Customer Relationship Management – An Effective Appliance of Money – Making Fitness Centres in India Mrs. Jyothirmai V.*, Prof. Mohan V. Krishna** *Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Vignan's Institute of Information Technology, Visakhapatnam, A.P, India **Professor, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Etcherla, Srikakulam, A.P, India Online published on 5 July, 2014. Abstract Over the past numerous years, there has been a gradual shift in consumer attitudes towards diet, health and lifestyle. Increasing awareness on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle combined with an obesity crisis is putting an additional strain on the healthcare system which is driving demand for personal care, nutritional supplements, fitness products & services. At this juncture several National and International Fitness Centres and health clubs have been mushroomed up to capture the unlimited customer base, and a ferocious competition is existing among the marketers of Fitness services. Customers are the central focus of any organization, therefore the mission of an organization is to create and enhance the customer relationships in-order to retain them, which has become a major challenge in the present context. To accomplish a competitive edge, organizations have to differentiate themselves in the minds of customers. The key purpose of the study is therefore to identify various strategies of customer relationship and retention that are being adopted at marketable health and fitness centers in Visakhapatnam, India. Data collection is done by administering a questionnaire to a sample of commercial fitness centers Owners and managers. The findings specified that most of the health and fitness centers implement strategies such as proper mechanism for complaints handling, analyzing competitor strategies, focus on service monitoring, incentive strategies and membership renewal strategies in-order to retain customers. Amongst the different strategies implemented emphasis on service quality and providing modern equipment and technology yielded better results. In order to retain customers, it is important for marketers to have an in-depth knowledge of customer wants & requirements and the capability they have to add endless customer value. Top Keywords Customer Relationship, Customer-retention, Health& fitness, Marketing strategies. Top |