Impact Percepction in Heatl and Fitness

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The impact ofperceived service provider

empathy on customer loyalty: someobservations from the health and fitness

sectorEbi Marandi

a& John Harris

b

a

Bristol Business School , University of the West of England , Bristol, UKbSchool of Foundations, Leadership and Administration , Kent State

University , Kent, OH, 44242, USA

Published online: 28 May 2010.

To cite this article:Ebi Marandi & John Harris (2010) The impact of perceived service provider empathy oncustomer loyalty: some observations from the health and fitness sector, Managing Leisure, 15:3, 214-227,

DOI: 10.1080/13606719.2010.483832

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The impact of perceived service provider

empathy on customer loyalty: some observationsfrom the health and fitness sector

Ebi Marandi1 and John Harris2

1Bristol Business School, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK; 2School ofFoundations, Leadership and Administration, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA

The leisure product is often dependent on the person delivering the service. The research presented

here sought to better understand how important the empathy component is in that personal deliveryof a service. Health and fitness clubs, faced by high rates of customer attrition, traditionally promote

themselves on the basis of either price or facilities, but are these two tools the only ones that the mar-

keting of the clubs should be limited to? For this study, the impact of service provider empathy, asperceived by health and fitness club members, was examined in an attempt to better understand the

impact of the concept on customer loyalty. The findings indicate that for those with a low level of self-

responsibility for getting the most out of the service experience, those without previous experienceof gyms and those with heightened self-consciousness, empathy is an important factor impacting

upon their anxiety levels as well as on their loyalty to a club.

Keywords:empathy, loyalty, gym, service quality

INTRODUCTION

Health and fitness clubs fall clearly withinthe service sector and it is mainly within

the services context that the concept ofempathy is discussed in marketing. Torkild-sen (1992) pointed out that the leisure

product is indeed an enigma: changing,intangible, perishable, fragile and, in manyinstances, dependent on the person deliver-ing the service. The research presentedhere sought to better understand how impor-

tant the empathy component is in that per-sonal delivery of a service. Services areinherently relational and perceived relation-ships are often a central part of loyalty(Gronroos, 2000). Additionally, empathyhas been purported to be a crucial elementin all helping situations (Reynolds, 2000)and arguably many who visit health and

fitness clubs need help from the customer-facing staff. It is natural that relationshipsshould be thought of as central in thedevelopment of marketing models and con-cepts to be used in service contexts. Themost influential element in the serviceexperience is the relationship between theservice provider and the consumer (Kolesarand Galbraith, 2000).

The role of empathy in this relationship,whether short-term or ongoing, is dealt

with mainly in the services marketing litera-ture as part of the service quality dimen-sions. The notion of service quality has

been widely recognized since the 1970s inservice industries (Gronroos, 2000) andfrequently studied in the services marketing

literature (Kang and James, 2004). The com-petitive advantage of a firm depends on the

Managing Leisure ISSN 1360-6719 print/ISSN 1466-450X online# 2010 Taylor & Francishttp://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

DOI: 10.1080/13606719.2010.483832

Managing Leisure 15, 214 227 (July 2010)


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quality and value of its goods and services(Gronroos, 2000). Service quality has been

positioned as the major driving force forbusiness sustainability (Carlzon, 1987) anda critical determinant of competitive advan-

tage (Lovelock, 2000).It is generally agreed that service quality isdifficult to measure objectively because of

the service characteristics of intangibility,heterogeneity and inseparability (Zaho

et al., 2002). The prevailing approach in theliterature, however, is to apply the conceptof disconfirmation of customer expectations

(Oliver, 1980). That is, the notion that custo-mer satisfaction/dissatisfaction occurs as aresult of a customer comparing the service

experienced with the service expected. Apositive disconfirmation is assumed toresult in customer satisfaction, while a nega-tive disconfirmation leads to dissatisfaction.Hence, arguably the primary objective ofservice providers is to improve servicequality in order to meet or even exceedcustomer expectations.

