How Club Experience Platforms Are Unlocking Doors Without Hardware Installs With Interoperable Readerless Mobile Access Software

Picture this…

A high-end members sports club has a customized branded app where members can book facilities and services, schedule fitness classes, and receive club event notifications. By integrating interoperable mobile credentialing software into that app and with the club’s existing  physical access control system (PACS), the member’s smartphone has now become a digital key that’s stored within the app.

Through their club experience app members are now able to access private areas, changing rooms, lounges, and any other secure club facilities, all with their mobile phone using NFC technology. No unsecure access keycards or fobs, no unauthorized membership sharing, no security breaches, just a digital frictionless experience.

This is the kind of digital-first flexibility and convenience clubs are demanding today. Now club member experience platforms are in a position to deliver mobile access interoperability via innovative mobile credential software solutions.

Disparate club system management is in the past

Many member clubs today are working with a combination of disparate management systems and applications to attempt to provide the ultimate digital member experience. However this experience is often disjointed and consists of a combination of systems and platforms including custom mobile apps, club management platforms and physical access control systems, resulting in a lot of manual data entry and admin work.

Clubs wanting to introduce mobile credentialing for their members and visitors to improve the access experience are generally recommended closed proprietary mobile access control systems, that do not have the ability to work with the other hardware systems and software platforms the club has previously invested in, and therefore require new reader hardware, their own app, and yet another backend and system to manage.

For those clubs that pride themselves on delivering a personalized, seamless experience, adding another layer of complexity defeats the purpose. Members don’t want to download multiple apps, and staff don’t want to manage access credentials, facility bookings and more across disconnected platforms.  

Tenant and member experience platforms with the help of software integration companies like Sentry Interactive, now have the ability to move these member clubs to interoperable mobile access where the digital keys are stored within the existing member experience platform and reader hardware upgrades are avoided as the software integrates seamlessly with the existing physical access control system. 

Interoperable mobile access software for club experience platforms

For many clubs, when it comes to accessing the building, locker rooms, or private studios,  they still rely on legacy proximity credentials like plastic cards or fobs that are managed on a separate system.

Integrating mobile credentials often means clubs must adopt closed proprietary systems that:

  • Require new access control reader hardware for NFC mobile access
  • Operate in a separate app or platform
  • Create new backend admin burdens for club managers, front desk and IT staff

This no longer has to be the case. An interoperable mobile credentialing solution allows clubs to bridge the gap and integrate mobile access directly into their member management platform, their member app and the existing physical access control system (PACS) that the club has installed. Sentry Interactive’s readerless mobile access software for example works within ForeTees club management software. This allows club management teams to manage members and their mobile credentials within the ForeTees platform. Members can use their mobile credentials via the mobile app, working alongside features including facility booking, event calendar, membership payments and other club operations. 

Leveraging software like Sentry Interactive’s SDK club management software providers can now offer their clubs readerless NFC or QR code mobile access as a value-added feature within their club experience app, through a simple and secure, cloud-based integration, that doesn’t require any access control system or reader hardware upgrades.

Key benefits of mobile credential interoperability for clubs

  • Branded experience: Members never leave your app. Mobile access is built into the same platform they use to book a class or order a smoothie.
  • No hardware rip and replace: Keep your existing readers and infrastructure. No expensive installs. No disruptions.
  • Centralized management: Credentials can be issued, revoked, and managed via your existing member management platform automatically.
  • Contactless entry: Use NFC or QR codes for contactless, secure door entry via smartphones.
  • Scalability: Bring more doors online without installing any new hardware. Can be rolled out in hours.

Conclusion

By partnering with interoperable mobile credentialing solutions like Sentry Interactive, club management software providers can now bring mobile access into their existing membership management platform to provide efficiency, convenience, personalization, and enhance member experience. Now clubs can work with their member management platform provider to implement mobile access and don’t need to think about needing to train staff on another system. The ability to have one ecosystem for club management, centralizing mobile access operations alongside member experience and operations has arrived. 

Get in touch to find out how we can add value to your club experience platform and provide the ultimate member experience to your club portfolio.

William Bainborough

Board of Directors

William is an experienced British entrepreneur, founder, and accomplished board executive and advisor for a number of businesses. He is the CEO and co-founder of Doordeck, the world’s only true cloud-based access control aggregator. He is also the managing director and founder of Group Secure, a leader in providing security, CCTV, and access control solutions, products, and installation for high-net-worth individuals in the UK. 

William established his first business at just seventeen and brings 20-plus years of in-depth experience and industry knowledge. He has a proven track record for building businesses from the ground up—and then leading them to profitability and a successful exit across a myriad of sectors including hospitality, retail, security, telecommunications, and e-commerce. William’s leadership, vision, and experience in creating cutting-edge SaaS-based technology platforms will prove invaluable for Sentry Interactive moving forward.

