Passives are the members giving you a 7 or 8 on NPS. They may not be unhappy enough to complain, they may still be attending regularly and on the surface everything might look fine, but they are also not enthusiastic enough about their experience to recommend you to someone else.
And that should make us curious.
A 7 or 8 isn’t a bad score, but why isn’t it a 9 or 10?
It’s easy to look at an 8 out of 10 and think that member is happy, and they probably are but there is a big difference between someone who is reasonably satisfied and someone who genuinely loves being a member.
That gap is where some of the most valuable insight can sit. What is stopping them from giving you a 9? Is there something frustrating them, do they feel recognised when they walk through the door, are classes difficult to book, is communication clear or does the overall experience feel worth what they are paying?
Sometimes the difference between a passive and a promoter can be relatively small, but unless you ask, you simply don’t know.
NPS should be an essential part of retention
The leisure industry spends a huge amount of time, energy and budget getting new members through the door through campaigns, joining offers, lead generation and sales activity.
Acquisition matters, but if members are quietly becoming disengaged at the other end, constantly replacing them becomes a very expensive cycle.
We need to stop simply trying to fill a leaky bucket and start fixing the bucket instead.
That’s where NPS becomes so valuable. Used properly, it isn’t just a number reported at the end of the month. It gives you an opportunity to understand how members really feel, why they feel that way and what you can do differently.
Don’t just focus on the detractors
Of course detractors need a response. If a member has given you a low score, that is an opportunity to understand what has gone wrong and potentially recover the relationship before they leave.
But passives need attention too because they can be much harder to spot. A detractor may tell you exactly what has gone wrong, whereas a passive may simply become less engaged, attend less frequently and eventually leave when another option comes along.
A simple conversation asking, “We noticed you scored us a 7. What could we do to make your experience even better?” could uncover something you would never otherwise have known, while also showing the member that their opinion matters.
The goal should be more promoters
Ultimately, we don’t just want members who are satisfied. We want members who genuinely value their experience and become advocates for the organisation.
These are your raving fans: the people who recommend you to friends and family, bring others with them, leave positive reviews and talk positively about their experience.
Those members are incredibly valuable because a strong customer experience can support retention while also helping bring new members through trusted recommendations. Customer experience, retention and acquisition are not separate conversations. They are all closely connected.
And your promoters have something to teach you too. If members are consistently giving you 9s and 10s, understand why. What are staff doing well? What parts of the customer journey are working? What can you replicate across other facilities or services?
The score is only the start
The real value of NPS comes from what happens after the score is collected.
Detractors tell you where something has gone wrong. Passives show you where there is an opportunity to improve. Promoters tell you what you need to protect and do more of.
Before asking how we can get another hundred members through the door, perhaps we also need to ask what the members already inside are telling us.
Stop simply filling the bucket. Listen to your members, understand where the leaks are and start fixing them.
