Creating a necessary tool for their franchise growth!

Sapphire Gymnastics are an incredibly popular gymnastics school, established since 1976. Based in Hemel Hempstead the business provides gymnastics for all different ages and levels. Offering pre-school, recreational, and elite classes allowing for children to develop their gymnastics skills as they grow ensuring that if they stick with it, they can become world class gymnasts. The fun doesn’t stop there though; Sapphire Gymnastics even offer adult classes for those who are looking for a new hobby or who wish to continue their career as a gymnast.

why wirebox?

Wirebox were tasked with helping Sapphire Gymnastics escape their excel hell and develop a database which would allow their company to franchise out and grow.

This database would need to be almost self-explanatory so little to no training would be needed to view and manage the information held within it so staff can pick it up and use it straight away.

The biggest requirement of the database was to guarantee that it would be scalable with the growth of the company and their franchise; this will ensure that it stays a valuable asset for years to come.

Wirebox specifically designed the database to accommodate changing needs and future business growth.

our approach_

Gathering our developers and utilising their technical knowledge and expertise we decided that the database would be built in Laravel; a framework for PHP development.

From the get go we knew the database would need to be simple for new users. To ensure we got this right; we worked closely with Sapphire Gymnastics who communicated their vision so we could make it a reality.

Following on from the final product being super user friendly Wirebox created two user types: “Super-Admin” who can manage all information on the database; and “Branch-Admin” who can manage all information in their branch portal so the whole database and branches can be managed from single points.

Part of the development of the database required it to have certain sections for the staff to organise the data they held; this included: Classes, Staff, Members & Waiting lists to name a few. Having these sections also allowed the admin users to create a flow of data within the database by moving member data to different classes/lists.

Another part of the development was to include the ability to view reports based on what data is being held.

There was also a requirement for the ability to email and text the classes/groups/members from within the database to decrease time spent on notifying members on updates or changes. We also decided it would be best to include templates of the emails or texts to increase the efficiency of this system.

Once the database functionality and design was complete we needed to develop the new online forms for Sapphire Gymnastics website which will enter the data (provided by parents) directly into the database. These forms also needed to fit in with the current design of their website and needed to send email notifications to admin users once submitted.

Once we had tested the online forms and the entry of data into the database it was time for the fun to begin! We had the task of transferring all existing data from the spreadsheet they were using and place it into the new database. We managed this by exporting the spreadsheet as a .csv file and uploaded it. Data transfers are always tense but we managed it without a hitch.

the project included:

• Clear analysis & documentation of Sapphire Gymnastics business processes with user journeys to ensure that the system could be used with little to no training.
• Utilisation of Laravel – The PHP framework in order to develop the bespoke platform for scalability & adaptability
• QA analysis by our in-house testing team against the project documentation to ensure the platform performed as expected.
• Numerous stakeholder meetings & a brief training session on the platform

outcomes_

Once the database went live and began to be used, Sapphire Gymnastics were starting to really see the benefit of their new tool. They have managed to cut down massively on the amount of hours spent on administration and data entry. Nearly 48 hours a month! That’s 12 hours a week!

Whilst also reporting a 76% increase in efficiency for managing data showing just how easy the new system is to use. They now have the ability to use it as a marketing tool and show off their database to prospective franchisees.

Not only did we manage to increase the efficiency of Sapphire Gymnastics and really take them to a whole new level, we increased the security of their system massively through helping them move from using Excel.

Wirebox are now continuing to support Sapphire Gymnastics through hosting their database and are looking forward to any future work they may have for us.

our approach delivered:

• A new scalable platform to assist Sapphire Gymnastics in running their business with automation (users can apply for a place in a lesson via online forms).
• A brand new tool for the Gymnastics community to use as a CRM. There are a number of Gymnast schools around Europe that have already adopted the system.
• The new tool now assists Sapphire Gymnastics with their franchise growth and acts as a great way to add value to potential franchisees.
• 12 hours per week saved on basic administration tasks, and a 76% increase in efficiency.