Denis Hébert

CHAIRMAN & CEO

Hébert began his career at Honeywell International where he held several leadership positions including Managing Director for the Automation and Controls business in France and eventually President of the NexWatch Corporation from 1999-2002. Hébert led HID Global as President & CEO over a transformative 12-year period from 2002-2015, where he provided strategic guidance and grew the business tenfold through a mix of strong organic and acquisitive growth. Most recently, Hébert was President of Feenics Corporation which is a cloud-based access control company that was successfully sold to ACRE LLC at the end of 2021. Hébert also served on the Board of Directors for the Security Industry Association (SIA) from 2009-2020 and was nominated to be Chairman of the Board for SIA from 2016-2018. He is currently Chairman of the Board for Nightingale Security based in Newark, CA.

Stephen Taylor Matthews

Board of Directors
Stephen is a very accomplished attorney, member of the Texas State Bar, licensed commercial real estate broker, and an avid philanthropist. He is an experienced executive board member, serving in leadership positions for more than 20 community councils and corporate boards—ranging from Boy Scouts of America to the ABBA Business Leaders Council, and most recently the American Bank BOD, the Real Estate Council of Austin, and the Marbridge Foundation BOT. With more than 35 years experience, Stephen and his firm, Barrond & Adler, L.L.P. are devoted to eminent domain cases in Texas.

Jon Davis

Board of Directors

Mr. Davis is an Experienced corporate board member, having served on boards of public, private equity-backed, and venture-backed companies. Jon possesses deep industry expertise in dairy, food processing, food technology and manufacturing, and food, beverage, and entertainment services. 

During Jon’s tenure of 25 plus years, he’s led operations, research and development, and mergers and acquisitions. He’s served as CEO and has been the founder and active board member for many successful enterprises—from startups to billion-dollar corporations. While COO and CEO of Davisco Foods International, Jon built a state-of-the-art cheese plant which was awarded the United States Dairy processing plant of the year in 2005 by Dairy Foods magazine. Currently, Jon is active with several non-dairy projects, including investments in local real estate, the Wayzata Brewworks, and his latest venture the new CōV restaurant in Edina’s Galleria.

Joe Caldwell

Founder and Chairman of the Board

Joe is an American entrepreneur, investor, and accomplished executive. He has co-founded, founded, and led many successful businesses, including US Internet, a leading fiber internet service provider, Securence, a leading provider of email filtering software, and Ravon, an industry-leading digital voice communications service. 

It was Joe’s venture, Municipal Parking Services (MPS), that inspired him in 2020 to start Sentry Interactive, an advanced touchless and staffless detection platform.

Caldwell currently serves as CEO and Chairman of the Board for Municipal Parking Services (MPS), a global tech company based in Austin, TX responsible for inventing and patenting technologies that assist in parking and security enforcement.

Joe was named one of Minnesota’s 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders for the past two years—and is a seasoned corporate board member. He’s served on boards of public, private equity-backed, and venture-backed companies—and has deep industry expertise in all aspects of digital technology.

Jason Bohrer

Board of Directors

Jason Bohrer is one of the visionaries behind our mission to bring people back together safely and securely, in any environment, through Sentry’s advanced digital communications and detection platform. With over two decades of senior leadership experience, Jason’s track record of success spans across sales, operations, product innovation, strategy, and technology for domestic and global companies like Bexar Technology Partners, CPI Card Group, HID Global, and Motorola, Inc. Prior to launching Sentry Interactive, Jason was actively involved with several key technology transitions across multiple industries, including the contact and contactless EMV transitions in the U.S. payments industry and the adoption of smart card and mobile technologies in the global access and identity market. Jason was an inaugural member of the University of Chicago Executive Institute and holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as the Executive Director for two industry-leading not-for-profit organizations: the Secure Technology Alliance and the U.S. Payments Forum.
Brent Terry

Brent Terry

Chief Operating Officer
Brent Terry leads the operations and solutions organizations at Sentry. This includes all product innovation, development, and operations management. A veteran in the technology space, Brent has more than 30 years of experience across a myriad of industries, like physical security technology and building automation, SAAS, hardware and software product development, internet, digital TV, interactive TV, digital media, telecommunications, and medical products and services. Prior to Sentry, Brent has spun up successful startups and led high-performing teams for some of the biggest global, Fortune 500 companies, including ARRIS, Conerco, Motive Communications, SeaChange International, and IBM. Brent holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Louisiana. He also is the committee Chairman and Program Director for a non-profit organization responsible for the rollout of smart cards for physicians and first responders.