For some time now, businesses have been focusing on a previously overlooked aspecto: customer experience. Ut may seem irrelevant to many, but it is one of the factors on which business success depends. Do you know what customer experience is at a crosstraining centre and how to develop it? We can explain!

What is customer experience applied to a crosstraining centre?

If we asked you about how the users of your centre feel, would you be able to answer us? Can you tell if they are satisfied with what you are offering them? Are you sure they would recommend it? They may go simply because it is close by or because the fee is low. If so, what do you think would happen if one day you had to increase the prices?

All of the above questions may have got you thinking, we hope. Basically, customer experience is the set of impressions that a user takes away when interacting with a business. Many aspects depend on this, such as their possible loyalty or the possibility that they will recommend you.

If we apply it to the sector that concerns us, customer experience in a gym is the memory that they take away from our centre. That is, the subjective ideas that emerge from any of the following:

    • First impressions: when you hear opinions, see pictures or go to the centre to check if it is a good option for enrolement. 
    • Decision phase: the moment when you seriously consider a membership, which is even more delicate if you have already consulted other gyms.
    • Contact with reality: this is created as you come to train in the studio and have a relationship with the staff. It continually depends on their mood.
    • Recommendation: the possibility of considering the centre as a good investment in the sporting and economic sense.

All of the above are part of customer experience in a cross-training box. However, knowing about it is not enough, it is also necessary to monitor it in order to develop strategies accordingly.

Customer experience journey at a box

A good tip for making progress in this area is to plan an itinerary by putting ourselves in the client’s shoes. To this effect, try answering the following questions:

    • What are your expectations of the centre in terms of machinery, fees and facilities?
    • What level of demands do you have beforehand? In this respect, a professional is not the same as a beginner.
    • What are your pain points (fears and concerns) regarding our gym?

The above issues need to be considered in a cross-sectional sense, as they cannot be limited to a single occasion. Responses can (and will) vary depending on the stage you are at, as we will see below.

1. Before signing up to the box

The most critical phase is when a user is thinking about joining a gym, because two factors coexist. On the one hand, the high level of competition, which makes it necessary to look for something that sets you apart from other options. On the other, the doubts you may have about whether to start a new routine, especially if you are a beginner.

That’s why, at this time, it is essential that you know what gym users value the most in order to use it to your advantage.

2. Arriving at the box

When an athlete first sets foot in your centre, all their preconceptions will be shattered. You can take this for better or worse, as the meaning will depend on the user. If you have set your expectations too high, you will be disappointed. If you have set them too low, you will hardly want to try them out.

3. When they decide to sign up

Once we have passed the previous stage and the user decides to pay, two things can happen. First of all, they may be interested in the offer and pay for it. Secondly, it is possible that the fees are too high or that the offer does not convince them. In both cases, the result will be definitive in customer experience at the cross-training box..

4. While enjoying the box

Fortunately for you, this part is the least dependent on how you have set up your box, although this is a factor too. In reality, the most important thing now is their personal goals:

    • Beginners are looking for a sort of “comfort zone” in which to grow physically.
    • Those who have already started their journey need to increase their confidence and improve their results.
    • Experts and professionals are interested in a centre that will enable them to further improve their level.

5. Recommendation phase

The three previous phases will have helped you to build customer loyalty. Only if you have done so can we move on to the next one. When a user is having a good experience, they are much more likely to provide a buzz through “word of mouth” and bring their friends along. Otherwise, they will end up following the recommendations of others.

Recommendations for improving customer experience

Our best advice is that you should plan a strategy designed around the customer experience of your gym. This may be the best differentiating factor you choose to overcome the competition. To do so, the following tips will help you: 

    • Decide on a customer profile and organise your gym around it (to the milimetre).
    • Get as much feedback as possible through suggestions or anonymous opinions.
    • Nurture your leads to find users who are looking for exactly what you offer.
    • Ask them about whether they would recommend your centre and the reasons why they would (or would not).
    • Make sure all your employees know the importance of customer experience.

In addition to all of the above, it is essential that you establish a continuous improvement model. Bear in mind that static gyms are not eye-catching, so it is essential that you give dynamism to the customer experience. To do this, periodically modify the complementary activities or give the facilities a new look.

As you have seen, the customer experience in a crosstraining box can be your best ally. The key is to think about the users in order to create a business model based on them. If you manage to adapt your centre, you will increase your chances of building loyalty and differentiating yourself in a highly competitive sector.