Keepme Study Uncovers Critical Weaknesses in Gym Call-Backs

When a potential member reaches out to a gym, they expect a fast, professional response. But what happens when operators fail to follow up effectively? How many high-intent leads are lost before a conversation even starts?

Our latest industry study reveals a stark reality - many fitness operators are falling short in their lead response strategies, leaving serious revenue on the table.

What We Found

The data paints a clear picture: operators who rely solely on human-led follow-ups are missing a massive opportunity.

Across all three markets, the data reveals alarmingly low adoption of structured call-back strategies:

• UK: 33% of operators we asked to call back, did not, while nearly half (48.28%) offer no means to request one at all

• Australia: 29% of operators failed to call back, and 30% make it impossible to do so. 

• North America: 39.53% of operators asked didn’t call us, and a huge 56.57% offered no call-back request option whatsoever.

What Does the Data Tell Us?

🔴 Call-Back Options Are Scarce – Across all regions, most gyms do not actively promote a call-back function, forcing prospects to manually request one or leaving no option at all.

⏳ Response Times Are Too Slow – Even when a call-back was requested, many operators failed to respond in a timely manner, missing the critical “golden window” when lead intent is highest.

📉 Follow-Up Strategies Lack Consistency – Many gyms never followed up at all, and when they did, most responses were generic and lacked clear next steps - leaving prospects disengaged and more likely to explore other options.

Hilary McGuckin, our Director of Marketing, explains:

These studies make one thing clear: Fitness operators are losing high-intent leads before they even have a chance to convert them. Keepme Antares eliminates this problem by ensuring every inquiry gets an instant, structured response, keeping prospects engaged before they lose interest.

Get the Report 👇👇

Want to see the full results and get our expert recommendations on how to close the gap in your sales funnel?

📊 Download the UK Study
📊 Download the Australia Study
📊 Download the North America Study

How We Conducted the Study

We evaluated leading multi-site fitness brands across:

📍 The UK – 29 brands, 1,720 locations
📍 Australia – 50 brands, 1,861 locations
📍 North America – 99 brands, 13,155 locations

We recorded the functionality offered on their website, and used whatever means were available to request a call-back during operating hours, to answer three key questions:

✅ Who offers a call-back option?
✅ How fast do they respond? (…if they respond at all)
✅ Are their follow-up strategies actually driving conversions, or letting leads go cold?

What This Means for Operators

If you don't have a call-back function, or your sales team isn’t calling back quickly, isn’t leaving voicemails, or isn’t following up properly, you’re losing leads before they even step through the door.

Our study confirms what we’ve long suspected: speed and structure in lead follow-ups directly impact conversions.

What You’ll Gain from the Study

Our report provides:

📊 Data-Backed Insights: Discover how fitness operators are handling call-back requests - including how many operators offer them, how fast they respond, and whether their follow-up strategies are optimised to convert leads.

📞 Actionable Strategies: Learn practical solutions for improving lead response times, structuring follow-ups, and ensuring no high-intent prospect slips through the cracks.

🚀 The Impact of Follow-Ups: See how response speed and consistency directly affect conversions - and why automation is the key to maximizing every opportunity.

🏆 A Competitive Advantage: Stay ahead of the competition by adopting lead management best practices that align with today’s consumer expectations.

Don’t Miss Out on the Opportunity

The findings in The State of Call-back Services in Fitness Sales serve as a wake-up call for the industry. Many gyms are losing potential members before the first conversation even happens - not because of a lack of interest, but because their follow-up processes aren’t built for speed and consistency.

This is a fixable problem. By implementing the right strategies and technology, operators can close the gap, engage leads faster, and significantly increase conversions.

📥 Download the report now to uncover the full data, expert insights, and actionable steps to optimize your lead response strategy.