Managing a business is no cake walk. Even more so for the arts, where organization can often take a backseat to the creativity required to keep the sector afloat. Paper systems, while handy, can easily become more of a hindrance than a help – lost documents and spreadsheets can result in confusion or panic, lost punch cards make it difficult to track hours or number of classes attended, etc. To reduce the whirlwinds of paper and streamline management processes (not to mention sustainability), many arts organizations are turning to management software for assistance, particularly movement-oriented organizations that have community fitness divisions.

Enter MindBody Online, a web-based management software designed to support the day-to-day operations of businesses within the fitness, beauty, and wellness sector. Now, you may see these descriptors and immediately start to wonder how such software could possibly apply to the arts, let alone your organization. However; answer me this: Does your organization have a community division that offers group fitness or wellness classes on an appointment-based schedule? If so, keep reading! If not, read on anyways – you might find this software has more to offer than you think.

MindBody Online is a digital management solution for businesses that operate through appointment-only schedules for certain programs and divisions or as a whole. By combining useful tools into a single platform, this software allows managers to access everything they need to run their business without bouncing between multiple programs. Available tools include:

-       Marketing: Dynamic pricing models, First-time registration discounts

-       Reports: Data analysis using the more than 100 built-in reports

-       Client Tools: Gather relevant information about the people who register and understand relationships

-       Staff Resources: MindBody Express, an app that provides managers and instructors the ability to check, alter, and approve information at their fingertips

-       Online Booking: Customers can register anytime, anywhere

-       Point of Sale: Easily manage transactions on-the-go or set up recurring payments

-       Automation: Keep track of class pass usage, auto-populate set information about staff or classes, and fill open spots instantly

To better understand how tools like these might benefit arts organizations, AMT Lab turned to Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s Dance and Fitness Program Manager, Kristy Boyle, where the software has been used since August of 2016. Currently, MindBody Online is being used to power PBT’s Community Division, a program offering dance and fitness classes on a drop-in basis to all ages and abilities in the surrounding community.  She generously walked me through their platform, as I was unable to get approval for a free demo from MindBody Online, not currently being part of a business myself.

What follows is a case study of the Community Division’s use of this management solution, in relation to the potential benefits/issues similar organizations or programs might see if they were to begin using MindBody Online.  

Why might an arts organization want to use MindBody Online? What could be a reason for switching from a current system to this one?

Prior to Ms. Boyle’s onboarding as the Dance and Fitness Program Manager, PBT’s Community Division had been using paper punch cards and spreadsheets to keep track of day-to-day activities. Their use of an outdated system, with class offerings skewed towards the more traditionally exclusive technique of ballet, limited their potential audience (Boyle, 2019). Tasked with growing the program both in number and class type offered, Ms. Boyle immediately switched her department from paper to digital. She chose MindBody Online, partly because of grapevine chatter and partly from previous experience using CSI, a management software for health and fitness clubs.

In the three years following the switch, PBT’s Community Division not only increased the number of ballet technique classes, but added group fitness classes in yoga, Pilates, Barre fitness, and conditioning alongside programs specifically designed for individuals with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Though the switch from paper to MindBody Online can’t be deemed responsible for PBT’s institutional growth (there’s a $21.2 million dollar capital campaign to thank for that), it could be argued that simply having a more streamlined system made growing much easier to navigate.

Why should arts managers care?

For arts managers, this case stands as an example of possibilities that can be achieved with a system that works for an institution, rather than against. Creative minds and visionaries can lack the ability to consider daily logistics required to bring a dream to life. With the help of available technology, creativity and logistics can come together in management harmony and, ideally, reduce stress levels within institutions and businesses of any size. Increased organization can mean more time spent on the vision, so using software such as MindBody Online appears to be a potential win-win situation.

What do these tools help Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s Dance and Fitness Program see or do?

Marketing:

The marketing feature is by far one of Boyle’s favorite tools, allowing her to set promotional features such as first-time discounts for people new to PBT’s Community Division (Boyle, 2019). As her department strives to grow, driving interest stems partly from offering attractive pricing, while still earning the company revenue. The ability to adjust class pricing throughout the year ensures the Community Division stays competitive in a saturated market where differentiation is key.

Reports:

From the perspective of an arts manager, the reports are one of the most crucial tools. Boyle can pull general sales reports, analyze retention rates, and track how customers hear about the program. What classes are currently the most popular? How might the holidays affect class numbers? Is word of mouth still the top contender in referrals? What about the software itself? (Fun fact: while word of mouth is consistently the Community Division’s number one referral, MindBody Online accounts for nearly 25% of new clients. (Boyle, 2019)) The answers to each of these questions can easily be found, creating data-supported metrics that her department can use to better uphold its mission and serve the community. In addition to helping her own division, Boyle can use these metrics to generate mailing lists for the marketing department. From there, general promotions can be sent out in hopes of converting a group fitness participant into an audience member.

