Tens of millions of people here in the UK now have a membership for a gym or a leisure centre and it is fair to say that the fitness industry is booming. However, the increased demand for memberships has also resulted in an increase in the number of health clubs and similar facilities, so there is more competition than ever before for business owners.
Unlike other industries, the member journey in the health, fitness and wellbeing industry is vital to the success of a business and providing a positive member/customer experience is just as important as membership sales. Thankfully, if you’re trying to ensure that your leisure centre doesn’t get lost amongst the competition, a professional mystery shopping service can help to make sure that your member journey is exemplary. Below we have looked into some of the different ways a leisure centre mystery shopper can help.
Initial contact with your leisure centre
The very first interaction a potential member has with your leisure centre is arguably one of the most important and it is absolutely essential to ensure that you’re giving off the best possible first impression. Whether someone asks a question via your social media channels or over the phone, it is key to make a positive connection with them and persuade them to join your centre.
A mystery shopper will contact you in the same way any other member would and provide you with feedback regarding their initial experience with your business. This feedback can then help you to make the most of every interaction you have with potential members in the future.
Signing up for a membership
Many members will visit a leisure centre to carry out any required paperwork to become a member and this face-to-face interaction is incredibly important to start the relationship on the right foot. Ensuring that a new member is acknowledged and listened to and that they’re provided with a membership that suits their needs is essential to them signing up.
A mystery shopper will be able to explain to you first hand what went well with their face-to-face experience at your leisure centre and what needs improvement. You will then be able to ensure that you’re not losing out on any membership opportunities at this critical stage.
First time using the membership
Once a member has paid for the use of your leisure centre, they will be expecting it to deliver in every way that you previously promised. Their first experience after the membership sale has been made needs to be everything they hoped it would be and if it isn’t you run the risk of complaints being made and potentially even refunds being demanded.
A mystery shopper will use the membership at your leisure centre and behave like a normal member using all the features and benefits. The feedback that they provide about your centre, in general, will then give you a useful insight into what all other members experience.
Trying different aspects of the membership
Every experience that a member has at your leisure centre is just as important as their first and this is key to customer satisfaction. All of the services that you provide should be equally as good as one another too, preventing any areas of your business from letting you down and potentially damaging your long-term relationships with your members.
A mystery shopper will continue to use your leisure centre for a predefined period of time assessing each and every visit and feeding back on all aspects of the membership. This enables you to ensure that every member has a seamless continued experience at your centre.
Working with a leisure centre mystery shopper
All in all, there is no denying that a leisure centre mystery shopper can be invaluable to you and they really can help you to improve every single stage of your member journey. Even if you’ve never considered working with a mystery shopping company before, it is definitely worthwhile looking into the services that they offer in more detail and you can almost guarantee that they will have a positive impact on your member satisfaction.
To find out more about how a leisure centre mystery shopper can help, feel free to contact us here at Proinsight. We have worked with many of the major health and fitness operators here in the UK including Snap Fitness, David Lloyd and Link4Life, and we will gladly discuss relevant mystery shopping services with you in more detail. Whether you own a leisure centre, health club, gym, fitness club or health spa, we are the best company to turn to for mystery shoppers and we can help you to significantly improve your member journey.
