When a customer is ready to purchase a membership, it might seem easiest to process everything at the front desk and manually add them to your system. While that may feel quicker in the moment, it often creates more work for your team and prevents customers from fully taking advantage of their membership right away.

Spending just a couple of minutes showing customers how to sign up on their own phone creates a much better long-term experience for everyone.

1. Customers Receive Their Benefits Immediately

When customers complete their membership signup online, their credits, discounts, member pricing, and other benefits are automatically applied to their account.

That means they can immediately begin booking reservations and using their membership without waiting for a staff member to manually update their account.

2. Eliminate Manual Membership Management

Manually creating memberships takes extra time and increases the chance of mistakes.

If a membership isn't entered correctly, customers may not receive their credits or discounts, leading to unnecessary support requests and frustration. Letting customers complete their own signup ensures their account is created correctly from the beginning.

3. Reduce Phone Calls and Manual Bookings

Customers who never learn how to log in and book online often continue calling the facility every time they want to make a reservation.

By walking them through the process once during signup, they'll know exactly how to manage future bookings on their own, reducing calls and saving valuable staff time.

4. A Few Minutes of Training Saves Hours Later

Teaching someone how to sign up, view their credits, and make a reservation takes only a few minutes.

That small investment dramatically reduces future questions, manual account updates, and booking requests while giving customers confidence using your system.

Best Practice

When someone wants to purchase a membership:

• Ask them to pull out their phone.
• Direct them to your website or membership signup page.
• Walk them through creating their account and completing their purchase.
• Show them where their credits and membership benefits appear.
• Have them make their first reservation before they leave.
• Explain that this is the same process they'll use for all future bookings.

The Bottom Line

Processing memberships entirely at the front desk may seem more convenient, but it often creates unnecessary administrative work and prevents customers from becoming comfortable with your booking system.

Helping customers sign up on their own phone gives them immediate access to their membership benefits, reduces ongoing support requests, minimizes manual account management, and creates a smoother experience for both your staff and your customers.

A few extra minutes today can save countless hours of support tomorrow while encouraging customers to fully embrace self-service from day one.

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