Why is Customer Engagement So Important?
Educational Resources
Blog
Check out the CEA blog to discover our tips for delivering exceptional member experiences which create raving fans of your business. A quick and easy read, these snappy little posts are bursting with great ideas to implement in your club!
Research
Industry-leading research into the relationship between member behaviour, characteristics and club experience and loyalty for you to learn from and apply in your club. Available to download completely free of charge!
New CEA Research Report!
How Do The Activities Members Usually Take Part In and How Often They Attend Affect Loyalty?
Discover Which Activities Members Usually Take Part In When They Visit Their Clubs, How This Affects Loyalty (as measured by Net Promoter Score®) and What You Can Do To Increase the Number of Loyal Promoters in Your Club.
Download Dr Melvyn Hillsdon’s Latest Research for the Customer Engagement Academy FREE Now!
Daniel Haywood
Role on the Board: Chairman
About Daniel
Daniel has over 15 years’ experience working in a variety of roles for local councils and leisure trusts – most notably his 12 years at GLL where his last role saw him develop the business model around the Swim School brand to make it one of the largest in the world. In 2015, Daniel made the move from operator to supplier when he took over the running of TRP’s sister company, leading sports course management software providers, CAP2, as General Manager. Daniel’s background in coaching, degree in Sports and Exercise Science, as well as senior experience within large leisure operations has helped him grow CAP2 on many levels. Now Managing Director for both TRP and CAP2, Daniel is looking forward to utilising the research produced by the CEA to support the industry in getting more people more active more often through the delivery of exceptional club experiences. Daniel loves engaging with his teams and is starting to speak externally about this and the associated best practice. Daniel is married with two children who both love taking part in as many different sports as they can.
Daniel’s Greatest Customer Experience
“I love drinking coffee, maybe too much at times! One example of fantastic customer service was at a small independent coffee shop in the back streets of Hoxton, East London. Not only was the coffee amazing, how the barista kept the queue in check was brilliant and the way she managed me during the transaction was fantastic – making me feel like the only customer in a very busy cafe and brewing my coffee exactly how I like it. The small talk during the transaction moved to my favourite song of all time, which I didn’t think much of. However, as I sat down in the individual booth to drink my coffee, the speakers started playing the song I’d just mentioned – this made me smile and complimented the already amazing service. The barista made me feel very special and added the personal touch that made me leave wanting to return again. That’s fantastic customer service.”
Dr Melvyn Hillsdon
Organisation: N/A
Role on the Board: Honorary President
About Melvyn
Melvyn started his fitness industry career as an instructor at the Hogarth Health Club in 1986. Following a period as fitness director for LivingWell, in 1992 he moved to the NHS where he spent 3 years developing a specialist exercise facility for clinical populations. In 1995 he stepped into academia and was awarded a Ph.D. in exercise interventions in 2000. He is now an Associate Professor of Exercise and Health Behaviour at the University of Exeter.
In 2000, Melvyn approached the FIA and challenged them to establish a standard measure for membership retention and a benchmark figure for the industry. The results of the subsequent research were published in 2001 in a series of six reports entitled Winning the Retention Battle.
Melvyn’s research into retention and attrition has led to the development of appropriate measures which provide data for operators that can directly inform business decisions. The research has been presented at numerous conferences in the UK and abroad including the IHRSA annual conferences in the US and Europe. Multiple club operators and industry bodies have benefitted from Melvyn’s expertise in identifying the determinants of retention.
In 2013, in partnership with TRP, Melvyn started the TRP 10,000™ study. TRP 10,000™ is the biggest and most comprehensive survey of member behaviour and retention ever carried out in the health and fitness industry. 10,000 health and fitness members completed a baseline survey of their exercise habits and membership behaviour between July and September 2013. During regular intervals over subsequent years, they have been followed up and the results of the research have been released in a series of features in Health Club Management and via the TRP website. Melvyn continues to work closely with TRP to this day in their production of research released through the Customer Engagement Academy.
Elaine Jobson
Organisation: Jetts
Role on the Board: Honorary Vice-President
About Elaine
A senior figure with a vast amount of experience gained across the global health and fitness industry, Elaine has spent the past 20+ years in executive roles in Asia, Europe, South Africa and now Australia; where she is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jetts. Having led Virgin Active to the honour of Deloitte ‘Best Company to Work For in South Africa’ during her time with the organisation, Elaine is a passionate advocate of company culture as a source of competitive advantage. Outside of her day-to-day role at Jetts, Elaine is a keen blogger (you can read her blog at culturehacker.com.au) and accomplished educational speaker.
Elaine’s Greatest Customer Experience
“A few years ago I was lucky enough to spend New Year in Ritz Carlton London and then visited Ritz Carlton Naples in Florida a few months later. On approaching the check-in desk in Naples Ritz Carlton the receptionist smiled politely, welcomed me back and informed me that they had stocked my bar with extra gin and tonics as these were noted to be my favorite drink. It was then I learnt that great service has a lot to do with great systems. As polite and friendly as the receptionist was she was being informed by her software system as to my preferences. Any great service business needs technology, it can’t be delivered consistently by humans alone.”
Chris Stevenson
Organisation: Stevenson Fitness
Role on the Board: Honorary Vice-President
About Chris
Chris Stevenson is the owner and founder of Stevenson Fitness, a full-service health club in Oak Park, California. The club’s success is based on providing an unparalleled member experience, underpinned by effective staffing, systematic operations, and world-class leadership. This success is reflected in the club’s Net Promoter Score® (NPS®), which is consistently in the 80’s – well above the industry average which sits in the late 30’s. Chris is an international speaker who regularly presents at IHRSA, Club Industry, IDEA and many other fitness and business events. From health and wellness to business strategies, Chris presents viable, applicable lectures that resonate with every audience.