It is generally regarded that servicequality is a multi-dimensional construct(Cronin and Taylor, 1992; Gronroos, 1990;Parasuramanet al., 1988, 1991). SERVQUAL(Parasuraman et al., 1988), possibly themost often used tool for measuring servicequality, has five dimensions: reliability,responsiveness, assurance, empathy andtangibles. There is, however, a body of evi-dence that the number, nature and weightingof the dimensions differ between industriesand that measurement instruments shouldbe specifically tailored to the industry inquestion (Buttle, 1996; Carman, 1990; Robin-son, 1999). Scholars writing in the sport

and leisure management literature havemade similar observations noting that thereneeds to be a greater focus on peoplerather than process (Alexandris et al., 2004;Lentell, 2000).

While the number of dimensions of servicequality, and whether these dimensions aregenerally applicable or situation specific,

has attracted much debate, the nature ofthe dimensions has not attracted adequate

attention. In particular, within the servicesmarketing literature, there is scant debateabout the nature of the empathy dimension

of service quality. Particular attentionneeds to be paid to the meaning of

empathy; how this dimension can be opera-tionalized and measured, and how itimpacts upon customer satisfaction and

loyalty. One of the primary goals of servicemarketers is to maximize consumers per-ceptions of the service encounter and the

firm-consumer relationship (Hamer, 2006).A typical discussion of the concept of

empathy within the marketing literature

asserts that empathy refers to the caring,individualized attention the firm providesits customers (Zeithaml and Bitner, 1996).This is often interpreted simplistically andsomewhat vaguely. Lovelock (2000), forexample, points out easy access, goodcommunications and customer understand-ing as manifestations of service providerempathy. How does one understand the cus-tomer? What are the processes involved inunderstanding, and communicating with,the customer? For a deeper understanding,and a more operational definition ofempathy, one needs to look elsewhere andthe nursing and other caring sciences litera-ture arguably provides a much more detaileddiscussion.

According to Rogers (1975), empathyinvolves the empathizer entering theprivate perceptual world of the other andbecoming thoroughly at home in it, notingthat

To be with another in this way means that forthe time being you lay aside the views andvalues you hold for yourself in order toenter anothers world without prejudice. Insome sense it means that you lay aside your-self (Rogers, 1975, p. 4).

Similarly, it has been suggested thatempathy involves a psychic transposition

Impact of perceived service provider empathy on customer loyalty 215


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in which the empathizer temporarily leaveshis/her own subjectivity, as it were, andenters that of the other (Levasseur andVance, 1993).

Clearly, empathy is a complex and multifa-

ceted construct (Irving and Dickson, 2004).In order to gain a better understanding ofthe process of empathy, Morse et al. (1992)proposed a model with four components:emotive, moral, cognitive and behavioural.

The emotive component relates to theability to subjectively experience and sharein anothers psychological state or intrinsic

feelings. The moral component is an altruis-tic force that motivates the practice ofempathy. The cognitive component is

based on the helpers intellectual ability toobjectively identify and comprehendanothers feelings and perspectives. Thefourth component, termed behavioural,refers to communication by the empathizerto convey his or her understanding ofanothers perspective and making sure thatunderstanding is correct.

The extent to which the identified com-ponents are interrelated or necessary is notuniversally agreed upon. These components,nevertheless, seem to describe the processof empathizing clearly and in a holistic way.Morse et al.s (1992) model of empathy,based on a meta-analysis of the literature,brings together two different strands ofthought (that empathy is basically anemotional construct or empathy is a cogni-tive construct). This model considersempathy as a communication process thatcan be taught and is hence of potential useto managers of service industries. Morse

et al.s (1992) model was used as the basis

of the primary research in this study. Thedefinition of empathy adopted for thisstudy is as follows:

Empathy signifies a central focus and feelingwith and in the clients world. It involvesaccurate perception of the clients worldby the helper, communication of this under-standing to the client, and the clients

perception of the helpers understanding(La Monica, 1981, p. 398).

Although there has been much researchexploring service quality in the sport and

leisure management literature (Alexandris

et al., 2004; Chelladurai and Chang, 2000;Howat et al., 1996; Ko and Pastore, 2004;Lam, 2004; Lentell, 2000), there has beenlittle research focusing specifically onempathy. Before proceeding to consider the

research findings, it is important to brieflyoutline the context for this work and begin

to position it within and around previouslypublished work in the sport and leisure man-agement literature.

