2019 Outlook: Retention Opportunities in Member Experience

As you reflect back to all of the hard work you and your team put into 2018, think about what a small increase in retention would mean for you. Here are a few opportunities to look at to improve your member experience.

Create Engagement:

It is important to provide a consistent experience for members. If you have changes in schedules, hours or services, make sure you communicate to members in advance. Miscommunication causes confusion and headaches for members. Show them you care about their experience by providing them with consistent communication on any changes around the club throughout the year.

Make sure you use the double Rs — reward and recognize — concerning members’ efforts. Do you have a system or program that allows members to earn and receive appreciation? Programs like Perkville or other rewards systems streamline the process and allow members to choose rewards for using the club. Recognize and reward positive behaviors.

Give a voice to your members. Do you have a survey system set up for 2019 for members to share feedback on the club? Medallia or similar programs ensure your survey system is automated. A yearly survey platform is no longer necessary, and programs like Medallia provide you with daily feedback you can act on.

Speaking of getting daily feedback, your staff members are a great source. Looking for new questions for your staff review, or want to play a game at your next staff meeting? Try asking your team: What is something we are doing that adds value to our members? Make the list of items they think benefit the member experience. What could we do to add more value? Then ask them: What are we doing that does not add value to our member experience? How do we eliminate low-value obstacles, including policies, rules or systems that get in the way?

I hope these tools highlight opportunities you can use to improve your members’ experience and lead to creating value for your members. Have a great 2019.

Andrew Barranco is the regional operations and aquatics manager for Merritt Clubs.