standards and masks are visible reminders to our members that our No . 1 priority is the safety of their workout . With those enhancements in place , it is possible to work on another important member factor : the guest interaction .
It is fair to say that some of our members are cautiously optimistic that life is getting back to normal and have not changed their routines very much . It is also fair to say that many others are still moving at a slower pace toward normalcy . Meeting the needs of both of those groups is difficult . The clubs have been experiencing higher than expected calls and inquiries on a variety of topics , including billing , annual fees , safety and mask usage . Open clubs are seeing member cancellations spiking after the draft or annual fee , which may be attributed to the time of year and the fact that the clubs were closed for months where no billing took place . It is also likely that the cancellations are coming from members not feeling ready to return and did not hear that the club was reopening . These are issues that are controllable and can create even more loyalty with our members if we can exceed
their expectations .
I know it sounds difficult to think of member inquiries as controllable , but it is a system where we can control the narrative . We all have the ability to empower the managers and staff to find the best customer service answer available for each member who is inquiring . If we move the focus away from apologies and explanations to empathy and partnership with the member , it is possible that we may lose the member for now , but we will cement with them a bond for return . Empowering the staff to waive fees or use a no-hassle freeze or cancellation of the account will demonstrate that we are worried more about the member than the money . This can be accomplished with training the staff , not on the idea of what the member means to the business but instead what the business means to the member .
We need to remind the staff that every fitness journey is different , and in 2020 , all those journeys were different . We can succeed . We will succeed by providing something that no other brand can deliver : control over your own fitness journey . G
If we move the focus away from apologies and explanations to empathy and partnership with the member , it is possible that we may lose the member for now , but we will cement with them a bond for return .
Brian Cassagio is director of operations for Planet Central Valley . He may be reached at brian @ pfcalifornia . com .
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GearedUp | 2020 Issue 3
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