RATIONALE: EMPATHY AND LEISUREMANAGEMENT

The research presented here considers whatimpact perceived service provider empathyby gym users would have on enhancingtheir service experience and influencingtheir loyalty to their gyms. It was assumedthat depending on the level of experienceand concern with his/her weight and level

of fitness, a degree of anxiety and perceptionof risk (in achieving of results, the use ofequipment and encountering of othermembers) may be involved. This may bemore accentuated in the current socialclimate which places value on fitness, slimfigures and looking good. Harris andMarandi (2002) suggested that mediatedimages of the body beautiful and increasedsocietal expectations have placed a greatercurrency on the body than, arguably any

other time in our history (p.194). As Frewand McGillivray (2005, p. 161) noted:

At present, the Western world wrestles withan obesity epidemic whilst, paradoxically,maintaining a fascination for the aestheticideal body.

At the same time, according to Mintel(2005), with the market for health and

216 Marandi and Harris


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the data was analysed in relation to the threemain research questions listed below.

The interview questions were based on thefour dimensions of empathy as identified byMorseet al. (1992). The reason for doing so,

as stated earlier, is that their model is basedon a meta-analysis of the literature andlooks at empathy in an holistic way, consider-

ing it as a process and combining both affec-tive and cognitive dimensions of empathy.

The interview questions were based on thefour dimensions discussed above and exam-ined the experience of first joining and then

continuing with membership of a health andfitness club. Their interactions with the staffwere also explored. The interviewees were

also asked to speculate about the chancesof them remaining members of the club inthe foreseeable future.

The main research questions underpin-ning this study were as follows:

1 Are actions based on empathy by healthand fitness club staff important tomembers? And if yes, why?

2 Who needs empathy? Can members besegmented on the basis of the impor-tance they attach to service provider

empathy?3 Does perception of service provider

empathy help reduce gym user anxiety(where it exists) and does this impact

upon a members loyalty to the club?

Although health and fitness clubs com-prise a variety of different set-ups, all respon-dents in this study were individuals whoused the gym facilities at their club (someused the additional facilities and others didnot). The word gym has been used in a

variety of different contexts and mayconjure up images as diverse as school gym-nasia to the spit and sawdust havens of com-mitted bodybuilders. We use it here as adescriptor of an area where free weightsand resistance machines are positionedalongside machinery used for cardiovasculartraining (Crossley, 2006). In the research

findings presented here, customer loyaltyhas been looked at on the basis of health

and fitness club members declared loyaltyor intention to carry on using the club(based on a score of 1 10) and we have

also attempted to establish whether thedegree of loyalty is related to the perception

of service provider empathy.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Is Empathy Important to Club Members?

Analysis of the interviewees responsesshowed that the level of importance

attached by members to any behaviour oractivity (service element) offered by the

staff depends on several factors. These areas follows:

a) the level of familiarity with how toaccomplish personal fitness goals;

b) the level of prior knowledge of gymequipment;

c) the level of use of the different health

and fitness club facilities;d) the perception or expectations of the

service contract in terms of value for

money and provision of enablers foroptimal usage of fitness facilities;

e) psychological factors that influence thelevel of personal self-consciousness inrelation to the nature of the serviceused (i.e. fitness being body-centred);

f) the level of self-responsibility adoptedin getting the most out of the serviceexperience (this links to greater orlesser extent to all of the above).

Trends identified here are that the higher

the level of familiarity with gym equipmentand with how to accomplish fitness goals,as well as the higher the level of self-responsibility for getting the most out ofthe service experience, and the lower thelevel of self-consciousness, all combined toresult in lower expectations towards staffinvolvement in facilitating or enriching the



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service experience. Such individuals felt lessanxiety about using the gym and also about

their own health and fitness goals. The indi-viduals who fitted this schema tend to bemore pragmatic in their approach in the

sense that they had a strong focus on asses-sing tangible (impersonal) features that theservice provider offered and had less need

for intangible (personal) service aspectsincluding staff empathy.

Individuals who answered No to ques-tions concerning the importance of attemptsby staff to find out their reasons for joining

the gym, being offered a tailor-made pro-gramme, and having the benefits of theprogramme explained to them, justified

their response by explaining that they wereclear about their motivations, knew how toaccomplish their goals and had prior experi-ence with the equipment. As a 29 year-oldmale noted I would rather do my own thingand not be conditioned by a programme.

