![]() Being Homeless is not always a persons first choice. Having a safe place where you can feel confident and secure to take care of yourself and your daily needs is something that we who are not homeless take for granted. Many cities are providing great facilities to help with the growing homeless population. Giving them a safety place that is secure and health takes thought and design elements that we typically take for granted. The idea of providing these communities comes with its challenges but the ultimate outcome success for all.
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Now is the time to take a step back, take a look at your facility and make sure you are providing your membership the very experience you promised them. ![]() “Good morning everybody! Rise and shine….……currently it is 80 degrees outside, and we are set to break an all-time high today. Stay indoors where it’s cool and enjoy the day. “ Its 5:00 am and there is a line of members waiting at the door to begin their morning work outs. Is your facility ready for these conditions? Many operators already have in place “best practices” and “standard operating procedures”, but to no fault of their own, these practices and routine items get lost in the shuffle because of budget concerns, staff turnover or any of the many other items that come with operating a multi-million dollar business. Maintaining your buildings systems becomes a low priority. Your facility has many moving parts that make sure your members experience is the very best it can be. Members don’t see the mechanical units on the roof, the pumps that operate your pools or the laundry equipment that are responsible for assuring they can enjoy their visit. As soon as these items fail they become disenchanted and upset. Your members will be the first to voice to you (and your social media accounts) how poor your property is and what a miserable experience they had. Planning ahead for issues that affect membership experience requires budgeting, minor planning and consistent follow through. Doing so will prevent a social network overload, full of membership complaints, leading to attrition and revenue loss. Dust off your standard operating procedures manuals, walk your facility and make sure you have everything in operational order. We are proceeding into quarter two, so now is the perfect time to focus on retention and not attrition. Over the next couple of weeks NNL-Architecture will provide 5 simple areas that require minimal time to review and can help you avoid a poor experience for your membership. While there are many areas in your facility that require your attention, we will focus on some of the more common areas with high exposure to your membership base. The areas we will be focusing on are:
Base Building Systems :: This is your first line of defense between retention and attrition. Your base building systems are the equipment that is used daily to maintain your interior environment. Examples are your heating and cooling systems, plumbing, water heaters and storage tanks. Making sure you have a routine maintenance program in place, whether managed in house or outsourced, for these systems will help you stay on top of all items in your facility. If you are leasing your facility, most likely by the terms of your lease, you are responsible for the maintenance and operation of the base building systems. You may be obligated to follow a routine maintenance program on all equipment. If you own your facility, best practices call for maintenance of these assets. It is understood that budgets may be tight and maintenance is one of the first areas to be cut when looking at your bottom line. Providing a check list to your general manager and their maintenance staff and requiring a mandatory “start of shift” full building walkthrough, will help avoid any surprises and help maintain budget. For better or worse, your members are your first line of defense. They interact with the facility with a different set of eyes. They notice things that inevitably are taken for granted by the daily staff. While we should be seeing issues ahead of any member comments, having a process where members can convey a concern or issue with floor staff or front desk staff can help assure items are addressed before they become problems. Some of the key base systems that should be reviewed are:
Program Area Equipment :: Injuries experienced on the cardio and fitness / strength floors can be tracked to three key items; members not being trained on the use of the equipment, lack of supervision or faulty equipment. Training and supervision is always high on an operators list of priorities to provide a safe environment. Equally, important is assuring the equipment is safe and operational. Your staff should be trained on the decommissioning of equipment. Having highly trained staff or a third-party maintenance team on contract to perform routine maintenance checks on all fitness, cardio and strength equipment is a crucial risk item. Equipment should be inspected daily. If the equipment is found to have any type of damage or is inoperable that equipment unit should be placed out of order and removed from member use immediately. Assuring all equipment is operable and safe will insure your members will have a memorable experience. Implementing a safety walkthrough will reduce high risk issues and will help save costs in the long run. Locker rooms :: Being one of the highest used spaces in your facility, the locker room also comes with its own list of issues. Poor air quality, water temperature issues at your showers, lack of towels… the list goes on. Avoiding issues in the locker room starts with supervision. Having a locker room attendant will help avoid many issues from escalating. Like housekeeping, this team member is one of your key staff. They interact with members daily and are in many case the first sounding board for an upset member. Ensuring that staff have a clear understanding of the expectations for the locker room operation and an even clearer understanding of processes and procedures for addressing issues in the locker room will help provide an exceptional experience for membership.
