l 77% satisfied overall (very and fairly)with getting a satisfactory answer

l 81% satisfied overall (very and fairly) with good product knowledge

l 79% satisfied overall (very and fairly) with accuracy l 84% satisfied overall (very and fairly) with professionalism

Overall 82% who contacted REPs were satisfied (very and fairly) with the good customer service, and: l 88% who contacted REPs by telephone were satisfied (very and fairly)with the polite and friendly manner

l 86% who contacted REPs by email /letter were satisfied (very and fairly) with good product knowledge

Areas for improvement The results show improvements in the areas we have targeted to date have been sustained. However, we know there is still more to do. Eighty-two per cent of members said that a membership body providing recognition of professional status is important and it is the main reason for joining the Register. Currently, 7 out of 10 members think their interests as fitness professionals are well supported (mainly fairly well). Specific improvements that are wanted are in areas of advertising and promoting the Register to the public and to members, the length of time taken to respond and to make CPD easier and more accessible. This is in addition to a need to continue progress in raising satisfaction to the highest levels and reduce dissatisfaction.

Overall, respondents are more negative this year than last year with regard to how well they feel the Register is advertised and promoted. Overall, about half thought it was well advertised or promoted (very or fairly) compared to 58% last year. However, there is a lot of scope for improvement as only about 1 in 10 considered it to be very well advertised (a reduction from 14% last year) and 45% feel it is not well promoted (29% not very well and 16% not at all well). This is a particularly important area, having established earlier the importance of having a professional status widely recognised by the public.

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%

0% 2011 2010 2009

polite and friendly manner on the telephone

18 2011 2010 2009

clear and polite email/ newsletter

2011 2010 2009 good customer service

Base: Members who had contacted REPs N=346

The REPs Journal 2011;22(September):16-18 The REPS Journal 2009;00(Month):00-00

5% 8%

very satisfied 5%

7% 31% 31% 41% 41% 35% 41% 37% 57% 58% 39% 45% 51% 39% 50% 50% 35%

Figure 3: Satisfaction with the manner of answering enquiries

32% 33%

fairly satisfied 10%

11%

8% 6%

fairly dissatisfied 8%

7%

There are indications throughout the survey that CPD access and awareness can be improved. Some dissatisfaction centres around the information on CPD. There has been some improvement in the proportions of those who find this either fairly or very poor – but there has been a rise in the numbers of those who only consider it okay (37%).

The third main area that needs reviewing is the length of time taken to respond notably for registration. Although the majority of new members had received their documentation in the specified time, only 38% were very satisfied with the speed it took which suggests 28 days may still not be quick enough.

Where queries were not dealt with to a customer’s satisfaction (18% of members with queries) it commonly related to a slow response. Although the proportion of people saying that they are dissatisfied with the speed of response to their letter has fallen this year, a third of people are still dissatisfied with the speed of this service, which shows there is still further room for improvement.

REPS Registrar Jean-Ann Marnoch said “Overall, about nine in ten REPs members feel that a membership body is important to their work and two thirds think it’s very important. Our members continue to be positive, and we’re pleased that 70 per cent feel their interests are well supported by the Register. Obviously, there remains scope for improvement as we try to reduce the quarter of members who feel we don’t support their interests very well. We’ll continue to listen to our members’ feedback in order to improve the products and services we offer so that they are the best they can possibly be”.

In summary, the significant improvements seen last year have been sustained and members have become more aware of promotional products to help in publicly promoting the Register. Nothing stays still, and we still aim to improve on our current service levels.

10% 10%

very dissatisfied 7%

11%

6% 10%

16% 13%