Individuals who did not make much use ofthe gym facilities, yet only went to their clubto use non-gym facilities like the pool orvarious exercise classes, also answered Noto the questions relating to the importanceof attempts by staff to find out theirreasons for joining and/or being offered atailor-made exercise programme. Individualswho were interested in the services relatingto identification of their needs, and beingoffered a tailor-made programme, had lessexperience with gym usage and/or neededhigher motivational support and felt agreater level of anxiety either about theirhealth and fitness or about using the gymfacilities. These individuals predominantlystated that the services referred to were

useful in identifying suitable goals and inachieving them.

The familiarization with equipment waslargely seen as a means to an end to realizethe goals and was also welcomed due tothe need to avoid injury. As a 45-year-oldfemale respondent noted:

I need to know how to use the equipment,and feel that I am competent enough to beable to use it rather than just use it incor-rectly. I am anxious not to injure myself.

The cognitive and behavioural dimen-

sions of empathy were important to thosewho either lacked experience of using gymfacilities and/or needed motivationalsupport and, as a consequence, felt adegree of anxiety about exercise. Thosewho were experienced gym users and/orhad clear fitness goals were much moreself-motivated and placed significantly lessimportance on staff empathy. A largenumber of the interviewees who were inex-perienced gym users but with moderate

motivational need or anxiety levels placedvalue on initial staff support to provideease of transition from a beginner to a moreexperienced gym user and in putting theservice offer to the best use.

Staff support was therefore seen more as ameans to an end rather than fulfilingemotional needs. Many gym users welcomedcustomized programmes for motivationalpurposes, yet did not see them as crucial inadding to their service experience or long-

term accomplishment of goals. These indi-viduals saw themselves as responsible forputting the service to best use. For themthere was a smaller degree of reliance ordependency on staff. Therefore, the avail-ability and willingness of staff to offeradvice was considered important but notnecessarily the ability of staff to subjectivelyexperience and share their psychologicalneeds. This could be interpreted that forthose who lacked experience of gyms and/or felt a degree of anxiety, a moderatedegree of moral, cognitive and behaviouraldimensions of staff empathy was important(but of short duration), and the emotivedimension of empathy was less important.

The majority of the interviewees expectedto be given a tour of facilities, that the staffwould be friendly, and that the staff would



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also be knowledgeable and be able to givethem appropriate advice. Harris and Ley-

bournes (2004) work highlights how ininitial service encounters, during inductionsto a facility, many providers failed to do this

adequately. On average, in the findings ofthe present study, most of these demandswere met. The importance of those factors

appeared to be due to expectations of theservice contract in terms of value for money

and provision of enablers for optimalservice usage. In this context, the intervie-wees saw it as a basic demand to know what

was on offer and to be familiar with the tangi-ble aspects of the service that act as the phys-ical enabler (the equipment rather than the

intangibles) to realize their goals.Staff friendliness and staff expertise wereregarded as crucial given that they act asfacilitators to use and optimize the serviceexperience based on individual require-ments. In that sense, staff were expected toassist with problems and give suitableadvice to help achieve goals and not tomisuse the equipment so as to incur negativeconsequences from the service usage. As a34-year-old male gym user noted:

They are supposed to be the experts. If theydont know the answers, what chance have Igot?

A few of the interviewees mentioned thatthey expected friendliness and expertise asone of the basics ingredients of the serviceagreement in terms of value for moneyinvested. A 38-year-old male remarked:

Sometimes you need help and you feel they[the staff] are not approachable. It can bereally off-putting and you dont feel you

really belong. I pay good money here andexpect the staff to be there when I needthem. . . . Because the gym can be quite an inti-midating place its really important to be ableto approach the staff if you need their help.

Hence, for the majority of the interviewees,again, the emotive dimension of empathy wasnot important, rather it was the cognitive and

behavioural aspects (understanding the gymusers problem, offering advice/solution andcommunicating well) that were important.Interestingly, it was friendliness andapproachability rather than the moral dimen-

sion of empathy (altruistic force that motiv-ates the practice of empathy) that wasimportant in this respect.

