FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

• In which areas are fitness facilities closed? – US
  In the US, it is largely up to state and local officials to determine what restrictions, if any, to impose to slow the spread of the coronavirus. This has resulted in a patchwork of rules for businesses and residents. Presently, most businesses in the USA are open, including gyms. Mandatory mask usage varies per state and vaccination status:

  • New York City announced it will require at least one vaccination for participation in indoor activities, such as working out in gyms.
  • Gyms in Washington D.C., under the flag of the DC Fitness Alliance, want exemption from the indoor mask rule in favor of proof of vaccination.

  For the most up-to-date information on your state, please check the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker. You can also visit the New York Times' dedicated database to see coronavirus restrictions and mask mandates for all 50 states.
• In which areas are fitness facilities closed? – UK
  Gyms in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have reopened. Since the 19th of July, England is in 'Step 4' of the plan for reopening. While most restrictions are lifted, employers will still have a legal duty to manage risks to those affected by their business. Failure to take reasonable steps to curb the risk of infection is viewed as a breach of health and safety law.  Ukative compiled a guide for fitness operators in England. Wales has been moved to 'Alert Level 0' on August 7th. This means many restrictions have been lifted, yet cautiousness is advised. Ukactive put together a guide for fitness facilities to ensure safety of clients and staff. Scotland is in "Beyond Level 0" since the 9th of August. Most restrictions are lifted, but facilities are responsible to carry out health safety risk assesment, to mitigate risks for clients and employees. Ukactive offers guidance on everything fitness operators should keep in mind. Due to the unpredictability of the pandemic, news about reopening can change quickly and vary from country to country. Please use the following resources to stay up to date on coronavirus and gym closures in the UK:

  • UK Government website
  • Scottish Government website
  • Welsh Government website
  • Northern Irish Government website
• How can I remotely monitor the progress of my members?
  You can track members’ at-home workouts and improve your client experience via the fitness coaching app. Cover everything from exercise and nutrition guidance, progress tracking, scheduling and booking, managing goals, and mobile coaching from one intuitive and powerful platform!
• Can I broadcast classes live?
  Yes, we've got you covered! Use this link to find all the steps to set up livestreaming.
• How can I provide content to my members remotely?
  You can engage your members using PRO+ – a completely ready-to-use digital membership platform filled with online coaching content and a digital community. For more information on PRO+, click on the question below: How can a hybrid business model solve my problems?
  
  Club Community allows you to livestream classes from an event in your schedule. You can also livestream directly in the ‘Community’ feature. Use it to interact with your clients and share relevant updates on the latest C0VID-19-related rules and regulations for your facility. Find out how to livestream using Club Community here.
• How can a hybrid business model solve my problems?
  We recently conducted a study that showed the importance of switching to a hybrid business model. Switching to a hybrid business model will help your business to withstand the uncertainties of this pandemic, such as closures and restrictions.
  
  Based on this, we've created PRO+, a turnkey software solution to offer dual on-site and online membership as well as a myriad of fitness content within your own branded app. Discover PRO+ here.
  
  For more information, read our blog on hybridizing your gym.
• How can I keep my members engaged remotely?
  You can create workouts that your clients could do from home. So if you don’t want to livestream your classes, consider making individual and group workout plans to be mass distributed to your clients. You can combine these workouts with challenges and special community groups to keep motivating your clients from afar.
• How can I manage social distancing in my facility?
  1. Implement a check-in feature: Either on your website or via a custom app to track visitors and maintain capacity. With a check-in feature, you can set a rule that any clients without a reserved timeslot will be denied entry to ensure safety.
  
  2. Ask COVID-19 triage questions: Set up a system that allows you to ask triage questions before clients can book a timeslot to enter your facility. These questions can be:
  
  

  • In the past 24 hours, have you had a cough, a cold, a fever (above 38 degrees), or shortness of breath?
  • Do you currently have a roommate with a fever and/or shortness of breath?
  • Have you had the coronavirus and has it been diagnosed in the past 7 days (in a lab)?