Two of her most used reports looked at “first visit” customers and “big spenders.” With the first, Boyle is able to see how long it takes a first timer to return, on average. This helps her set up a monthly email list and determine the frequency of follow ups required for conversion. The second report highlights who attends the most, how much money they spend, how many times they’ve renewed class cards, etc. (Boyle, 2019). Having the ability to identify where the greatest interest and support for a program comes from may provide additional insights regarding who is and isn’t attracted – helpful when considering who is likely to refer your services or not.

Client Tools:

This feature of MindBody provides support for reports by aggregating customer-specific data into one easy-to-find location. Without them, the filters found within reports wouldn’t be nearly as effective in pulling together relevant data. Additionally, relationships between customers such as “Partner”, “Child”, and “Parent” can be drawn, making it easier to see how the program’s community forms and grows.

Staff Resources:

One of the reasons MindBody Online has become popular with businesses in the fitness and wellness industry stems from the ability to check information on-the-go. With the MindBody Business app, organizations and their employees can access schedules, basic reports, class rosters, and more. Staff have their own unique logins and management can adjust who can see and do what. For PBT’s Community Division, this means last minute or emergency modifications (if necessary) are a breeze and the occasional out of office check-in via mobile device is safe and secure.  It’s important to note that while helpful, not everything can be done from the app. Accessing the full platform via a desktop or laptop is necessary to run certain reports and make larger changes.

For individuals or small businesses, the MindBody One app may also be intriguing. Essentially a networking tool, this app allows subscribers to connect with other MindBody users, establishing a global business community that can be accessed at any time. Kristy Boyle doesn’t use this for PBT’s Community Division currently, but it could be of interest to others.

Online Booking:

Technology is steadily growing as a daily presence in our lives, so this MindBody tool is particularly important. From the customer standpoint, online booking is exactly like it sounds – purchasing a class from wherever you are. Stress-free registration increases the chance a customer will give your organization a try, not to mention possibly returning if they enjoy themselves! Take, for instance, the MINDBODY app. A platform where any MindBody supported class can be found, it puts thousands of classes at customers’ fingertips. The app may not be the easiest way to gain new customers, as the search function can be tricky to use at first; however, returning customers may be more likely to follow through a spur of the moment desire and purchase additional classes or services. This is true for PBT, where word-of-mouth or social media is more likely to be a customer’s initial point of contact, rather than an app. The MINDBODY mobile app shines, however, in its good retention rates due to a user-friendly interface, something Kristy Boyle found to be quite helpful (Boyle, 2019). While inclusion within the app is perhaps not immediately clear, an arts organization’s use of the app opens one more avenue for people to find and enjoy dance (or another artform that encourages health and wellness). 

From the arts manager’s view, arts organizations that focus on health and wellness can rest at ease knowing customers have multiple ways of discovering their programs. Outside of the app, online booking can occur through Google searches or your own website. With the latter, there are a few options to ensure the system is fitting the company’s needs. Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s Community Division landing page is designed with an external link. For other dance organizations--like Steps on Broadway in New York City--it’s better to have the schedule embedded into the page itself. Customization even extends to color scheme – if MindBody Online’s cheerful orange doesn’t suit you, colors can be altered to match your institution’s preferences (Nashville Ballet).

Point of Sale:

This particular tool is not heavily used by Kristy Boyle and PBT since the ability to run transactions away from the front desk is not a large need for an established brick and mortar that provides group fitness and wellness classes. It is perhaps best suited for boutique gyms and salons, where instructors and stylists may have the responsibility to charge clients. Dance instructors, or even musicians, who offer private lessons might be able to utilize this as small business owners, however.  

Automation:

A tool not talked about much, but significant to how MindBody operates, automation is the metaphorical grease preventing management gears from sticking. Handling minutia that could take up valuable employee time to sort out, the software can auto-fill open spots in classes from waitlists, notify regulars when their class cards are almost expired, and ensure recurring payments are processed. Though Ms. Boyle didn’t refer to this directly, it is reasonable to assume automation has been a beneficial tool overall.

How easy was the initial set-up for PBT? Was/is there enough support from the software company?

When the Community Division was undergoing the initial install of MindBody Online, the support from MindBody’s Customer Service was bar none. According to Kristy Boyle, a representative took the time to walk staff through everything PBT’s subscription package included, establishing a solid baseline of software know-how. Setting up the software appears to follow the same general steps no matter the organization type – it’s the package design and institutional purpose that leads to differentiation. Consider how PBT uses the software: many tools like Reports and Marketing are used daily, whereas others, like the ability to run payroll, is done through a separate in-house system (Boyle, 2019).

