ ​in​ ​a heartbeat.​ ​

I​ ​know​ ​from​ ​experience​ ​working​ ​as​ ​both​ ​an​ ​Onboarding​ ​Coach​ ​and​ ​Customer Advocate​ ​for​ ​Zen​ ​Planner​ ​that​ ​I​ ​am​ ​not​ ​the​ ​only​ ​one​ ​who​ ​has​ ​seen​ ​the​ ​light.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​daily conversations​ ​with​ ​business​ ​owners​ ​and​ ​trainers​ ​who​ ​come​ ​to​ ​us​ ​wanting​ ​more.​ ​I recently had a 20​-minute​ ​support​ ​conversation​ ​with​ ​a​ ​customer​ ​who​ ​recently​ ​switched​ ​from​ ​MINDBODY®​ ​(there​ ​may​ ​have been​ ​a​ ​little​ ​commiserating!). Afterwards,​ ​I​ ​received​ ​an​ ​email​ ​thanking​ Zen Planner​ ​for​ ​staying​ ​committed​ ​to providing​ ​excellent​ ​customer​ ​care​ ​and​ ​refraining​ ​from​ ​outsourcing​ ​our​ ​support​ ​team​ ​like​ ​so many​ ​of​ ​our​ ​competitors​ ​have.

A​ ​commitment​ ​to​ ​outstanding​ service​ ​is​ ​one of our ​core​ ​values (it represents the “O” in OHANA).​ ​​I​ ​would​ ​argue​ ​that​ ​it​ ​is​ ​what​ ​makes​ ​our​ ​customers​ ​switch​ ​and​ ​stay​ ​with​ ​us​ ​for​ ​years​ ​on end.​ ​And​ ​truth​ ​be​ ​told​, ​the​ ​support​ ​has​ ​to​ ​be​ ​amazing.​ ​Zen​ ​Planner​ ​is​ ​a​ ​robust​ ​business​ ​tool;​ ​it isn’t​ ​just​ ​a​ ​glorified​ ​calendar​ ​or​ ​a​ ​phone​ ​book​ ​for​ ​your​ ​students.​ ​From​ ​billing​ ​to​ ​automated emails​ ​and​ ​back,​ ​Zen​ ​Planner​ ​has​ ​been​ ​proven​ ​to​ ​grow​ ​any​ ​business​ ​that​ ​is​ ​willing​ ​to​ ​put​ ​in​ ​the work​ ​and​ ​get​ ​on​ ​the​ ​phones​ ​with​ ​our​ ​amazing​ ​Customer Advocate​ ​team​ ​to​ ​unlock​ ​the​ ​software’s​ ​full potential.​ ​

As​ ​a​ ​support​ ​technician​ ​myself,​ ​I​ ​can​ ​speak​ ​from​ ​experience​ ​that​ ​I​ ​love​ ​having​ ​those conversations​ ​with​ ​our​ ​customers​ ​who​ ​are​ ​in​ ​regular​ ​contact​ ​with​ ​us.​ ​Being​ ​by​ ​their​ ​side​ ​to​ ​witness and​ ​help​ ​their​ ​passion​ ​grow​ ​into​ ​a​ ​business​ ​is​ ​why​ ​I​ ​made​ ​the​ ​switch.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​happen​ ​to​ ​find yourself​ ​wanting​ ​more​ ​from​ ​your​ ​current​ ​software​ ​on​ ​all​ ​fronts,​ ​I​ ​can​ ​not​ ​recommend​ ​Zen Planner​ ​enough.

Thinking about switching software providers? Get your copy of our checklist, 9 Things Your Fitness Studio Software Must Have to help guide your research.