What's the right way to re-open your gym after lockdown? You don't want to waste time over-thinking things...but you don't want any nasty opening day surprises either. What's a gym manager to do?
From our experiences working with dozens of gyms and fitness clubs across Europe, we've found you can't go far wrong if you just keep three simple things in mind:
Be prepared. Be creative. Be kind.
This is the so-called simple stuff - the obvious things to tick off. But they're also the easiest to make assumptions about that can come back to bite you in the glute.
Let’s consider three categories of preparation: equipment, safety, and communication.
Rather than assume your studio’s audio and visual set-up is working as normal ("It was fine when we turned it off!"), actually check it. Find out for sure. The same goes for your access control systems, digital signage, toilets, phone lines, etc. You get the idea - test every single thing a member might interact with.
For many returning members this will be their #1 concern. Some won't care, but for the ones who do it will be a big deal if you let them down. In addition to ensuring floor markings are in place to help social distancing, don't forget to also replenish hygiene consumables like hand sanitiser and disinfectant. You might not get any extra kudos for doing this part well, but members will talk about it if you don't.
Don't worry about over-communicating. Despite your gym being a familiar location for most members, changes might have been made since their last visit and many will be looking for reassurance that they're following the right processes. Use email to regularly communicate opening hours and class times, add signs around the venue to guide movement and explain hygiene processes. If you have it, you can also use digital signage to quickly address questions or concerns you notice coming up frequently.
Now this one will be different for everyone. Some will need to get creative with space, others may be considering new class formats or technologies. But the core principle is the same; don't be afraid to experiment.
Businesses of all kinds are adapting to difficult circumstances and unusual constraints at the moment, and customers understand they might not always get things right first time. Take advantage of this unusual abundance of goodwill.
Capacity has been halved for your most popular class? Maybe you have a squash court that could be repurposed as an overflow studio by adding a speaker system. Don't have a spare squash court lying around? Maybe a portable audio and head-mic system could turn your car park into a HiiT class zone.
Or perhaps you have the extra space but not enough instructors? Broadcast pre-recorded exercise classes through a projector in your vacant studio using a system like FitboxVirtual. Or if you want to support members who can't attend in person yet, upgrade your audio/visual setup to deliver a professional quality streaming experience.
Whatever your unique challenge might be, now is the perfect time to try something new.
With reduced class sizes, shorter class lengths, and extra processes to follow, there are more opportunities for stress and disappointment than ever before. To minimise these risks, keep kindness front and centre throughout your re-opening.
People will generally forget details, but they'll remember how you made them feel. You can prepare perfectly, have a brilliant booking experience, and deliver a dynamite class - but getting one personal interaction wrong can leave a bad feeling that overrides everything else.
It's often said that the "golden rule" is to treat other people how we would like to be treated ourselves. But isn’t it better to treat others how they would like to be treated?
As well as stressing the importance of considerate customer service to your team, help them understand that everyone who comes through your doors has different needs.
Even during the busiest times and shortest interactions, pause for a quick triage of what each particular person needs from you. Not just what information needs communicating, but how to personalise your delivery so it has the most positive impact.
A bad message delivered with kindness can still leave a good impression.
Enough talk for now. It's go time. Good luck as you go through the exciting step of welcoming back returning members.
Be prepared. Be creative. Be kind.
And if you run out of time for the first two, just be kind. We all know that's the most important one anyway.