The Ten Commandments of Great Member Service

By Melody Shuman

Great service is the lifeline of any Martial Arts school. You can market using the best promotions and deals in town to acquire new members, but unless those members keep coming back, your business will not be successful. The most successful Martial Arts schools are great at keeping members coming back month-after-month and year-after-year.

Providing great member service is all about bringing members back and about sending them away happy – happy enough to spread the word to other people that will in turn become long-term members.

People leave a Martial Arts school for four main reasons:
1. They move, which is beyond our control.
2. Because they were bored and/or lost interest, which we can sort of control but they need to be motivated too.
3. Because of a negative experience, which we can control.
4. Because they feel like they weren’t a valued customer, which is something that we can also control.

To limit the amount of people that leave your school, focus on reasons two, three, and four.

If you focus on fixing and limiting a negative experience, then your member base will increase. At the same time, if you focus on making every member feel important then your member base will increase even more. Most importantly, if you provide such a great service that keeps your members motivated, excited, and active then your member base will reflect your efforts.

If you truly want to increase your member base, all you have to do is ensure that your business habitually adheres to the following Ten Commandments:

Commandment #1: Greet everyone within 30 seconds.
Make it a habit of greeting everyone the minute they step into your studio. In my school, I try to open the door for as many students as possible. It really makes my students feel important. I have also noticed that my STORM team has followed in my foot steps and they are always opening the door for people. If I am on the training deck, my director of operations is sure to greet everyone as they pass by the front desk.

Commandment #2: If a customer makes a special request, do everything you can to say yes.
In no way do you need to break the rules for everyone, but at the same time you must be ready and willing to meet special requests if at all possible. I’ll book a private testing for a student with a good excuse. I’ll waive a fee if the parent really needs it. I’ll advance a student into an older program if he/she can demonstrate the necessary skills. You don’t have to stick to all of your policies just to prove a point. You can make exceptions to avoid unnecessary negative experiences.

Commandment #3: Getting your name out there isn’t just about attracting new members.
When your existing members see your school name out in the public, they feel a stronger sense of loyalty. For example, last week we were on two news stations because we had a special guest teaching at our school. Our members were so excited to come in and tell me that they saw our school on TV. My students also run in and tell me when they’ve seen me in my truck driving around town, or when they get a direct mailer in their mail box. Think about that the next time you plan your marketing campaign!

Commandment #4: Make every customer feel important and appreciated.
Answer your phone, return messages, and answer emails promptly. If you make a habit of ignoring phone calls and not returning messages, be it voice mail or email, then you are leaving the impression that they are not important. Don’t make the mistake of blowing off messages because “you’ll see them in class tonight.” This is a big mistake in great member service. The simple act of returning messages promptly will leave a HUGE impression with your members.

To limit the amount of messages that you need to return, forward your school phone to a cell phone. Also consider, if you haven’t already, upgrading your cell phone to a smart phone that allows you to check your emails as well. I use to hate waiting at the car wash or at my dentist office because I could be doing something more productive with my time. Now, I don’t mind waiting because I can check my emails and return messages while I wait.

Commandment #5: Be helpful – even if there is nothing in it for you.
I like doing favors for my members. If a student needs a little extra help, I’ll book a complimentary booster class to help them. If a parent wants me to pass out some flyers for their business, then I’ll do it. If someone asks me to come in to do a speech, even though it is far from my school, I’ll be delighted to do so. Two weeks ago, I gave a safety speech at one of my parent’s work place even though the business is downtown and too far to ideally generate any new members. The simple act of helping others when there is no financial gain is a great way to show your members that they are important and valued as a member.

Commandment #6: Network with your members.
I am all about networking! If a member tells me that he or she is in the market for a new house, I’ll refer them to another member from the school that is in real-estate. If a member is having an anniversary soon, I’ll refer them to my favorite restaurant. The idea is to create a big network of professionals that can help each other. I love hosting family days such as bowling days, school picnics, and boating days so I can get to know all of my members and learn what they do for a living.

Commandment #7: Identify and anticipate your member’s needs.
Your members are going to have needs and problems that they want you to solve. Most members’ needs are emotional rather than logical. Avoid acting irritated when a member asks you a question. Anticipate that your members will have questions and requests, and handle them in the most positive manner possible.

