Today, Apple released the latest version of their mobile and tablet operating system iOS 14. Whilst this wouldn’t typically be big news for the MSK, Classes or Wellness industries, the release of iOS14 contains some notable new features which bring customer wellbeing into the spotlight.

If 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of health in all walks of life. The use of mobile technology in clinics and studios will play a pivotal role in ensuring you reduce contact points as much as possible during client visits. Much like Google, Apple have invested heavily in industries and features that they see as being beneficial to the wellbeing of their customers. Speaking on customer wellness Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, said: ‘We’re excited to deliver meaningful new tools that support our customers and their health, fitness, and wellness,’.

At TM3, we have long advocated on the importance embracing digital fulfilment and technology for clinics and studios. Your clients spend vast amounts of time on their mobiles, browsing apps, communicating, and making payments. The release of iOS 14 today compliments this perfectly, so let’s take a look what this means for your business and how you can leverage the new features for success at your clinic or studio.

iOS 14 App Library

The most important feature for clinics and studios is a new feature called App Library which rolls out today in the iOS 14 release.

On the surface this will be a better way for users to organise their apps and will allow for categorisation without manual process. The key benefit of this is that Health & Fitness apps will now appear in one folder instead of individual apps being buried 3 pages deep on the home screen – never to be seen again.

If you are using TM3 Connect, now is the perfect time build your own branded web-app which will appear alongside your clients other Health & Fitness apps in this folder. This means each time they open the folder to input their MyFitnessPal data or their pedometer to monitor step count activity, they will see your clinic or studios online booking app. Whilst this is a small change, it will undoubtedly drive brand awareness which in turn should result in more bookings and better retention rates at your business.

iOS 14 Smart Suggestions

Alongside the release of the App Library feature, iOS 14 comes with a list view. This will make it easier for clients to search for your clinic or studios web-app when looking for it specifically.

In addition to this, iOS 14 also includes smart suggestions powered by Siri to suggest which app you may need based on time of day, location, and activity. For example, the list view may recommend that your clients open their Physiotherapy Appointments Booking App after they have been for a run or that they open your Pilates Studio App at 5pm on a Friday - a time they previously booked.

This is a great way to ensure your clients keep coming back and coupled with some retention marketing campaigns, you’ll be on to a winner.

Health App

Apple have made several improvements to their Health App in iOS 14 which include better features for managing and tracking wellbeing.

The changes are designed to promote wellness amongst iPhone and iPad users via the introduction of the new Health Checklist. Improvements to the Apple Watch also means iOS 14 will be able to track injuries and cramps during physical activity, resulting in more people going for sports injury treatments.

By bringing wellness to the forefront and giving users a better understanding of their wellness, it will promote the uptake of classes across society and drive bookings for MSK appointments.

To ensure your business is best placed for success with iOS 14 and to start building your own Connect web-app, get in touch with our sales team today.