Is the Age of Customer Service Dead?

One of the pillars The Workshop is built around is community.

It’s a word that gets thrown around far too often without much respect for what it actually means.

When Dad and I started The Workshop, we were adamant that we would never let business get in the way of our customer service. No matter how busy we got or how much we grew, our community would always come first. It’s the foundation we’re built on, and we’d do everything we could to protect it.

Over the last few years, though, I’ve noticed something worrying.

Mediocrity in customer service feels like a pandemic.

It’s as if nobody cares about the little guy anymore. There’s this strange shift where businesses seem to think they’re always right and the customer is simply an inconvenience. I could go much deeper into this because I think it reflects a wider issue in society, where people in positions of power act without consequence while everyone else is expected to accept it. But I’ll save that rant for another day.

The reason I bring it up is that I think it’s changing how businesses operate. Somewhere along the way, many have forgotten what matters most: looking after people.

As a small Irish business, I always try to support other local businesses.

My beautiful sister is getting married soon, and some of the experiences she’s had with wedding vendors have been unbelievable. Going to try on dresses and being treated as if she’s inconveniencing the staff? You’re handing over thousands of euro, yet they make you feel like you’ve insulted them just by walking in the door.

You should leave feeling like a million dollars, not like you’re a nuisance.

I’ve seen it in restaurants too. Charging premium prices for what feels like slop on a plate while barely saying hello. Prices keep rising, but the quality and the service are not!

And then there’s my own industry: Fitness.

It genuinely insults me when I hear about poor service in gyms. If someone has a bad coaching experience, I take it personally. I can’t help it. I believe coach-led fitness should be leading the way, but instead, we’re surrounded by a conveyor belt of mediocrity.

We accept it, and because we accept it, it becomes the norm.

If you’re charging a premium, then first and foremost, you should be coaching, not cheerleading or doubling as a DJ.

People aren’t cattle to be herded around the paddock. Interact with them. Educate them. Entertain them. Make them better.

And any Coach scrolling Instagram while coaching a class should probably be restrained and thrown into Azkaban.

The sad thing is that today, that behaviour has become commonplace.

Recently, one of our members dropped into a large chain gym in Barcelona. The coach was so overbearing that the member actually changed their movement pattern just to get the coach to stop bothering them.

Another story I heard? A gym locked the doors on a 50-year-old man because he arrived late after dropping his child off.

Locked him outside. Wouldn’t let him train. Absolutely wild.

But beyond all of that, here’s my biggest point:

Just be a good human.

If a gym (or a business) makes you doubt yourself or makes you feel small, that’s on them, not you.

Being a coach gives you zero right to talk down to anyone.

Don’t accept it.

We come back to the same issue: people in positions of authority believing they have the right to treat others poorly because nobody challenges them.

At The Workshop, community is our foundation. A gym is built on people, and without those people, you have nothing.

That’s why, in almost five years:

• We don’t charge for towel service.

• We won’t lock you out for being late.

• We love seeing members decked out in Workshop gear, so we regularly give away apparel.

• You can bring your friends when they’re visiting.

• Bring your other half, your kids, and your dog.

It’s a family here.

We love a social night too, but is it really social if I’m asking you to chip in for every little thing? That always seemed a bit wild to me.

There are no late fees. Life happens. Meetings run over. You get stuck in traffic. You’re caught in the rain. Your kid’s match goes into extra time.

Why would we punish you for that?

There are no long-term contracts either.

If someone doesn’t want to be here anymore, of course, we’re sad to see them go, but why would we force them to stay somewhere they no longer want to be?

Customer service should be the bedrock of every business.

Instead, standards seem to be slipping. Prices go up simply because everyone else is increasing theirs, with no improvement in quality. Customers are squeezed at every opportunity through upsells and hidden charges instead of being made to feel valued.

At The Workshop, we make one simple promise.

We’ll strive to give you the best hour of your day.

We’ll always put community front and centre.

And we’ll always lead with kindness.

Because at the end of the day, people will forget your prices, your equipment, and your programming.

But they’ll never forget how you made them feel.