Feedback gathering in sport centres and its effect on service quality: A Finnish case study

Abstract

The objective of this study was to find out the current practices of customer feedback gathering in sport centres and how those affected the sport centre management decision making, especially when it comes to improving service quality. This study is justified by the lack of literature on the topic as well as the importance of customer feedback in the growing sport centre market. In this study sport centre is defined as a building where different sports can be played, differentiating it from sport stadiums and fitness centres.

The study explores this topic by reviewing the relevant literature on the topic and interviewing eight Finnish sport centre managers on the subject. The major findings of the study were that the interviewed Finnish sport centres used passive feedback gathering in their daily operations and used yearly surveys as their active feedback gathering method. They stated that their goals were to find improvement ideas and problems in the sport centre.

The study also found that positive feedback was more common in the interviewed Finnish sport centres and they relied heavily on word of mouth to gain new customers. Comparatively, the international methods of gathering customer feedback found through the literature review were more analytical in nature, whereas the Finnish methods were more practical and focused on immediate response.