How to Deal With Cancelling Members 

Understanding what cancellation questions to ask your members can be vitally important to your business health. There is one thing that is definite when it comes to owning a fitness business: members are going to cancel. But why? 

High gym membership cancellation rates can be a major red flag, but they can also be a normal rate of churn. How do you find this out?  

Essentially, as long as there are more people coming in than going out, you’re fine. However, it’s a lot easier to retain a member than it is to recruit one, so it pays to understand why they’re leaving.  

You can discover why people are cancelling by asking the right questions when members cancel. Then, you can uncover the root causes and develop strategies to keep them motivated and coming back. In this guide, we’ll give you all the questions you need to ask your members before they cancel with you. Who knows, if you ask them the right way, they might even come back.  

Understanding Why People Cancel 

There are countless reasons why people cancel their gym memberships, but here are the most common:  

• Lack of Time: Busy schedules and family commitments often lead to inconsistent attendance. 
• Lack of Motivation: Plateaus or unmet fitness goals can cause demotivation. 
• Financial Constraints: Membership costs or lack of funds can make the gym feel unaffordable. 
• Relocation: Moving or an inconvenient commute can disrupt workout routines. 
• Poor Gym Experience: Bad service, equipment, or class offerings can drive cancellations. 
• Medical Reasons: It happens; people get injured or need to step away from exercise for a while.  
• Membership Changes: Sometimes, people want to downgrade their membership to a lower-tier plan to better suit their needs.  
• End of Contract: Their contract might be up, and the price may be increasing, leading them to cancel the contract altogether.

How do you fix these problems as a gym owner?  

Firstly, you have to make sure your members are getting the results they want from your business. If they’re not seeing progress or not enjoying the class, then they are much less likely to show up again. Make sure your workout classes are the best they can be and ensure you’re fostering a community that boosts and engages all your members.  

Key Questions to Ask Cancelling Gym Members 

This may vary from business to business, but if you’re a gym owner, chances are that these questions will be helpful in finding out where your gym experience is falling short for your members.  

1. Reasons for Cancellation: 

Get to the point. Question the primary reasons members are cancelling.  

   – Example: “What was the main reason you decided to cancel?”  

2. Member Experience:  

What is it about their day-to-day experience that convinced them to cancel? Assess their overall satisfaction and experience at the gym.  

   – Example: “How would you rate your overall experience at our gym?”  

3. Service and Feature Feedback:  

Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. Questions that gather input on missing services or areas for improvement can be highly valuable for your own insights on your business.  

   – Example: “Were there any services or features you felt were missing or could be improved?”  

4. Customer Service Issues:  

Your staff can’t be on their A-game all the time, but it pays to identify patterns of behavior. Ask questions that uncover any problems with your team.  

   – Example: “Did you encounter any issues with our staff or customer service?”  

5. Rejoining Possibility:  

Just because someone’s cancelling their membership doesn’t mean they’re gone forever. Make sure to ask questions that explore the potential for the member to return.  

   – Example: “Would you consider rejoining our gym in the future?”  

6. Preventative Measures:  

Don’t sit around and think of “what if’s”. Be direct and ask questions about what could have been done differently to retain the member.  

   – Example: “What could we have done differently to keep you as a member?”  

7. Usage Frequency:  

It’s important to build out cohorts when it comes to your members. Some are casual users, others are die-hard advocates. Find out which one they are when leaving to learn more about who you need to appeal more to.  

   – Example: “How often did you use our gym facilities or services?”  

8. External Factors:  

Sometimes it’s not you, it’s them. Moving house, less money, or even a change in work schedule can all lead to having to cancel memberships. Make sure to find out if it’s something outside of your control.  

   – Example: “Are there any factors outside of our control that contributed to your decision?”  

9. Recommendation Likelihood:  

One of the best ways of getting new members is through referrals. Find out if the leaving member knows anyone who would be interested in signing up (and maybe offer them a referral bonus while you’re at it).  

   – Example: “Would you recommend our gym to others?”  

10. Open-Ended Feedback:  

Every cancellation is different, so leave an open-ended section at the end to let them explain any other feedback or info they might have.  

– Example: “Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?”  

How ABC Glofox Can Help You With Member Cancellations 

1. Reduce Your Charging Mistakes  

The ABC Glofox Platform allows you to automatically cancel recurring payments for members and restricted members, ensuring that you don’t accidentally charge a customer after their membership is up. This is a vital step in post-membership nurturing, as the chances of a member coming back after being accidentally charged drop significantly.  

2. Automated Cancellation Query Prompts 

Instead of having to send out individual texts or emails to every member who cancels, the ABC Glofox platform automatically asks them to choose from a selection of reasons. This saves you time and provides you with valuable insights on your member cancellation reasons.  

3. Easily Renew a Membership For At-Risk Members 

It happens; members change their minds. If you’ve managed to successfully convince a member not to cancel with your gym, you can simply renew their membership with a click of a button instead of having to sign them up all over again.  

4. Trigger an Automated Promo For Cancelling Members 

ABC Glofox offers an automated promo code feature that can allow you to provide discounts to members who may be at risk of cancelling. For example, if a member has scheduled a cancellation, you can automatically send them a discount code to encourage them to sign up again. You could also create a promo code for an annual membership only, locking in a client for a longer period of time at a better rate. 

Want to learn more about how ABC Glofox can help keep your members engaged and informed?  

Get More For You and Your Members 

A cancellation may sometimes feel like a loss, but it’s important to use the opportunity to learn more about your business and how your members see your services.  

Don’t treat a cancellation like the end of the world, and don’t make it overly difficult for your members to cancel, because you’ll never see them again.  

By using the questions above (especially with the help of ABC Glofox), you can provide a more streamlined and insightful cancellation experience for you and your members.  

Looking to professionalize your member experience?  

ABC Glofox can help you.