IMAGINE SPA MANAGEMENT

Those of you who have read my earlier blogs will know that I love stories and that I am constantly learning from other businesses and their best practices. Today I want to talk about our own business. We’ve always tried really hard to focus on customer service and have set out to create the “friendliest health clubs and day spas” recognising that as contract managers we can’t always control the quality of the facilities that we operate but that we do have complete influence over the staff and the service they deliver.

Over the last 20 years we have regularly tweaked and amended our customer service training and over the last few years have used some of the resources from Mark Sanborn’s excellent book called “The Fred Factor” which I would highly recommend to anyone who operates a customer service business. It’s simple and effective and tells the story of a postman in Colorado who took customer service to unprecedented levels.

The book fits neatly with our core values. Two of the four principles it is based upon; “everyone makes a difference” and “everything is built on relationships,” speak right into the heart of what we try to get our teams to focus on. Indeed for a while we ran a staff incentive scheme which we called “The Freddies” and which celebrated great customer service moments delivered by individual team members

Now, of course, we don’t always get things right every time but I just wanted to tell one recentstory when one of our team captured what outstanding customer service is about.

Becky is a one of the younger members of our fitness professional team at one of our East Anglian spa and health clubs. She has worked for us for just under a year and, in my opinion, is just a natural at making customers feel valued.

Last week whilst Becky was out shopping in the local town she bumped into a member she hadn’t seen in the Club for a while. They chatted and the member explained that she hadn’t been up to the Club as she felt awkward about working out. Becky explained that she was working a late shift the next day and invited the member to pop in to the Club and see Becky.

The lady duly arrived at the Club the next day and Becky chatted with her over a cup of coffee. From this conversation Becky realised that the lady lacked the confidence to work out on her own and so suggested that they both came back to the club the following evening, which was Becky’s night off, and work out together.

So the next night, we got a member back into exercising at our club and Becky gave up her night off to achieve this. I don’t know how for certain how much this lady values her club membership right now but I bet it’s as high as it’s ever been. And I know for certain just how much we value Becky as part of our team.

I love being able to share Becky’s story with you – it is a great example of outstanding customer service and we are so very proud of her.

Have you got a story to tell? Please do relay it to us by posting a comment below.