As part of the world of tennis facility management, we belong to a huge service industry. Like all industries, our services are entirely driven by the needs and desires of our customers. Our success depends on how well we anticipate and fill these needs. A myriad of services are being requested of us every day... parents wanting their children to succeed in our junior development programs, leagues and competition for adults of all levels, instructional programs for adults, pro shop merchandising, ball machine and racquet rentals... in addition to the overall smooth operation of our facility.
Let's assume that the major areas of your facility are running well, but that you are competing with other clubs in your area for members, players, students and customers. This should be an enticement to carefully read this article. Implementing student and customer surveys can make a difference in giving you the competitive edge.
Although seldom publicized, surveys enter every day of our lives in the form of how companies service and market their products to us. The most successful companies accurately feel the pulse of their customers and are therefore able to cater to their needs. With just a little effort from our side, we can also learn to accurately anticipate and serve the needs of our members and students. The result will be increased member participation, satisfaction, retention and referrals.
In this article, we will look at six sample surveys. The first three specifically apply to teaching situations and the final three to the general business operations of a tennis facility.
Survey #1 - Clinic Theme Selection Survey
I have been using the following survey for all of my group lessons for the past year. The students have been very enthusiastic with this concept. At the beginning of each four-week group lesson series, they select eight different topics that they would like to work on from this sheet. The benefit of selecting eight topics is that it satisfies each person when some of their topics are covered. Obviously, we can also design a group clinic to combine several topics in one session. Besides the benefit of increased student satisfaction, another advantage of using this survey is for the teacher. Session lesson plans become very easy to devise, and most of these themes can easily be adapted to different ability levels.
Survey #2 - Verbal Questionnaire for Group Lessons
Try finding out at the beginning of the class how all of the students are feeling. Have them rate themselves on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being super-enthusiastic, so that you know how hard you will have to work to energize the group. Using this verbal questionnaire also at the middle and the end of the group lesson will give you additional valuable feedback:
a. Did you maintain or increase the students' level of enthusiasm?
b. Did fatigue cause them to lose their enthusiasm?
c. Are the students most enthused about repetition practice (such as in the first half of a session) or at the end after competitive play-situation drills.
Survey #3 - Verbal Questionnaire for Private Lessons
At the beginning of a private lesson with a new student try a verbal questionnaire like this one to both get to know them and design the most appropriate first lesson. After all, we can best service students who take regularly scheduled lessons so the planning of the first encounter is crucial:
a. How long have you been playing tennis?
b. What are your short and long term goals?
c. How often will you be able to play to help you achieve these goals?
d. Do you see yourself as someone who can be methodical in developing the needed skills to achieve these goals?
Of course, this type of survey can be expanded and prepared in a written format. It can also be used in group lessons, either individually with each student, or to address the group as a whole. The central point to convey to students is that they must be involved in their own goal-setting and strategic vision planning. Our role as teaching professionals is to lead them through the planning process and help them develop the skills to achieve their goals.
Survey #4 - Pro Shop Customer Survey (the following points would be formatted as a survey)
a. What is your annual budget for tennis equipment and clothing?
b. What are your favorite equipment manufacturers for racquets, balls, clothing, and shoes?
c. What percentage of your equipment budget is spent at our pro shop?
d. Where else do you shop?
e. What would we have to do for you to get a greater share of your business?
As a follow-up to this type of survey, try contacting the participating customers with your plans to implement ways to service their specific needs and desires. The results of the survey could be published in your newsletter along with practical action plans that respond clearly to your customers' needs.
Survey #5 - Programming Survey
This survey can measure desired levels of activity from members and your general customer base. Here are some possible questions:
a. How frequently do you play?
b. Singles or doubles?
c. Recreational or competitive?
d. Leagues?
e. What are your favorite tennis activities and which of the activities do you most enjoy at your club?
f. In what kinds of activities would you like to participate which are not currently being offered?
Again, an effective follow-up to this survey is to publish the results in your club newsletter near your activity calendar page demonstrating how much you are following the advice of your customers.
Survey #6 - The Comment Card
Another useful survey which can become an on-going source of feedback for improvement is the general comment card. A comment card box should be clearly displayed and a small bulletin board near the comment card box is an exciting way to share the comments and your responses with your members. One way to respond to the comment card is to post the answers on the bulletin board along with the comment card itself. A simple post-it can be stuck to the comment card and people will get an opportunity to read both the comment and the response.
Customer surveys are a daily fact of life for all successful service and sales organizations. Our profession is a combination of both sales and service, and the more we can anticipate and prepare to meet the needs of our constituency, the quicker our facility can stand out in its region as an example of excellence. We all know the result of excellence in sales and service: higher member retention and referrals, increased lesson and pro shop revenues, and an overall higher level of activity and participation in the programs which our facility offers. Hopefully, after reading this article, many fellow USPTA professionals can begin to use this simple survey system to reach new and higher levels of success in their service and programming efforts.