East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust (EDLC) has gone live with the all-in-one team management solution CoverMe, marking the platform’s first project in Scotland. The move is set to improve operational efficiency, reduce class cancellations and enhance the member experience across EDLC’s growing group exercise programme.
Delivering more than 315 group fitness classes per week across three sites and a satellite venue, EDLC needed a more automated and reliable way pf managing instructor cover as demand for group exercise continues to grow. Julie Forrest, Health & Fitness Adviser at EDL says:
“Group exercise is thriving and we continue to see strong demand across all genres, from older adults’ sessions to Les Mills programmes. But our manual systems were no longer fit for purpose and it felt like we were constantly firefighting, trying to manage instructor cover through spreadsheets, long email lists and multiple WhatsApp groups,”
The trust’s flagship Allander Leisure Centre highlights the scale of the challenge. The £42.5m facility has seen 50 per cent increase in centre usage since its launch in 2023. Its three exercise studios run at full capacity from 6.30am to 9pm. Group exercise is similarly popular across its sister sites Kirkintilloch Leisure Centre, the Leisuredrome and Huntershill Sports Hub. Julie Forrest continues:
“We particularly need more instructors for Les Mills BodyCombat™ and BodyPump™. Even with months of notice, finding cover for these classes can be difficult, meaning we’ve sometimes had to run virtual sessions or change the class type altogether,”
EDLC has not experienced high levels of class cancellations, but ensuring consistency is a priority, says Operations Manager, Fraser Makeham:
“It’s all about the customer experience. Even a small number of cancellations can disappoint members and we know that if people are disappointed, they may look elsewhere. CoverMe allows us to fill gaps much more quickly and reduce cancellations over time.”
CoverMe will also help EDLC to tap into a wider pool of instructors working across the region. Looking ahead, the trust can use the platform’s insights to identify gaps in instructor availability by site and class type, helping to build strong substitute benches, recruit for targeted roles and host instructor open and audition days when needed.
Compliance was another important consideration for the trust. Forrest says:
“Ensuring our self-employed instructors were appropriately qualified, insured and keeping their training up to date was extremely time-consuming. CoverMe now takes care of all of that for us,”
Instructor engagement with the platform has been high from the outset, with cover requests and responses being posted within seconds of the solution going live in January.
Makeham says:
“CoverMe gives us a far more efficient and controlled way of working across all sites. It reflects our commitment to embracing new technology that complements our operations and supports our group fitness instructors. The platform is already freeing up valuable time by significantly cutting down on emails, which allowing us to focus on other areas of the business.”
Lou Crossland, CoverMe’s Chief Commercial Officer, says:
“We’re thrilled to launch our first project in Scotland with East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust. We believe technology should make life easier for fitness professionals and operators alike, and with EDLC delivering over 300 group fitness classes per week, efficient management is critical. We look forward to helping even more operators across the UK streamline operations and maximise their potential.”
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