Once an organization is fully set-up; however, getting assistance appears to become a tricky endeavor. According to Boyle, real people are hard to get a hold of and subscribers are often referred to a user handbook for help. The latter, while annoying, can be helpful. On several occasions when help was needed, Boyle came across the answer when referred to the handbook, saving her from making an unnecessary phone call. As always, there are issues where handbooks fail, requiring human aid, but even this infallible resource can prove to be less than fruitful when trying to resolve problems unique to an arts organization. This is an issue that haunts arts organizations: Sometimes what arts managers think should be possible with a CRM database just doesn’t make sense to individuals outside the arts industries, leaving managers frustrated with systems like MindBody Online.

Looking towards the future, a recent acquisition by the investment company that now owns MindBody means businesses can now utilize Bowtie.ai (as of Fall 2019), a concierge-style chatbot, for some of their customer service needs. This is not currently relevant for PBT’s Community Division but could be interesting for other institutions to try and implement!

What are the potential costs?

Like any subscription model, prices for the software depend on the number of features an institution desires or can afford. Currently, MindBody Online offers three levels: Essential at $129/month, Accelerate at $239/month, and Ultimate at $349/month. Organizations interested in the software can speak with a salesperson to determine the best combination for their needs (Boyle, 2019). Note: PBT falls somewhere in the middle bracket.

A concern for non-profits revolves, of course, around the burden this monthly cost might place on an institution’s budget. While the most basic package still provides tools such as reports--though much smaller in number (35 rather than 90) --$129 dollars is a large chunk to put towards a single line item each month, particularly for small non-profits that may be starting out or small business owners and individual contractors. Institutions may be less likely to consider getting this software if potential costs vastly outweigh the potential benefits.

What are elements you would like to see going forward?

Overall, Kristy Boyle feels that MindBody is an extremely thorough system, providing her with many helpful tools. There is little redundancy, adding or modifying information is a breeze roughly 95% of the time, and she finds herself learning new about the software’s capabilities constantly. One thing she hopes to see in the future is the ability to view the exact number of students enrolled at any given time. Currently, the metric available with MindBody’s database design is all students that have ever been enrolled, resulting in a piecemeal process requiring at least two separate reports (Boyle, 2019).

A note: It is entirely possible that such a filter currently exists within the reporting feature. Kristy herself acknowledged that out of all the built-in reports she has access to, she uses a mere fraction of them. This is partly due to the overwhelming number that exist – going through each one of them takes time she doesn’t necessarily have. As a result, there may be helpful analytics she isn’t using, not through any fault of her own.

Conclusion

In general, MindBody Online appears to knock it out of the park in almost every aspect as an online platform that can handle both program management and online booking. If I was awarding stars, I’d give them a 4.4 out of 5. The genuine satisfaction of Kristy Boyle and PBT’s Community Division with the software, along with a sincere recommendation for other arts managers to consider it, is a huge plus. Every tool an institution might require for running a revenue-based program can be found at the touch of a button and in a central location. I refrain from giving the full five stars for a few reasons:

1.     As great as the software appears, the sheer amount of resources may be overwhelming at times. Considering the small staff sizes of non-profits, too many tools or features may become a hindrance where it was once a help.

2.     The salesperson I spoke to at MindBody Online seemed unaware that organizations like Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and Steps On Broadway, among many others, are currently using the software. While it is understandable that not every salesperson will have contact with every kind of company, I felt I had to explain why a dance-oriented company might be interested in the software. This could simply be a lack of exposure to programs like PBT’s Community Division,  something not uncommon to the arts world.  

3.     MindBody Online appears to be the only available software that does what it can. This is not necessarily negative – we like when technology performs as described – but it means there is little it can be compared with in terms of comprehensive management software for revenue-based arts programs that operate on appointment schedules.

Despite these minor misgivings, arts managers who may be looking for “revenue-producing” management solutions versus general management software should consider MindBody Online. In particular, dance organizations that are looking to streamline or expand programs like those found at PBT will find the software helpful. Other disciplines may also benefit, such as private music instruction or even musical theater as long as their business structures allow for day-of registration.

Resources

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Bauknecht, Sara. “As Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre approaches 50 years, it completes $21.2 million capital campaign to bring dance to the masses.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Last modified April 11, 2018. Accessed October 13, 2019. https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/theater-dance/2018/04/11/Pittsburgh-Ballet-Theatre-completes-campaign-to-raise-21-2-million/stories/201804110113.

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Nashville Ballet. “Community Classes Schedule.” Community Division. Accessed October 10, 2019. https://www.nashvilleballet.com/community-schedule.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. “Community Division.” PBT School. Accessed October 4, 2019. https://www.pbt.org/pbt-school/community-division/community-division-classes/.

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