Written by Fitness Industry Expert Tina Carroll of Carroll Consultants.
We all know that members now have high expectations as COVID-19 restrictions are loosened and the world begins to open back up. And as an MXMetrics customer, you see the feedback your members are providing. This feedback is SO much more than just the Net Promoter Score (NPS). While NPS is important, you can leverage your member feedback and the scores to take action and drive referrals and retention. I like to focus on these 4 metrics:
Cleanliness
There is no indicator more important right now to members. While it would be easy to relax your cleaning standards as members return and usage increases, remember that members still have cleanliness on their minds and they are still nervous about possible exposures. I recently was disappointed in the lack of cleanliness at 2 different restaurant rest rooms this past weekend. They had clearly relaxed their standards. The floor, sinks, toilets and trash needed attention and it left me wondering what else was relaxed in their disinfection processes. Cleanliness is something you and your team can easily control. This metric and score should always be a 9 or 10.
- Is everyone trained properly to clean equipment, locker rooms and all surfaces? Do they know your cleaning schedule? If it’s not already part of your new hire on-boarding, it should be! Everyone cleans and we do it throughout the day!
- Do you have one-page visuals or easily accessed videos available for reference or for new team members? One time training is no longer enough to drive skill proficiency. People forget 87% of what they learn after one exposure. Repeated communication and easily accessible resources can help drive home your standards and procedures. Focus on training your standards every day with every team member. We can never be too clean.
- It’s absolutely OK, and even beneficial, for members to SEE you clean. Members are going to notice when they see your staff making a continuous effort to clean facilities throughout the day. Wipe and disinfect equipment, re-rack weights, pick up trash and refill cleaning supplies. All that can be done with a smile and hello to your members working out!
Friendliness
Of course you are hiring friendly people, right? There is NO EXCUSE for friendliness scores in any department to be below a 9. Train your team to provide simple service benchmarks for friendliness that work - a friendly hello, a great experience while in the club, and a friendly farewell. These are the basics that every member expects and deserves!
- Make sure you include service minded people skills in your interview process. It’s easy to teach someone how to use your software, it’s nearly impossible to teach someone to be friendly if that’s not already part of their personality.
- Keep in mind that applicants may be nervous about returning to work with the public. Assure applicants about your cleanliness and safety protocols while reminding them that you are seeking service minded team members who can create positive interactions with members and guests.
- Be clear in your team expectations for culture and service – In this Pandemic Recovery environment, be clear that everyone cleans and everyone sells. There are no exceptions.
- Set the ultimate example for your team so they SEE your service culture in action. YOU should be delivering service that members rate a 10 every time.
- Use your survey data to fully understand what friendly service means. Members often mention the impact of their trainer, instructor, housekeeper, desk or kids club attendant. Make these sentiments public to your team to encourage MORE positive behavior. Post your friendliness scores by department and ignite some healthy competition. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how competitive your team is to get the high score each week.
Equipment Condition
Yes, it matters. Members seek clean and fully functioning equipment, including the headphone jack holes and your Wi-Fi connection.
- Train your team on how to clean ALL pieces of equipment, up, down, foot pedals and under. Again, cleanliness is TOP of Mind so let’s crush it.
- Communicate repair times clearly for any extended down time. Be honest with members. Let them know when to expect a repair or equipment to return to service. In the absence of truth, what your members will make up will be so much worse!
- Survey data, especially text analytics, can help you select the right equipment or renovate spaces for your members. Are your members asking for more treadmills, group fitness space, small group training, parking? Use the data to help make immediate and future decisions for expenditures.
Overall Experience
My favorite metric. Do your members feel part of your community? Do they appreciate your culture and service? Do they like you? Do they trust you? Hopefully yes, so this score should closely mirror your NPS. All of these things together make up your member experience. Members have a choice where to work out and you want them to continue to choose YOU. Basic service wasn’t enough before and it’s not enough now. Members and guests are seeking that place where they feel welcome, valued, safe and at home.
Focusing on these 4 indicators will have a DIRECT impact on your NPS score. Putting the member at the center of the experience is always a winning idea. Pay attention to these details and you will yield big results in retention and referrals.
