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For the staff at Fitness First! — a 60,000-square-foot exercise facility that operates as a public enterprise fund in Illinois’ Skokie Park District — being the best in their market wasn’t a lofty enough goal. The four-year-old organization, which brings in half a million dollars in sales a year, wanted to offer the best customer service its 2,400 members would receive of any of the businesses they patronize.

“We really started brainstorming,” explains Charlie Blackburn, the center’s fitness coordinator. “Health clubs are doing this and that, but what are airlines and other industries doing to win their customers’ loyalty? We wanted to give the best service out of everyone, not just public organizations or just health clubs. We wanted to walk the talk, but how were we going to do it?” The result was the center’s Total Customer Satisfaction Guarantee, an innovative four-pronged approach to customer service that has resulted in a 17-percent increase in memberships during the last year. The guarantee is designed to put member needs and requests above everything else.

The first part of the guarantee is a membership credit for illness or time out of town. Members submit simple written requests for a membership extension at any time, which are included in their files for future reference. “Our current membership market is very transient, and our clients often travel to warmer climates during the winter months,” says Blackburn. “This guarantee allows them to fully take advantage of the membership time they purchased.”

If a member’s trip out of the neighborhood or out of town is permanent and not seasonal, that’s no problem either. Part two of the Total Customer Satisfaction Guarantee allows membership transfers from one person to another. The departing member just fills out the necessary paperwork with the new member present.

For permanent moves, members may also request a pro-rated refund of their membership fees. This third part of the customer satisfaction policy requires a copy of the lease, closing papers or a letter mailed to the new address that is not within traveling distance (a maximum of 10 miles from the club), according to fitness center materials.

The final part of the guarantee is the center’s cancel-at-any-time policy. If a member wishes to stop an EFT deduction or membership that is paid in full, they may do so by submitting a written request form. All aspects of the Total Customer Satisfaction Guarantee program are free of any transaction charges or penalties.

Blackburn says that prior to the new guarantee, the center’s 38 employees “lacked concrete things to make customer satisfaction happen. Now we are able to say that we are so confident in what we offer our members that we’re going to make sure your experience with us is like nothing else.”