My PT Hub: a deep dive into tech designed to help CIMSPA practitioners
Phil Carr
CEO, My PT Hub
What is My PT Hub?
A multi million pound fitness app designed for personal trainers to ease the booking and customer care of clients. The idea came to CEO Phil Carr, a self confessed tech geek, at the age of 24. He saw how PTs were still using a notepad, a paper diary and often their phone or a tablet to track everything. He saw an opportunity to use his passion for technology, online businesses and apps to create an app to support PTs and manage their client bookings.
In the past five years, Phill has guided the business to become one of the world’s largest software providers in the PT industry. Utilising the admin process for PT, the app also incorporates data inputs from their parties to provide greater insight for PTs to better cater their client’s needs. This includes nutrition plans, exercise programmes and booking systems.
An app for personal trainers and their clients
With one new user every two minutes, the My PT Hub app caters to both personal trainers and their clients with a collective 2.3 million users. The app caters for four types of 1-2-1 coaching for including gym-based bookings, group bookings up to 15 spaces, brick and mortar bookings, and gym footfall. To date, there are 7.6 million workouts available with over 4.7 million PT sessions also available.
Personal trainers and their clients
Personal trainer’s maximum capacity is usually around 15 clients, at this stage they then stop and question how they can gain more clients. Within a gym environment personal trainers rely on gym footfall to gain new clients. Phil explains that the personal trainers should start by focusing on the client and work back which eventually transcends to the personal trainers.
Meeting the needs of clients
The innovative apps aim to help reduce barriers to personal trainers by overcoming three issues. These issues are:
- Time sensitive – The client has to go to a physical location to train, this is not convenient for the client only convenient for the personal trainer. The question is asked how a personal trainer operates in off peak times between 2-5pm. You will find 70% of personal trainers not doing anything between this period.
- Intimidated – People don’t want to go up to personal trainers as they feel intimidated. Phil says how do you break down the barriers so a potential client will go and communicate with the personal trainer.
- Price – Clients want to work with personal trainers but can’t afford it as sessions range from £50-£70.
Using digital to improve customer experience
Phil discussed how the customer experience can be improved using:
Technology - People love achieving and tracking their goals. This has become far easier and accessible due to the increasing use of apple watches and other wearable technology.
Community - Using the Peloton product as an example, Phil explained the importance of creating a sense of community and being part of something bigger. This is still possible even if the person is exercising from the comfort of their own home.
Customisation - By creating the opportunity for customisations of data, logos and brands, My PT Hub is helping create a seamless customer experience. This includes the customisation of data, logos and branding.
Artificial intelligence - Use of AI in the My PT Hub app, it’s not a replacement tool but an aid. The use of AI means clients can receive performance feedback meaning the client can be told if they are doing the movement correctly.
Break down into digital products and membership - Digital products are time-based. Someone will want to train to get into shape for a holiday or a wedding, personal trainers then sell packs such as 6/8/12 week training plans. Monthly subscriptions normally fall flat on their face. My PT Hub provides a flow between 121, memberships and the digital product.
Memberships - There are 183 million worldwide members or health clubs and Phil believes this figure is low. He believes there are a further 78 million remote subscribers paying for digital fitness. He attributes these trends to people signing up for digital fitness due to time sensitivity, price and the intimidation which you find in the gym environment.
Digital in the fitness world - Digital in the fitness world is seeing the same trend as other digital products. Gyms shouldn’t be scared of the digital PT hub they should use to build their business. If gyms use digital products they could find they increase their growth in off peak times such as 2-5pm. Gyms can build digital into their commercial model to improve their product.
Technology into sport and physical activity
Phil explains there are three main advantages of using technology in the sports and physical activity sector. These are:
- Data – Data in its raw format can be collected in abundance.
- Information – Identifying the information, trends and insights that can be gathered from data.
- Knowledge – The knowledge that can be gained from the information and data to share as a commercial product and provide additional services for our members.
My PT Hub draws together these three aspects in a singular technology platform that is easily accessible.
Challenges in the marketplace
Phil explains that it has taken time to establish partnership with organisations and collect data. Unfortunately, in that time competitors have appeared and despite his desire not to become a marketing or advertising company it has a crucial role in the business.
Phil also shares hopes the app has created additional commercial opportunities that are a break away from the core product. These include:
- A personal trainer can select their favourite protein brand and place it on the app so their client can then use this.
- My PT Hub is working with education providers to upsell continuing professional development (CPD). Someone may go on my PT Hub if they want to learn a kettlebell routine and there is background knowledge behind this such an educational piece and nutrition.