It’s a pretty simple concept really; if you care for your customers then the benefits will be reaped by your Martial Arts business. A customer who feels valued and respected by a company is not only likely to keep spending their hard earned money with your business, but they’re also likely to recommend your services to their friends, enabling you to grow and expand.
If you have a club full of students who are happy with the services they are receiving then you’re in a great position to focus on what you love – teaching.
Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature that people are more inclined to focus on the bad service they receive than any good, all it takes is one disgruntled customer to really upset the apple cart and cause some problems. Social media explosion has played a critical role in how businesses respond to complaints these days, a complaint on Twitter or Facebook can be all over the place before you know it.
The thing is – there are so many simple ways in which you can avoid any discontent amongst your students and their parents starting right from the moment they enter the club for the very first time. Many people are nervous when starting a new pastime – especially something that entails physical activity, you can help this by making the sign up process as smooth as possible. Explain to them the Direct Debit process, and ensure that you make them aware of when and what they’re paying for. It’s amazing how often we receive calls from students who don’t know who we are yet we’ve taken some money from them! If you have a joining fee, or use us to collect any payments for equipment make them aware of it, perhaps a welcome pack is a good idea? The key here is to make the fact that they are paying for the training a by-product of the experience. Once it’s set up – it’s done, then they can focus on the good stuff – the training.
The first three months are critical; most people who pass this period are likely to be a long standing customer. This is where our products begin to come in to their own. Utilise the NEST ProAttend app and myMA. If you notice that people haven’t been for a session or two send them a “missed you in class” text or email using myMA’s communication tool. This shows them you care and costs nothing but a few minutes of your time. We do get calls from student’s parents in particular, who can be quite upset if they’ve not heard from the club when they haven’t attended for a while, it’s amazing what effect a text message can have. If you teach young children, interact with the parents to make sure you show them how much Martial Arts can benefit their children if they stick at it! A well organised and efficient club further demonstrates the value of Martial Arts training.
If a student wants to cancel, find out why – see if there’s a way you can encourage them to keep trying. It could be anything from lack of confidence to a particular session suiting them. You have to show them you care that they want to leave, without making them feel pressured to stay. However, if they are adamant that they want to leave help do this in an amicable fashion and without leaving a sour taste in the mouth. If you choose to operate a one month notice policy on cancellations, make sure your students are fully aware of it. Make it clear when they join that they will be required to give you one month’s notice should they wish to leave.