Adhering to standards of operations and by implementing a routine walk through with a detailed check list will increase members satisfaction and enhance their experience at your facility. In the next weeks article, we will discuss reviewing your Ancillary Equipment and your Housekeeping teams. Both these areas, like your base building, program area equipment and locker rooms, are equally important to your memberships experience and your success. As operators, your goal is to make a profit. If membership experience is poor, attrition issues and loss in profit will occur. Providing that next best treadmill, that next best cross fit program or the next best spa amenity is only as strong as supporting the facility that houses them. Planning ahead will help you stay ahead of facility issues and will help elevate membership experiences, in turn helping retention. NNL-Architecture can help you prepare and implement these best practices within your organization. Contact us with any questions you may have or for any help you may need. We look forward to talking with you. Please contact NNL-Architecture for a free downloadable facility check list that you and your staff can use to perform a full walk of your facility. This list addresses all the areas in this article and will help you keep an eye on areas that often get over looked and will help you stay on top of areas that need a little help. Contact us as info@nnlarch.com. ![]() Spring is just around the corner. Soon the club will be a buzz with March Madness and Spring break resolutions. This in one of your busiest quarters with high membership usage. This high usage makes it hard to provide a clean and healthy facility for members. Now is the time to take a step back and look at creating a plan for a spring clean, making sure to retain the new members, as well as keeping your dedicated high use membership. A club’s cleanliness is a vital part of its operation…..its social and financial success. For members, the perception of a clean and healthy facility is a matter of staying or leaving. Industry studies conducted by IHRSA show that operators spend between 1.5% and 4.0% of total revenues on housekeeping. Further studies indicate a correlation between this spend and the increase of revenue and maintained member retention. Insuring that every interaction the membership base has with the facility is a positive one should be your goal. From the parking lot to the locker rooms, having a healthy and clean club will maintain retention and increase revenue. Preparing now will allow you to continue to offer the highest level of brand service to your membership. Here are a few thoughts and ideas to help you get ahead of the curve and continue your growth into the remainder of the year. Housekeeping – The unsung heros of the health club :: Within this team lies your key to success. Giving them the tools to perform their jobs, walking with them daily and holding them accountable provides a level of respect, dedication and success. Have the lead housekeeper walk and inspect the club daily, inside and out. Walk with them. Make sure they have a clear understanding of your expectations. Provide them with a check list that clearly spells out the daily, weekly, quarterly and annual cleaning expectations. Time for a refresh :: During the high usage of the new year’s resolution months (January, February, March and now more often into April) the facility is exposed to a lot of wear and tear. Now is the time to refresh all surfaces making them new again. Performing a manufacturer recommended deep clean on ceramic tile, rubber and wood flooring, as well as carpets, will bring back their crisp/ fresh appearance. Members interact with these surfaces daily. Assuring they are clean and healthy will have member’s thanking you. Take this one step further; time to declutter. Remove expired marketing campaign flyers and posters. Reorganize high interaction areas like reception / check in, concierge, retail, trainer’s desks or any point of contact or sale area. For a minimal expense, with high return, repaint high use walls. Address key areas in the common corridors, restrooms, locker rooms, studios, cafes and kids club. Take a moment and go out side :: A member’s first impression is your storefront and parking lot.
Kids area :: Don’t forget your child-aged members. Make sure that you perform a safety walk of their area. Remove all broken and unsafe toys and furniture. Perform a deep clean on all toys and furniture. This is a high exposure area for parents and new members. Make sure you keep this area clean, healthy and safe. Other upgrades :: Still feeling in the groove and want some ideas for inexpensive updates? Here are a few items to consider.
Performing a spring clean now is a key to member retention, increased revenue and an increased member experience. Members of a health club who see their club to be healthy and clean are more likely to visit the club more often. An empowered member that communicates with you will open up lines of conversation that will prove to be positive for the membership and the brand’s offering. |
Eduardo D. Lucero, aiaAs principal and owner of ArchivesCategories
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