From Manual Tasks to Automation: 040FIT’s Growth with Virtuagym

The Story of 040FIT

040FIT is a fast-growing fitness concept in the south of the Netherlands, now operating multiple locations, including high-end Blue Zone gyms and Sportcentrum Harks. Each club has its own community and identity, led by a passionate club manager.

Community and connection are at the core of 040FIT. “Our goal is to create a place where customers would like to be—and of course the employees too,” says Dian Coolen, Office Manager at 040FIT.

Dian started out as a part-time instructor at the first location in Geldrop. Over time, she became a club manager and later moved into a leadership role, overseeing central operations, digital tools, and back-office management across all clubs. She knows the ins and outs of 040FIT like no one else.

Vision and Growth

With eleven locations, the challenge is staying locally connected while continuing to grow. During the pandemic closures of 2020 and 2021, 040FIT learned how technology could help strengthen their community.

The answer lies in 040FIT’s core vision: reaching as many people as possible with holistic health solutions in fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being. To achieve this, they expand services at each location, such as physiotherapy and nutrition consultations, tailored to community needs.

Their mission also emphasizes accessibility. With unmanned entry systems, clubs are open daily from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Members enjoy modern equipment and expert support, from small group training to full-service coaching

Membership Management With Virtuagym

With multiple clubs under one brand, central oversight is essential.

Using Virtuagym, the team manages memberships, access control, coaching, and financial operations from a single, integrated platform.

This centralized structure ensures that all locations stay aligned, processes are standardized, and operational efficiency is maintained—without sacrificing the personal touch.

Saving Time with Virtuagym Pay and Dunning

Until recently, following up on overdue invoices at 040 FIT was a time-consuming, manual task. The team had to keep track of outstanding payments themselves and chase clients one by one.

With Virtuagym Pay’s Dunning module, that process is now fully automated:

• Customizable email reminders are sent at fixed intervals, with increasing urgency as the due date passes
• Overdue payments are organised and classified by status and severity, giving the team a clear overview of what needs attention.
• Penalty fees or administrative costs can also be added automatically to follow-up emails, helping to recover costs more efficiently.

With Virtuagym Pay, 040 FIT has streamlined its payment follow-up process, reduced outstanding debt, and gained much better insight and control over their financial flows.

After a successful pilot of Virtuagym’s automated payments combined with dunning at one of the 040 FIT locations, the team decided to roll out the solution across all their clubs.

This shift saves the team countless hours each month, as what once required manually uploading all payments per club and performing weekly updates is now fully automated. Invoices are sent automatically, statuses update in real time, and mid-cycle payments are included without any manual effort.

If a client still fails to pay, the system seamlessly triggers the dunning process, sending reminders at set intervals, classifying overdue payments, and even adding penalty fees where needed.

For 040FIT, the benefits are clear:

• Increased efficiency. Automated workflows save hours of manual follow-up.
• Better financial control. Overdue payments are organised and transparent.
• Reduced debt. Structured reminders lead to faster collections.
• Improved customer relations. Personalised communication helps prevent churn while keeping clients engaged.

Automating the Gym Experience

040FIT is steadily evolving into a 24/7 fitness concept, ensuring members can train on their own schedule while reducing the need for constant onsite staff. This transition is supported by their partnership with DoorSecure, which powers automated access across all locations.

In collaboration with Virtuagym, members can now enter gyms using dynamic QR codes that refresh regularly, eliminating the issue of pass-sharing and reducing the number of false check-ins.

This provides more accurate data about who is actually training in the clubs, which helps managers make better operational decisions.

At the same time, accessibility remains a priority: for members who are less digital or older, physical access cards are still available. This hybrid model guarantees inclusivity while still keeping operations lean.

The impact of these automations is significant. With fewer staff needed at the entrance, resources can be redirected to member support and coaching. The system also lays the groundwork for the next phase of the 040FIT concept: premium clubs operating entirely unmanned, with extended or even 24/7 access.

Coaching in Your Pocket

The custom-branded 040FIT app is a cornerstone of the member experience, keeping the community connected inside and outside the gym.

• Members can follow personalized training plans, receive direct coaching, and stay engaged—whether training at home or on-site.
• Coaches use the platform to design and assign workouts, track individual progress, and adapt plans as members improve.

With integrated nutrition modules, reminders, and in-app messaging, the app makes it easy to deliver personalized guidance at scale, while ensuring members always feel supported.

Insights Through Data: Business Analytics & Retention

Virtuagym’s analytics dashboard helps the 040FIT management team stay ahead.

With real-time insights across locations, they can monitor performance, member trends, and club activity in a unified view.

The Retention Planner is another powerful tool: it helps identify inactive members so the team can reach out early and re-engage.

As the business grows, these insights become more critical to maintaining high service standards.

The Future of 040FIT

With new clubs on the horizon and a rapidly evolving concept, 040FIT is building for the future.

The organization plans to continue expanding its 24/7 model, rolling out premium experiences, and enabling club switching—allowing members to train at different locations seamlessly.

Through automation, data-driven decisions, and a strong connection to its communities, 040FIT aims to remain a regional leader with a personal touch.