How OurPeople modernized training and minimized administration

With more than 400 instructors on our roster we needed a platform where they could communicate with each other if they needed cover for a class,” says Group Studio Administrator, Hannan Hashmi. “We couldn’t be sending out messages on consumer platforms that would show their individual contact details.”

The instructors are responsible for arranging cover if they can’t make their class, and using OurPeople they simply send a broadcast to all appropriately qualified instructors to announce the availability and then, from those that register their interest, confirm an instructor to take their class.

Gymbox also uses the App’s content ‘cards’ to deliver information to staff, such as event invitations and procedure updates, as well as instructor etiquette guides to ensure members have a uniform experience across all classes, from screening for health conditions at the start of the class to provide extra help for newer members.

To help engage staff with training events, Gymbox makes the content both interesting and visually appealing by sending cards in a stack with images as a teaser, followed by a description of the class, before adding details of the event itself. 

“With so many instructors on our roster and new classes being added to our timetables all the time, we need to ensure teachers are appropriately trained for the different concepts we run. We use the training event functionality for this,” says Hashmi. “OurPeople enables us to send instructors invites, as well as sign them off for that training by adding the appropriate tag to their profile so they receive relevant broadcasts; it’s basically a live list of who’s qualified to carry out which classes.”

Every one of Gymbox’s instructors is using the App, being set up as soon as they start working with the brand, as they cannot engage with cover opportunities without it.

Minimizing admin
Hashmi says: “Before we fully transitioned to OurPeople we had to manually send out cover lists for each of our class categories. At the end of each month, I would distribute a list of all instructors, including their contact details, to everyone, outlining who was available to cover should the need arise. Now it’s all in one central place. Everyone has easy access to all the instructors able to teach their classes.

“In terms of training, far fewer emails need to be sent out too. Previously, if I had a training event that could cater for 12 people I would send an email to anyone relevant, which could be 100 people. I’d then have to filter through all the responses to choose 12 people to attend and respond to each and every one that had applied. Now I just send one broadcast. I don’t have to send any further messaging as the booking is all done via the App. I can also see the waiting list to judge whether a further training day is needed.”