A small number of the interviewees reliedon staff approachability and knowledge to

overcome embarrassment (implied anxiety)relating to not knowing how to use the equip-ment or use them effectively. This relates to

aspect (e) stated above, that is, psychologicalfactors that influence the level of personalself-consciousness in relation to the nature

of the service used and fitness being body-centred. The gym is a dynamic social spaceand one where bodies can be viewed asbeing displayed (Crossley, 2006; Shilling,2003). For many people it can be a very intimi-dating environment and so this highlights theneed for the added emphasis and importanceon the friendliness and approachability ofgym staff. A further consideration here isthe impact of cultural factors. Female inter-viewees of Indian origin were generallyuncomfortable about being seen, especiallyby Indian men, in exercise clothes. Hence,the reliance on the relevant dimensions ofstaff empathy was greater by those who felta sense of anxiety and/or vulnerability.

It may be concluded that gym usersexpect that they are provided with adequatemeans (enablers) to make the best possibleuse of the service experience in line withtheir goals. As such these enablers are partof the basic requirements of the serviceagreement the expectation of value for

money and an intrinsic part of servicesupport (regardless of how far this supportis being used). The level of prior experienceof service usage as well as self-responsibility(level of self-reliance) seem to act as modera-tors of this assumption. This is evidenced bythe fact that interviewees who did not caremuch for either staff friendliness or support



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were those who were familiar with the gymequipment and how to achieve their fitness

goals. They felt little to no anxiety in relationto going to the gym and were more likely tocarry on using the gym. They relied on them-

selves for achieving their goals and did notexhibit a high degree of self-consciousnessin the gym environment. Those that did,

and felt a lack of support from the staff,declared a greater possibility that they

would not stay on as members.Most interviewees attached some impor-

tance to staff caring for their goals with

regard to motivation (and thus achievingobjectives) the emotive and moral dimen-sions of empathy. This would indicate that a

majority of gym users would like to see theresponsibility for accomplishing their goalsshared between themselves and the gymstaff. Although the answers as to whetherstaff actually do care and whether that caringis important were somewhat mixed, theseappeared to be more important for thosewith high degree of self-consciousness andanxiety as the following comments highlight:

Not really [the staff dont care], not unless Iam hiring a personal trainer at 15 an hour.

Then they would care. To them its just ajob. I am alright because I know what I amdoing in the gym and I am confident enoughto get on with it, but they should care asothers might not be as confident and sothey might need the support (Male, 37years old).

I dont think they really know what my needs[as a British-Indian woman] are and I dontthink they really care to know. I dont thinkthey genuinely empathise (Female, 33 years

old).

Most of the staff here are part-timers. Its justa job to them and anyway you dont alwayssee the same ones on different visits(Female, 26 years old).

Staff ability to relate to and identify withthe members anxieties, and how important

those were for the interviewees, was investi-gated further. Around half of the intervie-

wees did feel comfortable talking to staffabout deeper reasons for going to the gymsuch as the real reason behind wanting to

get fit or lose weight. The interviewees whowere not interested in this option predomi-nantly claimed that they did not view this

issue as part of the service agreement and/or they did not see the relevance in sharing

such information with gym staff.What came out quite clearly in response

to this question was the role of social identi-

fication when disclosing personal infor-mation. There was a gender split in thedemands or requirements that the intervie-

wees had. Here men tended to be less self-conscious in the sense that they were notinclined towards gender-identity regardingstaff ability to relate to their personalissues and were more problem focused.They generally preferred someone who wascompetent in responding to their need ade-quately than relating to them emotionally.Harris and Marandi (2002) highlighted howgendered identities in the health and fitnesssector needed to be explored to betterunderstand the differences in relationshipmarketing strategies. The findings of theresearch presented here highlight how thisaspect is clearly related to trust in thestaff/service provider. Women were moredependent on gender identification and pre-ferred to have a woman to speak to inorder to disclose and address these issues.The role of attachment groups in dealingwith personal issues and emotional needsmay be implied here and could have animpact on member relations. As a 21-year-

old female respondent noted:

If I was going to talk to anyone about my pro-blems Id talk to an older female trainer whowould understand me and be caring.

Johannson (1996) has looked at genderedconstructions within the gym and noted how



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traditional gender ideologies are both chal-lenged and reinforced. Further research is

needed to develop our understanding of thegendered spaces within the health andfitness industry and particularly the domain

of the gym (Harris and Marandi, 2002). Thenext section of this paper looks at the signifi-cance of anxieties and attempts to ascertain

the perceived importance of staff empathyin relation to this.

