I decided to write this blog after spending 30 minutes trying to find my yoga studio’s phone number. After social media searches turned up nothing, I finally capitulated and sent an email.
The next day, I received a chipper response and the requested reservation.
I won’t go into why I needed to call my studio. Like most people, I usually self-select classes and reserve through their online system. A phone call is my last resort.
But it got me thinking: Is this just a yoga studio thing or are more gyms and fitness centers opting out of voice-to-voice communication?
According to our gym management software sales guy, Anthony, yes. He regularly hears from gym dreamers with no interest in publishing a telephone number.
Why are some gyms choosing not to publish a telephone number?
Well, as best we can tell, it’s life as we know it today. Most significantly, smart phones have shifted how younger consumers communicate. In what feels like an oxymoron, Gen. Z does not regularly use the spoken word to talk with each other. Listening to someone’s voice without visual feedback is unfamiliar territory. Because of this, Gen. Z finds phone calls anxiety-provoking and unnecessary. And now, they’re all grown up and starting their own health clubs. So why encourage something as uncomfortable as a telephone call?
Additionally, the self-service world has made telephone numbers feel antiquated. Many smaller businesses even disavow both websites and phone numbers in favor of DM’s through social media sites. Larger companies hide telephone numbers like it’s a “Where’s Waldo,” picture puzzle piece, relying instead on chatbots and email. The vocal nature of the calls themselves are also a problem. My yoga studio stated that they’ve found a business number to be “highly disruptive to the studio experience.” So, shush…Savasana’s started.
No one calls each other anymore, right? So how can omitting a telephone number go wrong?
Well, let’s talk about that. Although I have no evidence as to whether not keeping a business phone number is a good or bad decision, I do know a few facts.
- The The Campaign Registry (TCR) regulates business text messages. As much as your front desk loves to text customers, unless it is in an “opt-in” environment, such as a private app, you could face hefty legal fines. Text messaging is controlled by the TCR, a company based in Virginia that manages the registration and issuing of 10-DLC phone numbers for A2P (application to person) text message campaigns.
- The Kids Are Alright, but it’s the parents hitting the gym. The majority of gym members are between the ages of 20-64 and almost half have graduated from college. Of these, millennials hold the highest number of gym memberships, while baby boomers visit the gym most frequently. How does that translate? These people use a phone, expect someone to answer it and have the means to change and cancel memberships.
- Your competitor probably publishes a telephone number. In my (admittedly) unscientific research for this blog post, I searched for clubs without telephone numbers. Most listed a telephone number. That tells me, someone still likes to call and ask clubs questions, either before joining or as a member. But in either case, access to a telephone number puts them on the line with a human. For whatever reason.
Gym Insight’s perspective on clubs without telephone numbers.
Why would you risk losing a prospect over something as simple as a phone call? Granted, there is a cost involved with answering a telephone call. You must (1) hire a human to sit at your front desk, (2) outsource it to an answering service, or (3) actually take the call yourself. Every choice incurs a sunk cost.
However, what is the cost of losing a client? Approximately 50% of members run out of steam within six months. Hopefully your retention rate is higher than that, but how does this immediate revenue compare to the hourly number you’re paying a person or a firm?
Of course, not all calls are a person eager to sign up for your gym. Most are probably more like mine – a special request, an unusual situation.
But consider the opportunities these requests create. In my case, I needed to reserve two additional spots for individuals who’d never visited the studio. These people may become customers – or at least post something nice about their yoga instructor.
Instead of engaging in a short, blissful phone call, I spent 30 minutes trying to find a way to contact them. Which really shook my Karma.
And, now, I kind of don’t like this studio as much as I once did.
In fact, in our cyborg world of business, why alienate any customer by making it more difficult to contact you? Personal relationships are among the few advantages small businesses have over technology, pricing pressures, and chain stores – don’t miss this opportunity by thinking short-term.
Maybe your employees need training on how to use a telephone?
Since we are being so Gen. X about this subject, we do agree there might be a need to train your employees on taking and making phone calls. Chances are I’m kvetching about the very generation you’re hiring. My dip into research suggested younger employees are both leery and unfamiliar with using telephones for voice calls. So consider direct supervision or crafting a script for common scenarios.
Hey, I think scripting phone calls might be worth another blog! We’d love your feedback on this post. Post any comments on our Instagram or Facebook pages. Or, maybe call us! LOL! 😊
Thanks for reading! We are a gym management software firm established in 2008. Our comprehensive software product is designed in-house with no, absolutely none, third-party plug-ins. This synchronicity allows data to streams quickly and accurately from features such as our Sales Guru sign-up tablet to your database – no wonkiness. It also means our door controllers speak the same language as our software, and our Member’s App works correctly – the first time. Check out our site, or call Anthony or Natalia for a free demo at 855-FOR-GYMS. We think you will be impressed with our software’s ease-of-use and depth-of-capability.