  
  Clients will need to tick a box to ensure that they have read these questions before a reservation is confirmed. For more information on social distancing in gyms, read our blog on How Will Social Distancing Work in a Gym? A Step-by-Step Guide.
• How can I limit the risks of spread in my facility?
  1. Stay informed: Only get your information from trusted sources (WHO, your country’s health departments, credible news sites) and avoid clickbait titles and private message chains. To be informed on what’s happening in the fitness business, sign up for our webinar series!
  
  2. Keep your members up-to-date: Update your social media accounts with everything your business is doing concerning the coronavirus outbreak. Inform them of any and all virtual workouts or livestreams you’re working on!
  
  3. Check government support initiatives: Many countries are working on measures to relieve financial pressure on SMEs, including tax exemptions or delays in tax payments, reduced support loan interest rates, etc. Make sure you’re informed of what is being offered and how to apply for it.
  
  4. Comply with health recommendations: In the event of another wave of the coronavirus, ensure you have a system in place to provide frequent cleaning and freely available hand sanitizer. Track the number of visitors and place restrictions on how many people are allowed to simultaneously train at your gym. Communicate guidelines for facemasks, dressing rooms, etc.
• What do we know about COVID-19 and how it affects fitness businesses?
  Unfortunately, uncertainty is currently the only certainty. To learn more about the coronavirus's impact on the fitness industry in 2021, check out our e-books that contain curated reports on the pandemic and fitness businesses.
  
  For more information on how the fitness industry is doing a year into the pandemic, read our blog here.
• Can I have my own custom mobile app?
  Absolutely! Virtuagym's custom mobile app allows you to engage your clients across all touchpoints with one easy app. To get your custom mobile app, make sure you meet the requirements:
  

  1. 1. You have up to 50 clients
     2. You're not the sole proprietor
     3. You have an Apple or Android device (Apple will use this to verify your identity)

  
  Please contact our Client Success team to get started. Read more about the custom mobile app and how to get started.
• Can I pause all of my clients' contracts?
  Yes, it is possible to pause your members’ contracts. You can follow this guide on how to pause contracts individually. To mass pause all contracts for your entire facility, please reach out to us (also retrospectively) by emailing support@virtuagym.com. While contracts are paused, you could consider charging your members a special monthly fee for online digital training services using Virtuagym's software services. This way, you can still keep things running for less!  
• How can I apply a discount for my memberships?
  You can follow this guide to understand how you can apply discounts and adjust the price per membership. By adjusting membership prices, all invoices created by the assigned memberships for the next invoice period will reflect the new price. This only works for renewing memberships. At the moment, it is not possible to adjust the price or apply a discount to all memberships simultaneously.
• What’s the difference between Video On Demand and streaming?
  Video on Demand is a service Virtuagym provides, powered by Fitness on Demand. This service lets you give your members access to streaming exercise videos directly from the Virtuagym mobile app. To stream your own content through the Virtuagym app, you can read this guide on how to go live with Virtuagym and this guide on how to embed videos in your app’s home screen.
• My payment provider Mollie changed their payout time, what can I do?
  Recently Mollie announced that they will in many cases delay the payout of Direct Debit and Credit Card payments for April by 15 days, and for May by 30 days due to the COVID19 outbreak. Mollie is afraid that a lot of your members will ask for a chargeback since they cannot visit your club during the pandemic. We are surprised and very disappointed by their decision and understand this has a big impact on your business. We are here to help.
  
  After contacting Mollie, they let us know that they are willing to make exceptions for Virtuagym customers on a case by case basis. We advise you to contact Mollie to see if they can make an exception for your company.
  
  In the meantime, we understand that you’re in need of a trustworthy alternative. We advise you to take action and we wrote an article with all the options you have to avoid this situation. Please read our Helpdesk article carefully and make your decision on how to proceed. We advise you to act quickly and get in touch with our Client Success team for more information.