Segmentation on the Basis of Empathy

The next question or theme explored was todetermine whether there were certainfactors which could be used to segmentmembers according to their degree of need

for staff empathy. What emerged from theinterviews is that respondents who weremore reliant on empathy were typically indi-

viduals who entered the service with varyingdegrees of anxiety that predominantlyderived from different sources of self-

consciousness.The issues that were mentioned in the

interviews can be categorized into objectand subject centred anxieties. Object-centred anxiety related to the concern of

not knowing how to use the equipment andfeeling uncomfortable because of it as the fol-lowing comment indicates:

I needed to know how to use the machinescorrectly. I didnt want to injure myself.They pack in so much into induction. Howare you supposed to remember all thosethings they show you? (Female, 50 years old).

The anxiety here is more outer-directedand situational in the sense that the knowl-edge to use equipment properly is lacking.

Harris and Leybournes (2004) researchbased on more than 100 Customer ServiceAudits (CSAs) at gyms in England andWales highlighted poor gym inductions asbeing one of their principal concerns. Inaddition to the health and safety issuesrelated to this aspect, there is also evidencethat not being shown how to use certain

equipment may make users scared and/oranxious to use machinery. Five interviewees

in our study were affected by this type ofanxiety. It would appear that this weaknesscan be readily overcome by adequate staff

advice.Object-centred anxieties tend to be lessemotional in nature than subject-centred.

Subject-centred anxiety can be defined as ananxiety that arises from a psychological pre-

occupation that is deeply ingrained in thegym users character make-up. Suchpreoccupation could be in the form of

gender-consciousness, body-consciousness(culturally induced) or a history of poormental and/or emotional health issues (e.g.

previous eating problems). Around one-sixth of the interviewees were affected bythis, all of whom were women and mostly ofIndian origin. As a 28-year-old female noted:

I have a problem with my figure, especiallyaround my thighs. It is important to me forthe staff to understand and help me. I needto know the right way to exercise. I dontwant to be wasting my time, doing thewrong things.

One interviewee falls in between the twotypes of anxiety. This individual was suffer-ing from a physical illness, which could

potentially affect his service experience andfor which special care was required.Although anxious about it, this individual

did not include this issue as a need to beempathised with under the service agree-

ment. He thus kept it out of the staff respon-sibility and within his own area ofresponsibility. The level of self-responsibility

adopted in getting the most out of the

service experience once again seems tohave particular relevance here.

The trend running through all the casesappears to be that the nature and level ofanxiety determines demand on service facili-ties and staff empathy. However, all intervie-wees who suffered from anxiety claimed thatthey thought staff did not understand these



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anxieties even though it was important forthem that they did. In line with the nature

of the anxiety and the solution required,the respondents claimed that there was alack of staff availability and/or staff ability

to relate to their needs. This was particularlythe case with females of Indian origin, relatedto culturally induced self-consciousness with

regard to modesty in dress and carrying outexercises in the presence of men.

Many interviewees believed that if theyhad personal trainers and paid a higher feefor the privilege there was a good chance

they would get more attempts by the staffto understand and cater for their individualneeds (they would receive more empathy).

These women were generally in favour ofhaving women only hours (or days) whichthey thought would probably be made avail-able if the staff understood the nature oftheir anxiety. The general conclusion herewould be that the gym users could be seg-mented into three groups in terms of theirneed for staff empathy and the degree ofimportance that they attach to this (Table 1).

In the future, it would be interesting toresearch how far the level of perceived lackof staff understanding or empathy is due toheightened self-consciousness on the partof gym members. In other words, it may bequestioned whether the nature of a psycho-logical inhibition (e.g. shyness) is leading toa distorted perception of staff empathy andunderstanding or whether a negative self-

perception (e.g. I am too fat) is leading tonegative social perceptions. This is worth

investigating since it was particularly thoseindividuals who suffered from anxiety thattended to show less loyalty to and/or posi-

tive assessment of their gym (Table 1).

