Introduction Customer Relationship Management-Samples for Students

Question: Les Mills New Zealand Les Mills is a New Zealand owned fitness chain whose stated purpose is to improve the lives of New Zealanders. There are several parts to Les Mills fitness, including Les Mills Gyms, Les Mills New Zealand and Les Mills International. The Les Mills International system is complex and dynamic. You will be required to describe and apply management principles covered in the course. Answer: Introduction Les Mills is a New Zealand based fitness chain. In 1968, Les Mills began its operations in Auckland. Currently, the company is associated with 12 fitness gyms in New Zealand and has approximately 17, 500 licensed partners in 100 nations (Andreasson Johansson, 2016). Phillip Mills, the founder of the organization, is recognized for his special role in developing an effective approach to choreography, group workouts, instructor training, and using music to achieve a motivational and safe workout experience for all customers. Les Mills creates opportunities for both individual and group workout programs and also offers leasing space for supporting businesses such as beauty stores and nutrition shops. Other sources of income for Les Mills include offering licenses to non-associated gyms, as well as selling Les Mills products. The prime mission of Les Mills is to create a fit and healthy world. Organizational culture Through team building and effective communication strategies, Les Mills has been able to build a strong team and a positive organizational culture. Notably, each employee is given a book which describes the organizational culture at Les Mills. This book acts as an effective communication channel which enlightens the employees about what is expected from them. The book further describes the mission, philosophy, and team environment of the organization. Les Mills is determined to listen to employees grievances, feedbacks, and opinions. By doing so, Les Mills is able to foster a collaborative working environment that supports the growth of the staff and business. Evidently, the company is willing to work with risk takers and innovators who aim to create a fit and healthy world. Through effective communication and team building, Les Mills employees are able to work as one tribe united by the core purpose of changing the planet. By 2020, the company intends to achieve a billion dollar status. In order to achieve this, the company aims to keep all employees well informed (Macnamara Zerfass, 2012). Les Mills constantly informs its employees about online collaborations, staff meetings, conference calls, training sessions, and e-newsletters. Staff satisfaction Effective communication and team building strategies ensure that the employees are satisfied. Les Mills conducts annual reviews to determine the performance of each employee. The annual review aims to create objectives and encourage constructive feedback. It should be noted, however, that this review is not connected to the salary review. The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) explain more about individual performance. Therefore, the employees can relate their performance to the business outcomes (Dyer Dyer, 2013). KPIs create a platform where employees can achieve their goals while reporting, standardizing, and measuring performance (Sekaran Bougie, 2016). Also, Les Mills seeks to build a contented team by re-investing in them. A three percent of every employees salary is re-invested into their training. At each level, the group fitness instructors undergo vigorous training. Les Mills also offers a platform for leadership development. Potential leaders from all organizational areas and levels are given tools and resources they need to meet the values and expectations of the company. Customer satisfaction The companys customers range from 18 to 35 years of age who acknowledge the importance of group fitness. Most customers are confident, self-driven and live or work close to the gym. The loyal, engaged, and motivated team of instructors at Les Mills ensures the customers are always satisfied. The managers communicate to their team of instructors about the companys vision and goals. This helps to create energized and great teams capable of delivering outstanding results (Van Vaerenbergh, Larivire Vermeir, 2012). The impact of the good communication and team building approaches is a contented customer base. Les Mills also ensures that the customers are satisfied by providing a social workout experience. The social experience is coupled with motivated instructors, music, and technology. The wall-screens and innovative equipment at Les Mills provide a fun and positive mindset for its customers. Les Mills adds flavor to its world class brand by seeking endorsement from celebrities. The celebrities act as a communication channel through which customers are informed and convinced to use the brand (Shockley-Zalabak, 2014). This definitely plays a special role in improving customer satisfaction. The customers share the feeling and pride of being associated with a world class brand. Moreover, Les Mills adopts Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategies to create and maintain a good relationship with its customers. Evidently, the company compares and takes lessons from the best global companies, even if they are not related to the industry. The management relays this information to the staff who in turn use it to provide the best training to customers. This paper clearly illustrates the role communication and team work strategies play towards achieving a positive culture and ensuring the customers and employees are contented. References Van Vaerenbergh, Y., Larivire, B., Vermeir, I. (2012). The impact of process recovery communication on customer satisfaction, repurchase intentions, and word-of-mouth intentions.Journal of Service Research,15(3), 262-279. Sekaran, U., Bougie, R. (2016).Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley Sons. Andreasson, J., Johansson, T. (2016). Doing for group exercise what McDonald's did for hamburgers: Les Mills, and the fitness professional as global traveller.Sport, Education and Society,21(2), 148-165. Dyer, W. G., Dyer, J. H. (2013).Team building: Proven strategies for improving team performance. John Wiley Sons. Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2014).Fundamentals of organizational communication. Pearson. Macnamara, J., Zerfass, A. (2012). Social media communication in organizations: The challenges of balancing openness, strategy, and management.International Journal of Strategic Communication,6(4), 287-308.