things better. Pierre Cachet, chief execu- tive officer at EFQM says: “In any sector, it’s important to gain an external view of how robust your internal manage- ment processes are and it’s increasingly important to be able to demonstrate this to your customers, partners and other stakeholders. Assessments and awards generate this confidence and in the current climate, awards can be used to demonstrate that the services offered are recognised by an independent third par- ty as exceptional and so help businesses differentiate themselves.” According to McLeod, sports clubs and


leisure centres shouldn’t underestimate the tangible benefits for partners and the industry as a whole, either. “Research suggests that Clubmark clubs help lo- cal authorities achieve targets for youth participation and improve school-club links. They deploy more coaches and work harder to develop their skills, thus leading to better quality provision and improved player performance. And the mark gives people confidence when con- sidering a club, hence helping to boost introductory participation,” she says. Ultimately, investing in a manage-


ment standard will improve the quality of service a sports club or leisure centre de- livers, which can only be a good thing for the industry. Monkhouse says: “A centre is only ever as good as its worst lifeguard or duty manager.” Cachet agrees: “That’s the point of quality awards – even if a centre gains nothing else from the pro- cess, they will at least get their staff to the basic standard, which can only lead to increased customer satisfaction, more re- ferrals, improved processes, more people participating and a better bottom line.”


Issue 1 2011 © cybertrek 2011


THE MAJOR MODELS QUEST


Quest has defined good practice and ongoing development within a custom- er-focused management framework for more than 12 years. A tool for con- tinuous improvement, it is delivered by leisure professionals and involves mystery shopper visits plus an assess- ment every two years, after which centres get an overall banded score. The award was taken over by leisure


consultants Right Directions – in part- nership with Leisure-net Solutions – at the end of 2010 and a new, enhanced Quest has already been launched. Quest 2011 differs from the old model in that it will have two levels – an entry-level one-day assessment, which takes in the core fundamentals of running a leisure facility, plus a more advanced two-day assessment for centres wishing to push themselves beyond the basic badge. At the advanced level, facilities also have the freedom to choose specific modules to be assessed on in addition to the core areas. Unlike other quality marks, Quest is


the only award that solely assesses lei- sure facilities and sports development teams. “That’s the thing that makes


Quest 2011 stand out; it‘s been written by the sector, for the sector and assess- ments are carried out by informed peers who are sourced from within the sector,” says regional manager of David Monk- house. “The self-selection element of the advanced day-two award also means it can be made specifically relevant to each and every centre.” To kick-start the process, sports clubs


and leisure centres need to purchase a Quest pack. They can start the procedure by completing a self-assessment ques- tionnaire, a mystery shopper visit is then undertaken before a two-day facility assessment. The centre then gets an an- nual mystery guest visit and an assessor spends one day reviewing its progress. The cost of this service is £2,300. The new Quest offers a one-day mystery customer and a one-day assessment for smaller fa- cilities. The cost for this is £850. For more information visit www.questnbs.org


EFQM


The aim of the EFQM Excellence Model put simply is to help any organisation achieve sustainable excellence. The as- sessment framework aims to help leaders to deliver strategy and managers to lead improvements while engaging em- ployees in change and helping them to understand how they can contribute. “The EFQM Model helps identify areas


where the efficiency of internal processes can be improved and focuses on areas that are critical for success – in short, you can deliver increased value with reduced


Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 51


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