Commandment #8: Stay pro-active.
Recently we’ve had a bunch of younger students graduating into the older programs, and the older programs are a little late for some. To stay pro-active, we modified our summer schedule so that the older classes are a little earlier. All of our parents appreciated the modification. Staying pro-active with your schedule will accommodate a lot of members that would’ve had some challenges otherwise.

Commandment #9: Make sure you communicate effectively.
One of the biggest causes for members to become irritated or angry is due to a lack in communication. To avoid this type of situation, make sure that you have a good system for communicating with your members. For example, we cover our attendance policy, testing process, and upcoming calendar with each new member. This limits possible confusion down the road.

We also have a solid line of communication for everything in our school that includes weekly email reminders; newsletter hand outs; end of class announcements; sign-up sheets for special events; website postings; important event bulletins on our dry erase boards; and more! All of our members know where to look to be updated. If they don’t, we take the time to show them.

Commandment #10: Give more than expected.
We love the look on our member’s faces when we go above and beyond what they expect. Everything from having fresh fruit at the front desk to giving out free car magnets goes a long way with our members. It shows them that we don’t limit our service to what they pay for. This, in return, shows them that we value their membership.


Now that you understand what my ten member service commandments are, here are a few tips to help lead you in the right direction:

Tip #1: Hire the right people.
You cannot provide world-class customer service with run-of-the-mill employees. The right employee is one that can take charge and is a high-achiever. This type of person is best suited to make your members happy.

It can be hard to find the right employees, but when you do find them you will have the right formula for a successful business, so be patient! I am done with lazy and unmotivated employees. I’d rather pick up the slack until the right person comes around rather than try to train run-of-the-mill employees.

To find the right employees, ask the right questions during your interview process. Ask them how they’ve handled their worst customer service experience. Also, give them a scenario: Johnny was sick all last week and he is worried about testing on his form. What would you do? The obvious answer would be something to the effect of setting up a complimentary booster class to help him practice. You can tell by the employee’s attitude when they answer your questions if they have what it takes.

Tip #2: Make great member service a core value.
There is no way to write a policy manual that instructs employees on how to handle every possible situation in your school. You must demonstrate great member service yourself and always share with your employees stories of how you went above and beyond for your members. Inspiring your employees by example is the best way to instill a core value for great member service.

At the same time, you must give your employees the freedom to do what is necessary to service your members. Fear is something that limits employees for going above and beyond what is expected. For example, if one of your very loyal students accidentally leaves his uniform jacket at home and is afraid to take class with his regular clothes on, allow your staff to give the student a free t-shirt to wear during class.

Now, I am not saying that your employees should have the freedom to give away the farm, but at the same time they need to know that they do have the discretion to help a member when necessary. One more thing, make sure you don’t reprimand your employees if they make a bad decision. If your employee gives a student a free t-shirt because he left his uniform at home for the fifth time, then you need to back them up. Nine times out of ten your employees will make good decisions.

Tip #3: Pick the right members
We all have experienced the hardship of trying to satisfy the wrong type of member. Some members are too demanding and look for reasons to complain. This type of member reduces your ability to service other members that are easily satisfied.

I personally look for two traits when I pre-evaluate my members: first I look to see what their expectations are. Are they making complaints about other people right when they walk in the door? Are they asking a bunch of non-sense questions about your school just to show you they are in charge? If so, you may be setting yourself up for plenty of future headaches.

Secondly, they must be easy to work with. I swear by my pre-evaluation process because I am not immune to prospects that are obviously hard to train. Youth prospects that fall all over the place and obviously have not a care or concern for discipline or respect do not fit my member profile. Adult members that walk in with a page full of old injuries and excuses before they even step on your mat also do not fit my member profile.

Know what type of member you can service and then pick the right members. If you open your doors to everyone, then you will struggle to satisfy everyone. Spending too much time satisfying hard-to-handle members will only diminish the level of service you provide to other members. Keep that in mind the next time you come face-to-face with an overbearing prospect.

Conclusion
Great member service, also referred to as world-class service, is my number one priority at my Martial Arts school. I see my member’s everyday and I want to make sure that every encounter is a positive and/or productive one. In this period of economic hardship, you can establish great value for your business by habitually following the ideas in this report. When people are strapped for cash, they will cut the line to anything that does not have value. If you provide great member service that makes people feel better emotionally and socially, while at the same time provides value way beyond what they pay, then you will experience success regardless of what the economy is currently going through.