Reasons for Loyalty

The third theme investigated was whatmakes individuals less or more loyal totheir gym and the importance of perceivedstaff empathy in that respect. Some intervie-wees had been members of other gyms in thepast. The reason that most of them had lefttheir previous gyms was change of work-place or moving home. Importantly

however, none of the interviewees was con-templating changing job or moving home atthe time of the interviews. Therefore the find-ings here ought to be noted by the industry.

In terms of customer loyalty, the centralquestion appeared to be the probing forwhether all needs were met, with specificregard to whether the needs were primarilyinfluenced by pragmatic or emotionaldrivers. The findings indicate that it wasthe individuals who felt that their needs

were not satisfied and who had reported tosuffer from anxiety that were less loyal totheir gym. This applied to about one-fifth ofall respondents.

If I find a gym with better equipment andmore caring staff Ill leave. As I said before,

Table 1Empathy and the Type of Gym User

Type of gym user Need for empathy

Experienced gym user, high degree of self-responsibility for achievingpersonal fitness goals, low or no self-consciousness in the gym

Little or no need (I know what Iam doing)

Some experience of using the gym, moderate degree of self-responsibility

for achieving personal fitness goals, moderate or low self-

consciousness

Moderate need (be there when I

need you)

No previous experience of using the gym and/or low degree of self-responsibility for achieving personal fitness goals, high degree of self-

consciousness

High need (understand me,

help me!)



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they [staff] dont really empathise with me, Ijust feel like a cow in the cattle farm. At theend of the day its about making you amember but I dont think they work hardenough in trying to keep you as a member(Female, 40 years old).

Three interviewees had also reportedanxiety but felt that their needs were met.What is interesting here is that one of themwas the individual who did not see the staffas responsible to solve his anxiety. Anotherwas a member of a ladies only club. In thiscase, it appeared that initial anxiety hadactually led her to choose this type of club.The nature of the club had then helped tomoderate that anxiety perhaps leading her

to be the only respondent who claimed100% loyalty. The third individual reportedrelatively high levels of subject anxiety(due to previous mental/emotional pro-blems and cultural inhibitions), yet stillclaimed that her needs were met. Shereferred here to the pragmatic aspects ofsuitable facilities and opening times. Herrating of only 60% loyalty (which rep-resented the lower end on average) still indi-

cates that her loyalty to the club was

negatively influenced by unmet (intangible)needs. This finding complements the analy-

sis presented in the previous section in thesense that it emerges that subject anxietymay be a significant and fragile factor in

rating the fulfilment of needs and shapingof loyalty.

In contrast to this the majority of the inter-viewees (around two thirds) felt that theirneeds were fulfilled. Those individuals

scored their loyalty at an average of 70

80%. As already indicated in the previoussections, it appears that those individuals

who took a pragmatic approach to theirgym usage showed higher levels of satisfac-tion and loyalty. As a 54-year-old male noted:

Im satisfied with everything that I use, thehygiene, the hours, the other people thatgo there are just right.

This would appear logical as an individualwho is sure about their goals and how to

accomplish them would know after inspect-ing the gym facilities whether those enablersare provided. The same would apply to

people with needs or demands for specialfacilities such as non-gym activities (e.g.swimming or badminton).

Individuals who needed initial help withgoal setting and familiarization with equip-

ment valued help and later on seemed totake responsibility for maintaining their levelof satisfaction. Once again it appears that

the explanation and provision of more phys-ical or tangible enablers equipment andbasic staff engagement (demonstrating,

trouble shooting) to use the service in thebest possible way was key to having satisfiedmembers.

The finding highlighted in the previoussection, that staff interest in membersachieving their goals was important for (pre-dominantly) motivational purposes andlargely not met, did not seem to affectthose individuals who noted that needswere met and displayed loyalty to theirgym. The evidence suggests that perceivedstaff empathy does impact customer loyaltyto a gym. This, however, is on the wholelimited to those members identified as highneed (identified in Table 1 as those with noprevious experience of using the gym and/or low degree of self-responsibility forachieving personal fitness goals and highdegree of self-consciousness).

CONCLUSION

The findings show the importance of per-

ceived service provider empathy in reducingcustomer anxiety, improving customerexperience and having a positive impact oncustomer loyalty to health and fitnessclubs. This, however, is not a straightforwardissue. It appears that the higher the degree offamiliarity with exercise, the greater the pre-vious experience of a gym, and the higher



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