Onboarding
From Chaos to Clarity Implementation of Gym Onboarding System
30%
25%
84%
Context
99 problems - user not one
The Onboarding Management System (OMS) was designed to streamline the onboarding process for gym managers, client liaison, and sales managers ensuring a seamless experience from initial consultation with a prospect to a sale closing. This project aimed to standardise workflows, improve usability, and create a scalable solution aligned with business goals.
We relied on Google Sheets to manage our consultations and client allocations. Yep, you heard that right—Google Sheets! It was like using a rubber dinghy to cross the Atlantic.🚣♂️
Not only was it insecure (imagine all those client details dangling in the wind), but it was also a ticking time bomb for our business. This wasn’t just a spreadsheet problem—it was our main lifeline for revenue! 💸
Challenges
We were running client onboarding and trainer allocations… in Google Sheets. Yep, you read that right. Our entire revenue pipeline was being managed in a system that could break at any moment—and sometimes did.
🚨 Security risks? Check.
🚨 Hours of manual admin? Absolutely.
🚨 Frustrated trainers, sales managers, and clients? You bet.
Our sales, data, engineering, and customer support teams were drowning in repetitive tasks, while clients waited too long to be onboarded. Something had to change.
"It currently takes me 30-40 minutes to complete the admin I need to submit for a new client that has decided to join us. That is valuable time I could be with my with my new client - doing what I do best!"
Joe, Trainer Feedback
Objectives
We needed a proper Onboarding Management System (OMS) to:
✅ Simplify trainer allocation – No more endless scrolling in spreadsheets.
✅ Increase visibility – Give sales managers real-time tracking of prospect sales stages
✅ Reduce manual admin – Free up time for sales teams to focus on clients, not paperwork.
✅ Standardise workflows – Use a design library to create a scalable, intuitive system.
My Contribution
I led the charge in researching pain points, defining user flows, and designing a scalable system.
🔹 Discovery & Research – Interviewed sales managers, gym trainers, and support teams to understand bottlenecks.
🔹 Service Mapping – Visually mapped the entire onboarding process to pinpoint inefficiencies.
🔹 Data & Event Mapping – Recommended better taxonomy and information hierarchy, for users and the business to better understand.
🔹 Design library implementation – Used our design library to create a consistent, accessible interface.
🔹 Beta Testing & Iterations – Collaborated with trainers, sales, and operations to test, refine, and launch.
The goal? Reduce friction, add automation, and make onboarding feel effortless.
🔹 Users could now find and select a trainer with just two clicks instead of scrolling through endless spreadsheet cells.
🔹 Statuses were cleaned up:
✅ Closed: Sale completed. Money exchanged.
🤔 Thinking About It: Prospect needed more time.
🚫 Not Interested: No further action needed.
🚩 No Show: Didn’t attend consultation.
🔹 System automation updated sales statuses in real time, ensuring trainers knew exactly when they had a new client.
Before jumping into design, we needed to map the entire process—both online and offline.
👥 We interviewed sales managers, gym trainers, and customer support teams.
📊 We analysed consultation outcomes, data events, drop-off points, and admin workload
🗺️ We mapped the entire onboarding journey—and, wow, was it messy.
Biggest pain points
🔴 Messy Data Madness – Sales outcomes and process stages were all jumbled together, making reporting a total headache, and confusing for users submitting a closed sale. No clear hierarchy, no proper structure—just chaos.
🔴 Data Black Holes – Client info was scattered across different systems, out of sync, and painfully manual. Super risky and super frustrating.
🔴 One-Size-Fits-None – Everyone was forced through the same rigid process, with zero personalization. Not cool.
So, What Did We Actually Need to Solve? 🚀
🎯 For Our Users (Sales, Consultants, Gym Managers):
Total Lead Visibility: Sales needed a clear view of every lead hitting the funnel—no more guesswork.
Quick & Easy Updates: Consultants wanted a simple way to update info during and after consultations—without drowning in admin.
Built for Growth: The system had to be ready for future phases (hello, sales pipeline!).
Smart Allocations: Gym managers needed a way to match clients with the right trainer once a deal was closed.
🎯 For the Business:
Data That Makes Sense: Create a streamlined, scalable system for customer profiles and events—clean, clear, and ready for future growth.
Efficiency Across Teams: Make sure sales, marketing, and gym ops all work from the same, reliable source of truth.
Data status clean-up
🥰 Closed: Money has been exchanged, and the sale is complete.
😕 Went Away to Think: The Prospect needed more time to decide.
🚫 Not Interested: No further action required.
🚩 No Show: Did not attend consultation
🚩 Cancelled : Previously cancelled or rescheduled to another time
With that sorted, we turned our attention to application statuses. Simplicity was key, so
we created:
🗓️ Upcoming: The consultation is booked and awaiting action.
⏳In Processing: The consultation is actively being handled.
🏋🏻♀️Allocated : A trainer has been allocated, client can begin training.
Here’s where the magic happened: once a sale was marked as closed, the system automatically updated the status to match the outcome. Managers could then allocate trainers through a separate tab, making searching and workflows smooth as butter.
Results:
📉 30% Reduction in Manual Tasks – Adding authentication improved visibility for gyms and gave IT teams better control over data security.
⏳ 10-12 Hours of Admin Time Saved Per Week – Automating tasks and integrating customer data gave us better insights into user behaviour, cutting consultation submission time by more than half.
👥 30.5% Increase in Trainer Allocation Completion – Users can now find and select a trainer in just two clicks, eliminating endless scrolling through spreadsheets and complex formulas.
👀 2x More Visibility Across the Business – With everything connected through our services and CRM, tracking returning customers became seamless. Sales and support teams now have a clearer view of client histories, needs, and goals.
