“We’ve learned lessons from our data with Keepme”

Keepme customer Troy Morgan, CEO of Willows Health Group, based in Queensland, Australia, is using AI and data to shape his sales and retention strategy, alongside his COVID recovery plan…

Willows Health & Lifestyle Centre has been using Keepme’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered retention management tool for a little over 13 months ago, and, this month, CEO Troy Morgan also implemented Keepme Sales. 

Originally opened in the 1970’s, Morgan took over Willows 14 years ago and started the transformation to a fully functional lifestyle center. The center now hosts a fitness center, plus a 500 square meter Allied Health practice with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, and psychologists.

“Put simply, fitness businesses sit on mountains of data that is largely unused. Harnessed and reported on, this data can not only create real insights for the business but also a hyper-personalized experience for each member,” says Morgan. “Keepme allows us to leverage our mountains of data and make real differences to both our gym sales, our business and our members.”

“When we began working with Keepme, the team took 13 years of our data and cleaned it up – it was a real partnership right from the start. Almost immediately we learned lessons from that data and began to implement changes, pretty much seamlessly.”

The member retention conundrum

“For me, Keepme’s value is in being able to navigate an increasingly difficult marketplace with certainty,” says Morgan. “I can take actions with confidence as they’re based on fact, not gut instinct. Clubs like Willows need confidence in our actions now more than ever, as with COVID we find ourselves in increasingly sensitive times.

“I check the retention management dashboard daily; it’s like a living, breathing system that shows me the members we need to invest resources in … those most likely to leave, to stay and to spend. Being a small, standalone facility we have finite resources; I need to be sure to direct them to what – and who – will give returns. 

“From the second the Keepme system went live I was able to risk stratify my membership base, see who was at risk of leaving and put a monetary value on those members, so we could build strategies on how to improve retention. It took just 30 days to see a reduction in cancellation rates.

“Rather than waiting for a 30-day report, we can now take daily action. So if a high-frequency member is suddenly absent, my team gets in touch. Just this afternoon we made a call around a sudden absence, and the gratitude from that member was huge; it blew their mind.”

A COVID recovery plan

During lockdown, Morgan used Keepme to hyper-personalize Willows’ digital offer so that now, as the club works to find its footing again, the system can help him make decisions about the very real financial challenges he faces. “Now is not the time for guestimates on customer acquisition, retention, marketing strategies and cash flow,” he says. 

Willows is unusual in that it doesn’t operate contracts. As a community-based business, Morgan prefers to build trust within that community, so his members know if Willows is not delivering the wellbeing service that’s truly right for them, they’re free to leave. 

“We back our ability to provide customer-centric service, delivered through the personalization of our offering,” he explains. “This means we have points throughout the entire life of our members and have created an ecosystem that incorporates both technology and face-to-face services. Keepme closes the loop, allowing us to learn from our members’ interactions with the business in a truly scaled way and continually improve our service offering.” 

Willows’ membership base was at 2,200 pre-COVID. The club has already built back up to 1,600 members, despite a number of social distancing restrictions remaining in place. “Keepme gave me a fine-tuned understanding of each customer’s probable return, which allowed me to rebuild the membership base very quickly,” says Morgan.

Improving membership sales

In November 2020, Morgan implemented Keepme Sales. “Now, for the first time, I’m able to get a 360˚ view of customers, from pre-sale all the way to post membership, should they choose leave,” he says. 

“The AI is constantly learning about our prospects and processes, allowing me to automate tasks and make sure we focus on the sales leads with the highest likelihood of conversion. I can make hyper-personalized engagements with potential customers as I know where they came from and when what their sales process was, and what they’re most likely to want. 

“I’ve been blown away by how precise the whole Keepme system is, especially with regards to whether a member will leave or not; it’s scarily accurate! I couldn’t run my business without it now.”

About the author

Troy Morgan has been in the industry for a quarter of a century and as well as his role as CEO of Willows Health Group, he is a Head of Wellbeing Strategy at health technology platform MySpringDay, Director of Wellbeing Strategy at Well360, a national speaker and a business investor.

To find out what Keepme can do for your club’s sales and retention, book a free demo today.