How wellness brands are modernizing the frontline experience
Fitness and wellness brands know how to obsess over experience — and rightfully so. Every spotless locker room, every friendly greeting at the front desk, every class that starts on time — these are the moments guests remember.
But consistently delivering those experiences depends on one thing: an engaged frontline.
From gyms and health clubs to spas and yoga studios, frontline teams keep wellness brands running. They’re the ones who open the doors before sunrise, clean equipment between classes, and handle everything from broken treadmills to frustrated members.
But while guest-facing technology continues to evolve, the systems and processes supporting the people running the show haven’t kept up. Too often, frontline teams rely on outdated communication methods, paper-based workflows, and tools that were never designed for how they work.
The result? Missed updates, patchy onboarding, low morale, and soaring turnover — with annual attrition now as high as 80% for personal trainers.
In this post, we’ll explore why mobile-first platforms like Beekeeper are a better fit for the unique dynamics of frontline teams in health and fitness — teams that are often part-time, multilingual, and always on the move. We’ll share real-world examples of how wellness brands use Beekeeper to strengthen operations, improve frontline retention, and create a better experience for staff and guests alike.
The wrong tools are weighing your team down
Whether you run a nationwide fitness chain or a single-location studio, your day-to-day success depends on the people working behind the scenes. Trainers, lifeguards, spa therapists, janitorial staff, smoothie baristas — they’re the ones keeping things clean, safe, on time, and on brand.
But most workplace tools weren’t built with them in mind. Email, intranets, and platforms like MS Teams and Slack are designed for desk jobs. They assume employees are logged into a computer and have time to sift through messages. But that’s not how frontline work gets done — and why only 23% of frontline workers say they have access to the technology they need to do their jobs well.
Frontline staff are constantly moving between classes, handling equipment, answering guest questions, and jumping in where needed. They need communication tools that fit into that reality.
Beekeeper’s Frontline Success Platform bridges that gap by replacing scattered tools with one mobile-first hub that puts communication, training, tasks, and recognition into one easy-to-use hub. When your frontline has the right tools, they’re not just more informed — they’re safer, more engaged, and better equipped to deliver the experience your guests expect.
Four ways to improve the frontline experience with Beekeeper
With Beekeeper, active lifestyle brands can connect their entire workforce, not just the ones behind a screen.
With a mobile-first platform designed specifically for deskless teams, Beekeeper helps wellness brands streamline communication, digitize operations, and empower frontline teams with the information they need — all in one place. That means no more missed updates, paper forms, or trying to manage your business through breakroom bulletin boards and group texts.
Here are four ways health and wellness companies are using Beekeeper to engage frontline teams and simplify daily operations:
1. Improve new hire onboarding
No one wants their first day to feel like a scavenger hunt — especially not at a fitness club, where energy and first impressions matter. But too often, new hires are handed a stack of paper forms, vague expectations, and little support beyond the first shift.
Defined Fitness took a different approach. With Beekeeper, they reimagined onboarding as a seamless, mobile-first experience that starts the moment a new hire walks through the door — and keeps them connected well beyond week one.
New hires benefit from having Beekeeper as their one-stop shop for everything they need to do their jobs. They can access resources, ask questions, and get real-time support without having to chase anyone down.
From automated welcome messages to instant access to training materials, Beekeeper helps Defined Fitness onboard staff quickly and confidently — without printing forms, playing phone tag, or relying on outdated SOPs. And because Beekeeper integrates with their existing IT systems, there’s no need to update systems or re-enter information manually — it all syncs automatically.
Since implementing Beekeeper, Defined Fitness has reported a 50% increase in employee engagement, a 15% improvement in retention, and a $75,000 ROI — all tied to stronger communication and a better frontline experience.
With Beekeeper, it’s one click and done. No more paper forms, phone calls, or chasing people down across clubs. It’s just easier for me, for our team, and for leadership to get on board.”
Joe Crespin
Director of Human Resources, Defined Fitness
2. Deliver training that sticks
Training can’t happen only on day one, and it definitely shouldn’t be locked in a binder or buried in an LMS no one uses. From closing procedures to cleaning protocols and CPR standards, frontline teams need quick, reliable access to training in the flow of work.
Beekeeper makes that possible. With mobile-friendly delivery, digital task assignments, and simple integrations with learning platforms like eduMe and LearnUpon, Beekeeper brings training to the frontline — right on their phones.
“We do all of our safety training in Beekeeper,” explains Nicole Peterson, Director of Training at Pinehurst Resort. “I can send information and videos, and then do a knowledge check, and then send those answers to their managers so they know training was completed.”
Training tasks can be automatically assigned, tracked, and verified, with built-in quizzes to reinforce retention. A centralized training library keeps content organized and accessible, while real-time notifications ensure time-sensitive updates are never missed.
For frontline teams, it means less time digging for information. For your business, it means fewer mistakes, higher guest satisfaction, and lower attrition.
3. Keep teams informed and connected
Only 31% of U.S. workers report being engaged at work, and for deskless employees, communication is one of the biggest barriers to engagement.
Beekeeper solves this by giving frontline teams a real-time, two-way communication channel. Whether it’s a shift change, facility update, or last-minute class cancellation, staff can access and respond to updates instantly — in their preferred language and on their personal devices. With inline translations available in over 200 languages and mobile alerts that reach staff wherever they are, no one is left out of the loop.
“Our biggest discovery was that with Beekeeper, you could do more with less in terms of efficiency,” explains Jeff David, President of Fitler Club. “You can consolidate a lot of information and use this as a hub, so your employees can be a ‘jack of all trades’ instead of delegating a task to the next person.”
From shift scheduling and CEO updates to safety alerts and SOPs, Beekeeper instantly gets the right message to the right people and gives every employee a voice. Built-in engagement analytics also help businesses see what’s landing, who’s tuning in, and where to improve, so communication keeps getting better.
4. Scale operations without losing culture
As fitness brands grow, one challenge rises to the top: maintaining consistency without diluting what makes each location special. Whether you’re expanding from five clubs to fifty or operating a multi-site franchise model, scaling operations while preserving team culture and supporting local autonomy is easier said than done.
“We operate almost like a franchise, with each club having its own rhythm, personality, and local team,” says Laura Kennedy, Director of Team Member Communications at Life Time. “But we still need consistent messaging, operational standards, and alignment across the board. Beekeeper lets us do both: scale the essentials, but also tailor content at the local level. It’s the first time we’ve had a platform flexible enough to meet both needs.”
Beekeeper helped Life Time unify communications across 160+ locations and 40,000+ frontline employees, replacing MS Teams and other fragmented tools with one mobile hub. That flexibility has allowed the brand to keep local culture alive while raising the bar on consistency, speed, and service.
And with Beekeeper’s built-in recognition features, it’s easy to reinforce your culture as you scale. Peer-to-peer shoutouts, team wins, and kudos from leadership can all be shared in real time, turning everyday moments into team-building opportunities.
Rethink the guest experience from the inside out
Improving the frontline experience isn’t just a people initiative — it’s a performance strategy. In customer-facing, fast-moving environments like gyms, clubs, and wellness centers, everything runs smoother when staff members are connected, informed, and set up for success.
That’s why brands like Life Time and Defined Fitness are modernizing the frontline employee experience with Beekeeper. They’re closing communication gaps, cutting down on manual processes, and giving teams the clarity they need to perform at their best.
When your frontline is supported with tools built for how they actually work, performance improves — and so does every member interaction that depends on it.
Strong frontline teams run on Beekeeper
Learn how Beekeeper helps active lifestyle brands build stronger frontline teams — and deliver a better experience for everyone.
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