Quality and satisfaction in gymnasiums & health clubs
Keywords:
perception, valorization, retention, services, fitness centers.Abstract
Satisfaction and service quality are indirectly related to retention. Thus, it is
considered of extreme importance that gymnasium managers understand the members’ perception of quality, once it is translated by the evaluation or attitude of the service that is intended to be loyal. The purpose of this study was to analyse the influence of service quality on the overall satisfaction of members at gymnasiums. The sample was composed by 172 members of a gymnasium in Beja, Alentejo-Portugal. It was applied a questionnaire with 5 factors: gymnasium quality and image perception; purchase and communication intent; complaint behaviour; price sensitivity and tendency to change; price perception and, finally, overall satisfaction of the members. The chi-square test (p<0.05) was used. The results showed that most of the members are "very satisfied" with the gymnasium, and no significant differences between gender, age, academic qualifications and independent variables were found. However, significant differences were found (p <0.01) revealing a positive association between high satisfaction with quality of equipment, quality-price and quality of services, and high overall satisfaction of members. Thus, it is possible to conclude that perceived quality is strongly related to high satisfaction of members
Downloads
References
Alexandris, K., D. Dimitriadis, and A. Kasiara. 2001. "Behavioral consequences of perceived service quality: An exploratory study in the context of private fitness clubs in Greece." European Sport Management Quarterly 1:251-280.
Bodet, G. 2006. "Investigating customer satisfaction in a health club context by an application of the tetraclasse model." European Sport Management Quarterly 6 (2):149-165.
Carter, R.E. 2009. "The Impact of perceived service quality on MBA student satisfaction and recommendations: Do expectations matter?" Services Marketing Quarterly 30:234–248.
Chang, C., C. Chen, and C. Hsu. 2002. "A Review of Service Quality in Corporate and Recreational Sport/Fitness Programs." The Sport Journal USA 5 (3).
Choi, T. Y., and R. Chu. 2001. "Determinants of hotel guest ́s satisfaction and repeat patronage in Hong Kong Hotel Industry." International Journal of Hospitality Management 20:277- 297.
Costa, R. J. 2011. "Determinantes da Lealdade do Cliente no Health & Fitness." Tese de Mestrado, Gestão do Desporto, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa.
Dhurup, J. 2012. "Establishing and maintaining customer relationships in commercial health and fitness centers in South Africa." International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance 3 (1).
Ferreira, A. 2001. "Qualidade, Satisfação e Fidelização de Clientes em Centros de Fitness."Tese de Mestrado, Universidade do Porto: Faculdade de Ciências do Desporto e da Educaçãp Física.
Ferreira, C. 2012. "Um estudo sobre fidelização e retenção de clientes na área do fitness."Tese de Mestrado, Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco.
García-Fernández, Jerónimo, Pablo Gálvez-Ruíz, Jesús Fernández-Gavira, Luisa Vélez-Colón, Brenda Pitts, and Ainara Bernal-García. 2017. "The effects of service convenience and perceived quality on perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty in low-cost fitness centers." Sport Management Review. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2017.07.003.
Gerson, R. . 1999. Members for Life: Proven service and retention strategies for health-fitness and sport clubs. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Gonçalves, C., C. Buchmann, and M.J. Carvalho. 2013. "Perceção da Qualidade do Serviço e Satisfação dos Sócios no Fitness: Contribuições para o Papel do Gestor." Revista Intercontinental de Gestão Desportiva 3 (2):47-58.
Gronroos, C. . 2000. Service Management and Marketing: A customer relationship management approach. Edited by (2nd ed.). 2nd ed. England: John Wily & Sons,Ltd.
Gustafsson, A., M. D. Johnson, and I. Roos. 2005. "The effects of customer satisfaction, relationship commitment dimensions, and triggers on customer retention." Journal of Marketing 69 (October): 210-218.
Homburg, C., N. Koschate, and W. D. Hoyer. 2005. "Do satisfied customers really pay more? A study of the relationship between customer satisfaction and willingness to pay." Journal of Marketing 69 (April):84-96.
Hooker, Stephanie A., Kaile M. Ross, Krista W. Ranby, Kevin S. Masters, John C. Peters, and James O. Hill. 2016. "Identifying groups at risk for 1-year membership termination from a fitness center at enrollment." Preventive Medicine Reports 4:563-568. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.10.016.
Hsueh, Yao-Shun, and Jau-Ming Su. 2013. "The Relationship among Service Quality and Satisfaction of Customers in Fitness Centers Located in Southern Taiwan." Life Science Journal 10(4):2613-2618.
Keirle, I. 2002. "Customer care." In Countryside recreation site management: A marketing approach, edited by I. Keirle, 157-169. New York: Routledge.
Moreira, António, and Pedro Silva. 2016. "Complaint behaviour by third parties: exploring service quality, customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth in health clubs." International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing 16 (3-6):152-171
Murray, D., and G. Howat. 2002. "The relationships among service quality, value, satisfaction, and future intention of customers at an Australian sports and leisure centre." Sport Management Review 5:25-43.
Parasuraman, A., L.L. Berry, and V.A. Zeithaml. 1988. "SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality." Journal of Retailing 64 (1):12-40.
Pedragosa, V. 2012. "Satisfação e Fidelização em Ginásios e Health Clubs: Estudo das Expetativas, das Emoções e da Qualidade." Tese de Doutoramento, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa.
Pedragosa, V., and A. Correia. 2009. "Expectations, satisfaction and loyalty in health and fitness clubs." International Journal Sport Management and Marketing 5 (4):450-464.
Rust, R. T., A. J. Zahorik, and T. L. Keiningham. 1995. "Return on quality (ROQ): marking service quality financially accountable." Journal of Marketing 59 (2):58-70.
Seiders, K., G. D. Voss, D. Grewal, and A. Godfrey. 2005. "Do satisfied customers buy more? Examining moderating influences in a retailing context." Journal of Marketing 69 (October):26-43.
Skogland, I., and J. A. Siguaw. 2004. "Are customers loyal?" Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 45 (3):221-234.
Srivastava, K., and K. S. Narendra. 2013. "Service quality, corporate brand image, and switching behavior: The Mediating role of customer satisfaction and repurchase intention." Services Marketing Quarterly 34:274-291.
Zamorano-Solís, Sandra, and Jerónimo García-Fernández. 2018. "El análisis importancia- valoración según género y permanencia: el caso de los centros de fitness." Materiales para la Historia del Deporte; Núm. 16 (2018).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who submit to this journal agree to the following terms:
- Author(s) keep copyright and guarantee to the journal the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International as initial publication in this journal.
- Author(s) can establish additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (for example, to an institutional archives or to publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- It is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (e.g, in institutional open archives or on their own website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as a citation earlier and more of published work (See the Effect of Open Access).
