Excellent Customer Service for Online Coaching

If you are already a great in-person coach, you know what it takes to provide outstanding service to your clients. You dress professionally, have excellent technical feedback, are punctual for appointments, your gym space is clean and organized, and you are enthusiastic about your clients’ progress. How do you transfer that customer experience to online coaching?

Online coaching clients appreciate the same high level of personal attention and care, yet many services fall short in one aspect or another. They might offer programming templates (no customization), sparse communication, or infrequent technical critiques. This is a great opportunity for a coach to differentiate themselves from the competition, by providing personalized coaching and communication that develops into the same trusting relationships a great coach cultivates with in-person clients.

At TurnKey Coach, we believe the same high level of service is possible for online coaching. As always, the most important component of this experience is consistency. It is never enough to go above and beyond sometimes. This may even be worse because clients will not know what to expect. Consistency in service gives clients something to rely on, which builds trust over time. Whatever level of service you intend to offer, you should provide it every single time, and your clients should be well informed of what to expect.

Make sure your clients have programming well in advance, and that they know where that programming is heading (the rationale behind upcoming changes, planned rates of progress, etc.).

Review completed workouts within a predetermined timeframe. We recommend a 24-hour window, but whatever you choose, your clients should know when to expect your feedback. Your feedback should include technique guidance and highlight any PRs made so your clients are reminded of the steady progress they are making. Also, ask questions to see how they felt about the session, how their personal and work life are trending, and any other points you know are important to them from previous conversations. If you want loyal clients, you need to be proactive about establishing and nurturing this relationship. People appreciate a coach who is invested in their success.

You can give workout feedback in text, but we have found video feedback much more engaging. Across the board, clients prefer to see their coach’s face and hear their feedback. While text feedback can be more concise and efficient, video recordings are far more personal and engaging for clients. This goes a long way toward establishing a working relationship with clients. A winning combination is conversational video feedback, accompanied by text notes of key points and which cues a lifter should focus on for the next session.

The best in-person gyms offer excellent customer service, high-quality equipment and clean amenities, and an effective method of training. Many gyms leave one of these elements out, to the detriment of their clients and to their own success. If you have mastered outstanding service with in-person coaching, you can transfer those skills to online services as well. Developing these standardized elements of an online coaching experience will set you far apart from other services, and ensure you have great reviews from happy clients.