Chris’ Greatest Customer Experience
“I love Southwest Airlines. Their customer experience is generally excellent in all aspects. One particular flight, however, was off the charts. As we were waiting on a layover my son asked me if he could look into the cockpit. I said sure and he walked to the front. All of a sudden over the loudspeaker I hear “would Chris Stevenson please report to the flight deck?” It was my son. Not only did they show him how the plane worked, let him sit in the seat and play with the controls, they let him use the loudspeaker too.”
Stuart Martin
Organisation: Active Nation
Role on the Board: Honorary Vice President
About Stuart
Stuart Martin is the Managing Director of Active Nation – a charity with 16 venues across Southampton, Chorley, South Derbyshire, Runcorn and Lincoln. Stuart’s career in the fitness industry started in 1992 when he was a personal trainer at The Haven Hotel and Health Spa in Poole. He has since worked in a range of regional and group management roles for operators including Everyone Active (SLM) before joining Active Nation and becoming their Managing Director in 2015. Active Nation passionately position themselves as a charity rather than a leisure trust, with supporters rather than members; and have a clear mission (to persuade the nation to be active) and supporting brand values which they live and breathe. In 2018, Stuart was a finalist in the Outstanding Leader of the Year category in the ukactive Awards.
John Penny
Organisation: Third Space
Role on the Board: Honorary Vice President
About John
John Penny is the Managing Director of Third Space – a high-end, premium group of health and fitness clubs in central London. A Sports Science graduate who went on to study an MBA in Organizational Leadership, John describes himself as a leisure, spa, hospitality and fitness enthusiast with a passion for business development. Clearly seen within his excellent clubs, John believes in continuous improvement, and has meticulous high standards for quality and attention to detail.
Peter Howson
Organisation: Oldham Active
Role on the Board: Honorary Vice President
About Peter
With over twenty years’ experience in the leisure industry, Peter has worked within of all aspects of public and private health club and leisure environments. Since 1995, he has taken up positions at a senior level at large trusts such as Sheffield International Venues (SIV) and Barnsley Premier Leisure (BPL), and more recently in the private sector providing operational management support to companies such as Virgin Active and McDonald Hotels. Peter brings an enviable knowledge of all aspects of the leisure industry whilst maintaining a real-world practical approach to his work. Peter’s current role as Head of CRM for Oldham Community Leisure sees him lead dedicated, often considered cutting edge, sales, marketing, IT and customer service teams for the Trust.
Peter’s Greatest Customer Experience
“Taking your car to the garage can be a hassle, and is often the most mundane thing to do of a morning! However, after a recent car change along with car manufacturer I was surprised how enjoyable it could be. This particular morning I had booked my car into the garage for a regular service and a minor fault – nothing strange there – but, when I arrived at the garage car park my journey began. To be greeted at the gate by a suited member of staff who welcomed me by my name and confirmed what I was there to do without me even saying a word… he then directed me to a free parking space and took me to the reception. I thought ‘very clever, nice touch’. But it didn’t stop there. When approaching the reception door another member of staff was there to open the door for me, again greeting me by name – I thought ‘have I left my name badge on!?’ Nope! I was taken to a free desk where the first thing I was asked was whether I would like a coffee. Not, who am I? What am I here for? He knew everything and even diagnosed my fault! My key was taken and I was all booked in before I could finish the first sip of coffee (which was a quality brand as well). I have driven a lot of cars in my career and seen a lot of garages and this is the first time I walked out thinking ‘I really enjoyed that experience’. A great example of technology being used by great staff to create a very personal, relevant and enjoyable experience even in a garage! The car was fine in case you’re wondering 🙂”
Tom Galvin
Organisation: Barnsley Premier Leisure
Role on the Board: Honorary Vice President
About Tom
A seasoned professional within the leisure trust sector, Tom has spent the last 12 years in various management positions at organisations across the length and breadth of England and is currently Head of Fitness and Regional Manager at Barnsley Premier Leisure (BPL). With a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies, Tom prides himself on his commercial awareness and is passionate about team empowerment and growing an organisation’s strengths through development of human resources from within. Tom is a real advocate of the power of consistent, regular customer interaction; something which is reflected in BPL’s Net Promoter Score® of 65 – well above the industry average which sits in the late 30s.
Ken Brown
Organisation: Fitness Incentive
Role on the Board: Honorary Vice President
About Ken
Ken comes from a background of application development. He and his wife, Corinne, founded Long Island, New York based Fitness Incentive in 1984, the dawn of the age of personal computers, and were early adopters of PC technology, implementing a home-grown membership management system in 1985. Since that time, Fitness Incentive has stayed on the leading edge of technology to support a club model that puts communication with the customer at the core of everything it does. The club’s motto “More than a membership…a relationship” neatly encapsulates their approach. Fitness Incentive is also notable for advocating continual investment in its facilities to ensure that the member enjoys the most advanced equipment and class programming, along with exceptional maintenance and cleanliness. As a result, Fitness Incentive routinely achieves a Net Promoter Score® in the high 80’s and has been voted the ‘Best of Long Island’ an unprecedented 22 times.
Julie Ashley-Jones
Organisation: Pembrokeshire County Council
Role on the Board: Honorary Vice-President