From its origins as a racquet club in 1994, Universal Athletic Club (UAC) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has evolved into a 110,000‑square‑foot destination. It offers everything from small‑group training and aquatics to martial arts, spa services, youth programs, and family activities. That breadth is essential to the club’s mission: delivering high‑value, personalized wellness pathways for members of all ages.
The challenge: A patchwork of systems
For years, UAC’s staff juggled disconnected software solutions. Member data, billing, booking, and CRM each lived in its own silo, and the team spent countless hours managing clunky integrations.
As executive director Sheldon McBee describes it, their tech setup resembled a “Frankenstein’s monster.” Instead of focusing on the member experience, staff felt the burden of tedious manual work just to keep things running.
The solution: Zenoti’s unified platform
The turning point came at a health and fitness conference where UAC discovered Zenoti. Unlike other systems, the all-in-one platform is capable of handling a range of business needs including billing, booking, and CRM. For a facility as complex as UAC, this was a major win.
With Zenoti’s AI-driven tools, UAC saw the potential to automate repetitive tasks, deliver personalized communications, and understand member behaviors. The switch promised a better experience for everyone.
AI-powered member retention
“The biggest win is generating the ability to interact with our members, to refer other people through buddy passes and referrals, and to give people a clear intent to come back to the facility. This is possible because of certain behaviors and data that the AI is able to recognize and deliver the right communication at the right time. So, people are choosing services that feel relevant based on the data from their interactions in the club.
“Retention is our number one growth factor right now, and what Zenoti’s AI can do for us in this area is what we’re extremely excited about.”
– Sheldon McBee, Executive Director, Universal Athletic Club
The impact: Improved booking and happier staff
Club usage is a primary KPI, making scheduling tools a top priority for Sheldon. “We simply cannot have any friction at the point of booking an appointment or we risk losing a member,” he explained. He values Zenoti’s ability to “get a person from the point of interest to sitting in front of staff,” with AI agents poised to make that journey even more effortless.
Team members previously bogged down with administrative work are now more energized and able to focus on what matters most: building relationships with members. Automation handles the busywork, allowing employees to provide a more welcoming, personal touch.
AI at the heart of member retention
According to Sheldon, AI’s biggest win is its ability to drive member engagement and referrals by recognizing behavioral patterns and delivering timely, targeted communications. It can help members discover relevant services based on their interactions, giving them clear reasons to return.
As Sheldon puts it, “Retention is our number one growth factor right now, and what Zenoti’s AI can do for us is what we’re extremely excited about.”
