Old Fashioned Face-to-Face Communication Keys Customer Engagement Experience at Iron Tribe Fitness

In a highly competitive and ever-changing fitness industry, Iron Tribe Fitness officials work very hard at continuous personalized communication that triggers a differentiated customer engagement experience.

Loyalty360 talked to Iron Tribe Fitness CEO Forrest Walden to find out more about how his company successfully navigates the customer experience.

What is the most underrated part of your approach to customer engagement/customer experience?

Walden: Old fashioned face-to-face communication is by far one of the most underrated approaches to our customer engagement experience. Our managers and coaches go the extra mile every day to make sure their members are heard and cared for. This means scheduling one-on-one meetings and getting to know our clients on a personal level. We’ve also leveraged the power of private Facebook groups to maintain daily conversations with our members to make sure their fitness journey is on track.

What specific insights/lessons have you learned in recent years that have informed your customer loyalty program/initiatives?

Walden: Iron Tribe is built on community, so making sure our members feel valued is critical to our success. In recent years, I’ve learned that keeping constant contact with members through personalized communication has helped inform our loyalty programs and initiatives. Whether that’s through referral reward campaigns or hand-written notes, every bit helps.  

How have your customers changed in recent years and how have you adapted to those changes?

Walden: Because fitness trends are ever-changing, we’re always keeping our ears open for what members might like to see in their gym. We’ve seen a big shift to high intensity interval training (HIIT) in recent years, so we launched a new program that caters specifically to that need. By administering countless client surveys and hosting several focus groups, we’ve listened to our clientele and worked to understand their needs. While our programs haven’t changed in their focus on small group fitness training, our equipment offerings have greatly increased to fit the needs of our changing members.

Can you talk about how technology aids your customer experience/customer engagement efforts?

Walden: Keeping our technology—mostly through our mobile app—up to date has been crucial in ensuring our members have a great experience with our product. Allowing members to easily view upcoming workouts, schedule classes, and monitor their progress through the Iron Tribe app has helped them stay consistent with our program. We intend to keep improving our app and the way we communicate with members in 2018.

What is the biggest challenge you face today as it relates to earning and maintaining brand loyalty?

Walden: Because the fitness industry is such a competitive market, we’re faced with the challenge of reminding our members and potential clients of what separates us from the competition. If we don’t continuously preach our values and added benefits, then we could slip through the cracks and get lost in the loud chatter of the industry. This means we must constantly look at ways to reinvent ourselves and stay fresh in an increasingly competitive market.

What are you most proud of?

Walden: The success of our product—changing lives through fitness—is something to be very proud of. We hear testimonies almost on a daily basis from members who have drastically improved their life through being a member of Iron Tribe Fitness. Our dedicated coaches and managers are the ones to thank for that. We strive endlessly to make sure our clients are satisfied with our product and reaching their goals. I can’t think of anything more rewarding than hearing a member say that Iron Tribe has changed their life. 

Recent Content

Membership and Pricing

Videos and podcasts

Membership and Pricing