Blair McHaney, the president and CEO of MXM, sat down with Club Solutions Magazine Podcast host Rachel Chonko to discuss everything regarding member experience from creating memorable moments to intentional service.
Key strategies include empowering staff to foster positive memories, such as sending handwritten cards, making personal introductions and anticipating member needs. McHaney also stresses the importance of operationalizing these practices — focusing on root cause solutions rather than just symptoms — and measuring member experience systematically. He believes clubs should view themselves as hospitality businesses where every interaction matters and creating a sense of belonging is crucial to member retention.
Listen to the full discussion below.
Show Notes
- At 1:46 learn why McHaney believes pleasant surprises without any unpleasant surprises are the essence of great customer service at clubs.
- McHaney details how leaders can go about creating impact member experience moments for visitors into their daily operations at 4:17.
- At 6:10 hear how clubs can go about empowering employees so they can often surprise members pleasantly.
- Learn why helping staff slow down and think beyond just executing a task is important at 9:32.
- At 10:55 McHaney shares some of the biggest mistakes he sees clubs making in trying to provide consistent great customer service and how these pitfalls can be avoided.
- Hear what the important differences are between customer service and customer experience and why you should know the distinction at 12:49.
- At 15:27 McHaney shares other tips on how to handle negative situations with members and then how to turn them into positive memories that benefit your club.
- Learn why enhancing belonging is essential to the overall member experience at 17:24.
- At 20:43, Mchaney details his final takeaway on hospitality and the member experience, which he believes is essential for club leaders to understand.
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