The importance of timely member communications
It’s Monday, and you want to get the week started off on the right foot with a morning workout. You make the trek to the gym, knowing you only have time for a 30-minute session before heading out to work.
As usual, you reach for your gym pass to check-in when you are suddenly stopped by the front desk associate who informs you that your account is past due and, the card on file needs to be updated. Unfortunately, you’ve left your wallet in your car.
What does the member do? Either they leave and don’t come back or if you’re lucky, the member spends valuable time going back to their car and, returning to the front desk to update their information which ultimately ruins their workout while creating a horrible member experience.
Keeping members informed
This scenario happens all too often and is one of the top complaints members have when disputing balances. One reason this occurs is because members aren’t being informed that their information is expired and are still granted access to the facilities. When a member is finally stopped, they are now frustrated that their precious time is being utilized to update information instead of working out.
As our culture becomes more fast paced and mobile oriented, members are looking for streamlined access to their workouts with less hassle on their way in. So how do we fix this? How do we provide the best member experience with minimal distractions from the moment a member walk through the door?
With experience as a Front Desk Associate, Assistant General Manager and now Call Center Associate, I’ve realized the importance of the member experience through interacting with members directly on a daily basis. We as operators need to Anticipate the member’s needs, Create an easy simple solution to the member’s concerns, and Complete the process seamlessly, leaving the member feeling cared for.
Gym member software data
Now that collecting data is more convenient than ever and, given that technology allows us to communicate with members better than before, gyms need to be able to meet each of our member’s needs with ease. These communications include notification of past due balances, upcoming membership renewals or expirations, offers for membership renewal, and even letting members know of changed gym hours or class instructor substitutions.
Members don’t want to be surprised with walking into your facility. No one wants their workout plan derailed over something that could have been easily communicated beforehand. A member should be able to walk through your doors confidently knowing that they have zero account issues as they head into their workout. They should be able to check-in and continue forward without hearing the dreadful, uncomfortable, and sometimes embarrassing, “sir/ma’am” shout from the front desk.
Member Engagement Success
The key is success member experience engagement is good communications. Having this mindset allows front desk staff to focus on providing great customer service instead of having to be on the lookout for account issues like recovering lost revenue.
Now that data reporting is easily accessible, it’s everyone’s duty at health clubs or gyms to take advantage of member data to provide the best member experience possible. Remember: Anticipate your members needs both inside and outside of the gym through reporting; Create a simple engagement plan with automated communication; and, Complete the process when they arrive at your facility with amazing member experiences.
Juan Cruz, Call Center Associate, Motionsoft Full Service Support
