Balancing satisfaction

Viewing a workout at the gym as something I 'get' to do for myself, an hour and a half of solace and recreation, helps this healthy event happen more frequently.  My MP3 player is loaded with tunes that I wouldn't ask others to be subjected to, but to me, it makes my session at the gym more eagerly anticipated, and strengthens my soul and committment to self while the exercise strenthens my heart and muscles.

After 15 minutes of working out on a cross trainer this morning, the gym staff put on some rap music - consistent, perhaps, with the gym's mission of offering an upbeat party atmosphere. The music was so loud it rendered it impossible to hear my music through my ear phones with the volume up full tilt. Granted, the cross trainer du choix was near a speaker;  I could have moved to another kind of machine. I went to the front desk and asked if the music would stay loud as I couldn't hear it. The person that dealt with me had just been creatively helpful around another question; my request was met with an eye roll directed at a co-worker standing by, and an "I can turn it down A BIT". Speaking of not hearing, I wasn't heard. Just another fussy person that was part of the daily grind.  That's what I mean about focusing on the experience of  the customer, the client, the passenger, the patient, the student, or the guest - by focusing on their experience instead of policy that doesn't make sense or what is good for the service provider - one is empowered to make the business thrive while attending to delighting themselves as well in the bargain.

I did my hour on the machine. When I was ready to leave, I explained to the guest service agent (my term) that I'd been impressed by the helpfulness I'd received when I'd asked a question regarding facilities at other clubs, but was puzzled by the attitude around music. 95% of customers working out appear to have earphones - and yet music is cranked up loud enough for folks to hear as if they didn't. I explained how perplexing a strategy this was to me. To the agent's credit, I was asked to fill in a form for the suggestion box and listened to very well. Situation was handled well - but will I hear the music again and need to give up on my own tunes? 

Handling this well both satisfies or delights the customer and the agent - the agent feels good about themselves finding a solution to delight the customer, and the customer gets what they are seeking in their experience.

Stay tuned.....