Juggling 300+ freelance instructors
Operating some of the most extensive studio timetables in the industry, Total Fitness delivers an average of 71 group exercise classes a week at its clubs, with its busiest site offering more than 120 classes every week.
Managing such a high volume of classes, delivered by more than 300 freelance instructors in addition to the Total Fitness internal team, was a time-consuming challenge, particularly when arranging instructor cover due to sickness or holidays. The Fitness Experience Managers at Total Fitness relied on WhatsApp and other social messaging group chats to coordinate their studio teams and were fielding requests day and night, which was hugely disruptive for their work-life balance. The story wasn’t much better for the group exercise instructors, who typically teach across multiple operators and found it difficult to juggle cover requests across numerous group chats.
The compliance process was another time consuming task, with the certificates and insurance of all team members coordinated manually at each site, placing an additional time and responsibility demand on managers.
Management in one simple app
Total Fitness set up a three-site trial with CoverMe Fitness, an ingenious app that streamlines the process of finding cover in just three clicks and 21 seconds, improving operational efficiency for facilities, while giving fitness professionals more opportunities to work and increase their income. CoverMe Fitness also improves team communication, with operators reporting a 78% increase in team engagement and satisfaction as a result. The app also encompasses instructor compliance and recruitment, as well as recognition and rewards for team members.
Using CoverMe, managers at the trial sites saved approximately 10 hours each month and class cover rates doubled from 40% to over 80%. Following the success of the trial, the app is now being rolled out across the brand’s 15 clubs in the UK.
Saving a full-time role
Dean Zweck, Product Development Manager at Total Fitness, explains: “The results from the pilot were very encouraging. In the majority of our clubs the management of group exercise falls under the remit of our Fitness Experience Managers, along with the wider gym floor experience, Personal Training, our small group workout product, Squads, and much more. Arranging cover and checking documents for compliance took each of them more than 10 hours a month on average. Extrapolating that over 15 clubs, it’s the equivalent of another full time member of the team.”
Beyond the extensive time saving, which managers are now investing in other responsibilities, there were two other stand out benefits of the trial.
“The additional layer of compliance, which was previously done manually, gives us peace of mind. Having an automated system that identifies and notifies both clubs and instructors when certificates or insurance are due to expire has saved even more time, and gives increased protection to our members and our instructors, by ensuring their paperwork is up-to-date at all times.
“The one-way messaging broadcast feature is a game changer too. Now we have a simple way to communicate to all instructors at the same time to share updates or information, without opening the door to a protracted dialogue between club and instructors. Lines of communication are open with instructors, but in a controlled and compliant way that is fair for all.”
With a number of team members able to approve cover requests and communicate with instructors, the app has significantly reduced the amount of time managers are contacted out of hours. “Our managers can now enjoy their downtown and annual leave, without being interrupted by requests for cover on a noisy WhatsApp chat, reducing their stress and anxiety,” says Zweck.
But that’s not all. The data insight provided by CoverMe Fitness has enabled Total Fitness to accurately evaluate where further training or recruitment is needed. Zweck explains: “Through CoverMe we can objectively show where recruitment gaps are in the delivery of our timetable and direct resources there. As a result, in the 2025 financial year we have allocated a dedicated training budget to upskill in specific classes including aqua, indoor cycling and kids classes. We are lucky to have team members that crave personal development and want to participate in CPD courses to deliver more classes; our Gen Z team members have jumped at the chance to teach aqua, and we’ve also been able to offer places to some freelance instructors who want to diversify too.
“Overall, CoverMe has been an excellent acquisition for us; to have one app that not only increases efficiencies in ways of working and compliance, but also improves the experience for our freelancers definitely provides value for money. The insight gained during the pilot has resulted in us rolling the app out across all 15 Total Fitness clubs.”