Sir David Brailsford once said, and we quote,”Clear feedback is a cornerstone of improvement.” Yes, we believe in that as much as it is properly handled with maturity and use it for constructive measures of improvement.
“It takes humility to seek feedback; it takes wisdom to understand, analyze it, and appropriately act on it”. Says Steven Covey.
For any business to grow, it’s essential to understand customer sentiment and effectively manage their reviews. It’s even more critical for fitness businesses whose success is contingent on reputation and trustworthiness.
That’s why it should be a top goal for all fitness businesses to stay current with consumer feedback. Of course, some feedback can be destructive and dangerous for the reputation of the business entirely, not just the fitness business.
That is why all measures should be put in place in order to handle both positive and negative feedback thrown towards your business. The sincere question to ask now is, how do I handle positive and negative feedback on my fitness business to my advantage?
Join us as we lead you through because we have already given you the solution in this article.
Embracing Positive Feedback
A positive review is like a fuel that keeps a vehicle running, like horny food that keeps your body active. Here is how to handle positive feedback.
Express Gratitude
As a person running a fitness business, obviously, after your clients derive satisfaction from the services you render, they will want to make you aware of it. Or, probably, the quality of your services compelled them to leave a good review about it.
Although, getting positive feedback from your clients depends on the experience they get from you. The reason why all efforts should be made to meet your client’s needs. One way to go about this is to invest in technology like fitness appointment scheduling software. With this software, clients can book an appointment anytime, any day, and be rest assured that their needs will be met.
The best way to show your appreciation towards positive feedback is to express gratitude. You ought to express your gratitude for them taking the time to write a favorable evaluation of your company. By travelling on this lane, you will gain more of your client’s trust which they have in your fitness center by making them feel respected and valued.
Personalize Your Responses
Doing this can be tasking anyway, but if you want to make your customers feel appreciated, this is something you must do.
To go about personalization of response simply means replying to your client in a more direct way than just using an automated message. It gives them the impression that you are really interested and appreciative of their positive feedback.
A good way to go about it is by sending emails to each customer thanking them for their review instead of leaving a generic comment. You can tailor your email like this: “Hi [name], thank you so much for your kind words about our business. We really appreciate your enthusiasm and support; we will continue to deliver excellent service.”
Making them feel valued and special will eventually encourage more customers to recommend your business to their friends and families. Furthermore, you can also send them discount vouchers or something to make them feel appreciated.
Your target is to gain their heart and to maintain a good relationship with your patronizers, especially those who leave positive feedback about your business.
Leverage on the Review
As we quoted Sir David Brailsford in our opening section,” Clear feedback is a cornerstone of improvement.” Therefore, you should make use of the customer’s review to identify areas in your business that need improvement.
These improvements could be mostly about developing better customer service, product upgrades, discounts, or even opening up another branch closer to them. Doing so on a regular basis will definitely improve the quality of your fitness center and boost consumer trust.
Although this might not be applicable to all feedback, however, one thing is certain: these changes could significantly boost client satisfaction and loyalty.
Navigating Negative Feedback
“Negative feedback can make us bitter or better.” That’s according to Robin Sharma. Also, a popular, Elon Musk, has this to say about negative feedback: Actively seek out and listen carefully to negative feedback.
The following are methods to handle negative feedback on your fitness business.
Stay Calm and Professional
Even though it can be frustrating to be sincere, however, the best thing to do is to stay calm and professional when responding. Nothing can be more unprofessional than a defensive response to the customer’s complaint on your business.
Therefore, take time reading the feedback, understand what they are complaining about, and try not to respond hastily. It is paramount that you remain professional in order to save your reputation from getting stained by an angry response.
Remember that your competitors are on the lookout, so remain professional and find a way to address the customer’s complaint.
Respond Immediately
When you discover negative feedback on your fitness business, try as much as possible to respond as soon as you see it. The notion you are passing is you are attentive and takes customer’s complaints seriously.
You should also strive to respond immediately, as this may help prevent future damage due to unaddressed feedback. Responding quickly will also show that your business is reliable in handling customer feedback and proactive in resolving customer’s issues.
Furthermore, responding quickly will show the customer that your business cares about their opinion and satisfaction.
Learn and Improve
After the negative feedback, the best thing to do is learn and improve the aspect on which the feedback based on. Don’t rush to reply; take time to understand why the customer did not have a great experience and use this feedback to improve your fitness business henceforth.
Take note of this; do not let negative feedback only weigh you down. Keep in mind that negative feedback can inspire fresh concepts for expanding your company, better comprehending your clients, or even making them feel special.
Offer Solutions Privately
Another smart way to handle any negative feedback is to address the matter privately. Why we suggest this idea is to buy you time to handle the matter the way you like. It will give you enough time to defend yourself in a perfect way.
Also, you will have time to engage the person without tarnishing your fitness business image publicly. However, be smart and be extra careful with your discursion to prevent future outbursts.
Taking this route can help cultivate loyalty and trust with your customers, as they can see that you are willing to go out of your way to improve their experience.
Leave a Positive Last Impression
Try as much as possible to end your conversation with the customer on a positive note. Offer solutions, or simply thank them for bringing it to your attention, so you can improve the situation.
Customers will have a favorable impression of your brand as a result, and they’ll get the impression that you appreciate their feedback and are open to making changes. This will also create an impression of your brand being responsible and proactive in seeking feedback from customers.
Final Thoughts
To handle positive and negative feedback on your fitness business call for a lot of patience and tact. Be carefull when crafting your reply to the feedback, be sure to protect the image and reputation of your fitness business before the customers.
Always know that unpleasant feedback can actually be of great advantages to your business, so don’t be sad, mad or discourage when you get on. Learn from each situation and continue growing your business to great heights!
In all encounters with customers, remember to maintain professionalism, courtesy, and positivity. Making errors is acceptable; just be careful to accept responsibility for them and use constructive criticism to advance.
Last but not least, constantly keep in mind that building trusting relationships with your clients is your main objective. Communicate openly and honestly, and work hard to instill a sense of worth and appreciation in your clients. You may influence the fitness sector and succeed greatly by following these measures.
