Are you offering the services your members truly want? Where are your missed opportunities for higher revenue and retention? Ask your members!
Survey Your Members (and Former Members)
Send a member survey twice a year. Send your first survey a couple months before you engage in your annual planning for the following year, and then follow up with a mid-year check in. Ask about satisfaction with your current class offerings, personal training, schedule and staff. Seek opinions about possible future program offerings. If you expect to make new offerings available for additional fees, inquire about their willingness to pay for these services.
Surveying former members is invaluable. When a member quits, follow up with a brief satisfaction survey. Ask if they would recommend your club to others. This key knowledge helps you understand whether or not your facility stacks up. Taking the extra step to reach out to former members will help you win them back in the future, and gives you an opportunity to make things right if there are any complaints.
With a quick web search of fitness center surveys, you’ll find a multitude of examples and templates to formulate your questions. Keep it short; less than 10 questions. Free services like Survey Monkey help you design and distribute a survey, and analyze the results. To increase your response rates, enter respondents into a drawing for a free personal training session, massage, fitness class or other incentive for completing the survey. After awarding the prize, send the rest of the respondents a discount offer on services as a thank you for participating.
Create a Member Advisory Group
You know the members who make an impression. She makes comments about the accuracy of the scale, but she also goes out of her way to greet new patrons and make them feel comfortable. She signs up for all your nutrition workshops. He has a very consistent lifting routine every day at the same time. He sees himself as somewhat of a fitness buff and offers advice to others. He likes the gym atmosphere and has been a member for a long time.
These members take great pride in their facility. They feel honored when their opinions are valued. Choose about a dozen members from a variety of age groups and fitness goals and invite them to be part of a Member Advisory Group that meets quarterly to discuss the club. Offer a breakfast and have an open conversation about how you can improve their fitness center experience. Talk to them about what activities they enjoy, what equipment they use, their opinions of staff and what future offerings they’d be interested in. Share your preliminary thoughts on programs and classes you may add in the future. Ask about their fitness challenges, and think about solutions your club and staff may offer.
Encourage Member Feedback through Social Media
Take a look at your facility’s recent Facebook and Twitter posts; are they peppered with too many advertisements and not enough opportunity for member engagement? Seeking member feedback through social media will keep you consistently aware of member attitudes about your facility.
Write some of your posts in question form to start meaningful dialogue with members. Instead of posting “Try our new cycle class offered every Wednesday night,” rephrase the post to ask “How does everyone like our new Wednesday night cycle class? Would you recommend it?” You’ll spark responses that give you valuable feedback. When you do ask questions, monitor your social media sites often. If you do receive any less-than-stellar feedback, be sure to post a terrific customer service response as soon as possible.
Armed with specific member feedback, your team will be able to make educated decisions to enhance your program offerings and increase your revenue. You may discover that introductory personal training packages will increase personal training participation, or that your members are looking for a greater variety of group fitness classes. You may find gaps in your member onboarding process that can be improved with staff training. You could learn that your members want to buy their nutrition supplements from a fitness facility they trust. There’s immeasurable information you’ll gain from your members, if you take the time to ask.
Jessica Mustful is the Product Manager of Fitness On Demand. She can be contacted at 952.567.5894, or by e-mail at jmustful@fitnessondemand247.com.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
