Partner Spotlight: Kisi x Gymdesk connecting people and fitness businesses

Gymdesk helps gym owners as an end-to-end gym management software that can handle the day-to-day of running your fitness business including payment processing, member management, attendance tracking, marketing automation, and more. As Gymdesk strives to build the best gym management solution in the world, integrating with Kisi for gym access control was a natural evolution for Gymdesk to achieving that mission.

It’s our pleasure to welcome Dick Polipnick from Gymdesk to Kisi’s Partner Spotlight Series. Many clients love the Kisi x Gymdesk integration and we can’t wait to hear more.

How did this fruitful relationship start?

Our goal at Gymdesk is to build the best gym management platform in the world. When our gym owners asked for a solution that could provide access to facilities for their members, Gymdesk partnering with Kisi was the obvious winning solution.

What does security mean to Gymdesk?

Security is what helps you sleep at night. It’s the warm blanket that comforts you and gives you confidence that you're safe. When you’re a fitness business owner, your business is your baby. Your yoga studio, martial arts school, and bodybuilding gym is one of the most important things to you. It’s your livelihood, your retirement, your passion. Just like you’d protect your family, you want to protect your business. Security for your business, like controlled access, is one of the tools you can use to protect both your facility and your equipment. Of course, your business isn’t just your gym. It’s the data, software, and systems you use to operate your business day-to-day which is why cybersecurity is also so important to us at Gymdesk.

How does Gymdesk support connecting people and spaces?

With our Kisi integration, gyms that use Gymdesk can use their device to seamlessly control access to their facilities. For example, if you want to build a business model that allows for 24/7 access for your gym members, you’re able to do that very quickly with Gymdesk.

What makes access control crucial to the gyms and fitness industry?

How much would it cost to hire someone to physically sit at your entrance 24/7 and check people’s membership cards? Or how risky would it be to leave the door unlocked instead? Access control is crucial for gyms and fitness businesses because it helps you scale more affordably and safely.

What is your experience with the Kisi integration so far?

Gymdesk users love the ability to add access control to their business. Not every fitness business needs it, but for those that want to build that business model, the Gymdesk x Kisi integration is crucial.

What benefits are your clients experiencing thanks to the Kisi x Gymdesk integration?

Gymdesk users are able to quickly install the required equipment in their facilities and seamlessly manage facility access to their members through the Gymdesk platform. If a member cancels their membership at your gym it’s as easy as clicking a button to remove their access to the gym. If you sign up new members, it’s also as easy as clicking a button to grant access to new members through their cell phones. No extra equipment or key FOBs required!

Any interesting use-case you’d like to share?

When most people think of access control in the fitness industry, they think of weight lifting gyms. We’ve seen use cases in membership clubs of all kinds: VIP areas for upgraded memberships, adult-only access to the lap pool, employee-only doors, tennis courts, golf simulators, and more!

How do you envision gym security and access control in the future?

As we become more connected, technology will become more device agnostic. Instead of strictly using cell phones- smart watches and even knowing your location is within a few feet of the door will be enough to allow access. We already have facial recognition in our offices and airports and I see similar technology becoming more affordable and accessible in the future, as all technology does over time, and it will eventually be safeguarding our homes, vehicles, and our gyms.

Can you give us a glimpse of any exciting plans or projects Gymdesk is working on?

We just launched our new mobile app feature! Now fitness businesses (yoga, pilates, fitness, martial arts, gymnastics, dance, clubs, etc.) can deploy custom apps with their logo, branding, and tools to the iOS App Store and Google Play Store with the few clicks of a button.

This was very insightful. Thanks, Dick Polipnick. Feel free to check out Gymdesk to learn more and read all about the Gymdesk x Kisi integration. Until next time!