As a health club manager, your customers are your lifeblood. Their satisfaction and happiness are essential to your success. At the same time, you also have an obligation to provide a great experience for everyone who works at your facility. If you don't take good care of them, then it's unlikely that they can take good care of members or prospective members.
In this article we'll explore some strategies that can help you manage both the customer and employee sides of things so that everyone walks away happy—and wanting to return again soon!
As a health club manager, your customers are your lifeblood.
As a health club manager, your customers are your lifeblood. They are the reason for all that you do and will do in the future. They're the reason why you get paid, have a job, and even show up at work every day! Without loyal members who pay their dues month after month or year after year, there would be no business for us to manage; so it makes sense that we should place customer service as our top priority when running any type of fitness center or gymnasium.
As an owner-operator of several different fitness centers over the years myself (and having worked with many others), I've noticed some common themes among strong leaders who know how important it is to treat each member like family -- rather than just another dollar sign on paper:
Showcase your employees' skills and expertise.
If you're a health club manager, it's important that you showcase your employees' skills and expertise. You can do this by making sure that every member has access to their favorite staff members at all times. This means giving them clear communication channels so they can reach out when they need something or want feedback on their performance.
It's also important that the staff is treated with respect and appreciation by management, who needs to make sure they are comfortable expressing themselves with no fear of being reprimanded or punished for doing so. The last thing anyone wants when working in an environment like this is feeling like they have no voice--and if any employee feels that way then chances are good others will too!
Be visible and accessible to members.
Be visible and accessible to members.
- Be available to answer questions.
- Make sure your staff is accessible. As the leader of your health club, you need to make sure that everyone in the organization knows what their role is, who they report to, and how they can be reached when needed. This includes not just employees but also contractors and vendors who work on behalf of your facility as well as members themselves (more on this in a bit). It's also important for people within your organization--from receptionists all the way up through management--to be able to easily communicate with one another so that there aren't any communication breakdowns that could lead to poor customer service or even inaccuracies in member information being processed correctly by staff members at various points throughout their interaction with us as clients/customers/members/guests etcetera...
Offer personalized services that go beyond the basics.
Personalized services are a great way to encourage repeat business. When you offer personalized services, your customers feel valued and cared for. They will be more likely to return because they have a positive experience each time they visit your facility.
One way that many health clubs have started offering personalized services is by training their staff in the latest techniques and equipment so that members can get the most out of their workouts and feel confident using the machines or equipment at their gym.
Another way to provide personalized service is by making sure that each member feels comfortable with his or her personal trainer or instructor (if applicable). If a member has been coming to you for a while but hasn't been working as hard as they could be because they don't know how much weight should be added when lifting weights, then make sure that this problem gets solved right away!
Make sure your staff is happy and engaged.
A happy staff is a good thing, but an engaged staff is better. Happy employees can be content to coast through their shifts and do only what's necessary to get by. On the other hand, engaged employees take ownership of their work and strive to exceed your expectations as well as their own. They're more likely to stay with you longer than those who are simply happy in their jobs--and they'll also help your business thrive!
Here are some strategies for getting more out of your staff:
- Encourage them to share ideas about how things could be done differently or better (and listen carefully when they do).
- Make sure everyone has clear goals at the start of each shift so you know if they've met them by the end of it (or offering bonuses for reaching goals).
The best health club managers are motivated by helping others reach their goals.
Health club managers are in a position of influence. They have the power to help people reach their goals, and that's what motivates them.
The best health club managers are motivated by helping others reach their goals, not by money or prestige. While these things are important, they pale in comparison to seeing someone succeed at something they've struggled with for years--or even decades!
Being a health club manager can be stressful; it's easy to lose sight of why you started working at the gym in the first place: because you care about your clients' well-being. But having a support network will help keep you grounded when things get tough (which they likely will).
Conclusion
If you want to be a successful health club manager, it's important to put your members first. You need to make sure they're getting the best possible service at all times and that they feel valued by you and your staff. This will help build loyalty among customers while also strengthening their bond with the gym as a whole--which will lead them back again and again!
