Oldham Community Leisure achieves World-Class Customer Feedback

Feedback from Oldham Community Leisure (OCL) customers puts the company ahead of some of the best brands in the world.

The feedback was gained via Net Promoter Score (NPS), a simple means of measuring customer satisfaction. The results calculate the willingness of OCL customers to recommend its facilities and services, and as such is a good barometer of customer satisfaction and loyalty. The community leisure trust, which manages the leisure facilities across the borough, has even seen its scores rise since reopening after lockdown.

OCL’s NPS results found the vast majority of customers would recommend its leisure facilities. In August, OCL scored an impressive 73 overall across its leisure centres, with Royton Leisure Centre achieving an outstanding score of 79.  OCL’s NPS scores outperform some of the best-performing companies in the world, including Apple (65) and Amazon (69).

An NPS is obtained by asking customers a single question on a 0 to 10 rating scale: ‘How likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?’ Based on their responses, customers can be categorised into one of three groups: Promoters (9-10 rating), Passives (7-8 rating), and Detractors (0-6 rating). The percentage of Detractors is subtracted from the percentage of Promoters to obtain a Net Promoter score. A score of 70 or above is considered to be exceptionally high.

Simon Blair, Head of Business Development, OCL, says: “We are delighted with our NPS scores, especially as we surveyed over 14,000 customers. The results demonstrate how the OCL team has responded to the COVID-19 challenges over the last six months and is testament to their dedication, care and support.  Our fantastic and loyal customers have respected and observed our clear guidelines, which allows us to keep our venues COVID secure.  I’m so proud of how the OCL community has pulled together during this difficult time.”

OCL also received some wonderful testimonial feedback including:

Pauline said: “Having not frequented a local gym in a very long time – and especially never during a pandemic – I have to say, Oldham Leisure Centre, especially the receptionist, was very welcoming, understanding, explanatory and friendly. That, along with the cleanliness and bright welcoming environment. I couldn’t have asked for more. I now feel less anxious about my next visit. Thank you for your excellent customer service and facilities. 10 out 10!”

Whilst Holly said: “As I am in my 70s it has been a long time since I have felt safe to go out, especially swimming. I really needed to start getting fit again. I was so nervous about visiting a swimming pool, but now realise I have no reason to be. I found the Royton pool extremely clean and well organised. The staff I spoke to were lovely and helpful, and the organisation in the pool was excellent. I now have no hesitation to return next week for another swim.”

Gyms and leisure facilities in England have seen more than 22 million visits since reopening in July. New data, published by ukactive, shows the prevalence of the virus within the leisure sector’s facilities remains extremely low. Measured from 25 July to 13 September, the number of cases per 100,000 visits was 0.34, showing protocols for monitoring and reporting the virus in the sector are helping to reduce the risk to customers. ukactive’s findings support mounting evidence from across the globe showing COVID-19 has a low prevalence in the gym environment.

Simon Blair concludes: “Our leisure centres are an extremely controlled and safe location. Our leisure centres provide a fantastic opportunity for our community to come together in a safe, socially-distanced environment, and for us to provide our customers with the engagement and interaction they crave, which only benefits their mental and physical wellbeing.”