Why embracing negative feedback is essential

Organizations that only send surveys to satisfied members miss out on valuable opportunities. Feedback, after all, is a great foundation for growth. The Net Promoter Score is an excellent tool for gathering feedback, but it’s not just about the score.

By ignoring feedback and brushing aside complaints, you risk losing valuable members. But did you know that moments of criticism actually offer a great opportunity to regain your members’ trust and strengthen their loyalty?

Every form of feedback is a key to improvement. Let’s not shut ourselves off from growth and innovation—welcome negative feedback with open arms! Here are three reasons why it’s essential to embrace it.

1. Increase loyalty with problem-solving

Think about the best experiences you’ve had. What really sticks with you? Often, it’s not the flawless moments but the times when something went wrong or when extra effort was put in to resolve the issue. Complaints were taken seriously and addressed!

Be open to less-than-perfect experiences, show problem-solving ability, and support your members. Address complaints directly, investigate the problem, and learn from it. Athletes remember your attention and appreciate when you take the time to respond and seriously address a feedback point. This phenomenon is known as the Service Recovery Paradox.

The Service Recovery Paradox

The Service Recovery Paradox shows that members who experience a problem—but have it quickly and adequately resolved—are often more satisfied with their sports experience than members for whom everything went smoothly from the start. Even if a mistake is made, when it’s corrected well, sometimes even exceeding expectations, it shows that you don’t have to be perfect. Making mistakes is okay, as long as you show that you’re there to resolve them. Unresolved issues, however, can be extremely damaging. Trust is lost, and your member/athlete will seek alternatives.

Mistakes happen, but make sure you and your team are ready to turn a negative experience into a positive one.

2. See it as the key to athletic improvement

Of course, it’s important to focus on positive feedback. But if you only concentrate on that, you’ll never know how to make your club even better. Negative feedback highlights where things might still be lacking and provides insight into the steps needed for athletic improvement.

3. Negative feedback keeps you sharp and performance-focused

By looking at areas for improvement and embracing negative feedback, you stay sharp and performance-focused. However, don’t focus too much on the negative feedback alone—also share the positive. This encourages your colleagues to go that extra mile for members. Both positive and negative feedback can be brought to your team’s attention by creating a compilation.

Thank your ‘critical’ athletes

Which member would you prefer? A member who gives feedback and offers criticism about your sports club or class offerings? Or a member who silently participates without saying a word?

The first member is actually more valuable, even though they may seem more demanding. Their actions show that they are engaged with your club. It has become an important part of their daily life, so it’s in their interest to help you improve. Thank your critical athletes and let them know you value their input.