Fit to Print . Holidays 2018 . Volume 27 Number 4
Several years ago, we read with interest about the rise of a new method of determining customer satisfaction called “Net Promoter Score,” or NPS for short. It consists of a single, simple survey question: How likely are you to recommend Fitness Incentive to someone you know. The responses range from zero to ten, with zero being ‘not likely at all,’ and ten being ‘extremely likely.’ Our NPS score is determined by adding up the supporters (those that score you a 9 or 10) and subtracting the detractors (those scoring you 0 through 6). A great score is typically in the mid-70’s – for example, Apple scores around 75.
It was pretty clear to us that NPS would be a great tool to help us stay ahead of issues and keep track of overall member satisfaction with our services. So we signed up with a company that specializes in NPS for the Fitness Industry, The Retention People (TRP) and started sending the NPS survey—which you have probably seen numerous times— in 2014.
Working with TRP provided us with benchmarking for the entire Fitness Industry, as they have over 800 gyms on three continents participating in their NPS surveying. From the very start, FI’s scores were exceptionally high—mid-80’s to low 90’s, where the fitness industry average was 49! As nice as seeing that score was, the best part of the NPS surveying for us was that it gave you a forum to tell us what you liked and didn’t like about our services. Knowledge of this sort is invaluable, as it gives us insight into what is and isn’t working and what needs our attention. If you know us, you know that we obsess over every response, particularly the negatives. We want to get it right all the time, impossible though that may be. NPS has helped us to get closer to that goal. In fact, if you look at just the 7’s, 8’s, 9’s and 10’s— the ‘likely’ to ‘extremely likely’ to recommend us segment of the responses—they would represent about 96% of all responses!
Ok, that all sounds great, but why am I telling you this? Well, this year, TRP instituted a Customer Engagement Academy (CEA) and determined to give awards to the top Fitness Facilities in their global database of the industry, based upon actual NPS scores. And guess what? Your friendly neighborhood gym, good ol‘ FI, won three big awards:
CEA Platinum Designation
The highest level obtainable. Only five gyms in the TRP world obtained this ranking!
CEA Best Private Independent Gym
Literally the highest scoring independent gym in the TRP universe.
Operator of the Year!
The highest NPS scoring of any gym of any type in the TRP universe!
Our NPS score of 90 over the past 12 months was the highest score obtained by any of the 800+ gyms that TRP compiles scores for!
We were blown away to learn this.
It’s worth noting one thing about this score – it’s about Customer Engagement. That means an ongoing conversation – a relationship that goes far beyond mere membership. What NPS means to us is that the love affair between Fitness Incentive and its members is stronger and deeper than any gym anywhere. Think about that. It’s truly amazing. It’s something we’re incredibly proud of and simultaneously humbled by. We can’t begin to express our gratitude for having so many wonderful people – members and staff alike – all together and working towards the same ends. It’s a privilege, an honor, and a blessing.
Speaking of Honors
The approaching Holidays mean it’s also time to cast your vote for Best of Long Island. Your support in the past has enabled Fitness Incentive, Eat Smart and Incentives Organic Spa & Salon to take home best of honors a total of 22 times(!) – an unmatched record. To keep it going, we’ll need your support again this year. You can vote once a day, every day through 12/15. We have nominations in four categories: Best Gym, Day Spa, Waxing Studio (Incentives) and Dietitian/Nutritionist (Rachel Ezelius). Vote on our mobile App (under Club Extras) or by visiting http://queenscourier.secondstreetapp.com/l/BEST-OF-LI-2019/
Thanks again for your support!
A Greener Green
We have been using “green” cleaning products for many years now, typically based on peroxide and citrus oils. They’re pretty much as effective as traditional cleaning products but much safer for you to encounter. But to say they’re about as good as traditional cleaners is damning them with faint praise. As it turns out, both traditional cleaners like bleach and ammonia, and their greener counterparts, are not particularly effective against germs. That’s because the germs, bacteria, and viruses they are meant to eliminate are protected by a biofilm. This biofilm layer is tough to penetrate, and regular cleaning products just can’t get through it. But there’s a new class on microbial cleaners that use probiotics – healthy bacteria – to degrade the biofilm and attack the germs where they hide. They are about 90% more effective at killing the bad bacteria than other cleaners. Moreover, they’re not just less harmful like the current crop of green cleaners; they’re actually good for you! They are in the same family of microbes that are essential for our own biome to be healthy and our immune system to function properly. They’re so safe you could spray them in your mouth. Literally.
So we’ve made the switch. Effective mid-November, FI is now cleaning with probiotic-based cleaners – exclusively. We started by cleaning all of the rugs. We followed that up by switching to probiotic based cleaners for all of our routine cleaning. And we’ve added a new regimen that uses a fogging gun to get the probiotics into every nook and cranny of the gym. The probiotic fog will be applied in off-hours, so you’ll never have to work out in it. Overall, we expect an even cleaner facility than we already have with dramatically less bacteria and viruses and without any harsh or offensive chemicals.
We’re also looking to offer some of the household versions of these revolutionary new cleaning products. Stay tuned!
The Gift That Always Fits…
It’s that time of year, so it is incumbent upon me to remind you that FI and Incentives Gift Cards are, well, you know it: the Gifts that Always Fit. You can get them online through our website, the FI Mobile App (Under the ‘Club Extras’ tab – ‘Instant Gift Card’) or at either facility. They’re fabulous last-minute stocking stuffers – you can get and print Instant Gift Cards right through Christmas morning if need be (but don’t wait that long!).
Annual Holiday Issue
As you may recall, Fit to Print switched over to an online publication in the Summer of 2017. While it was well received by many and offers a bunch of interactive features that we can’t give you through print, such as videos and hot links, many members told us they missed the print edition. So we have decided to bring it back as an annual Holiday edition – look for it in your mailbox! We’ll still publish 4 times a year online, so you can continue to enjoy FTP content year round. But once a year, we’ll bring it back to you in the print format that many of you prefer.
Happy Holidays from all of us at FI! Thank you for an amazing 34th year serving you!
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