A success case in the fitness world

Thanks to its customer care services and innovative technological choices based on automation and AI, INGO has managed to create an advanced Contact Center service for a well-known international fitness chain.

Who is the client company:

Virgin Active is an international chain of fitness centers that is part of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. Founded in the late 1990s in the United Kingdom, Virgin operates in the fitness industry.
The brand stands out for offering a unique training experience: «a new way of understanding overall well-being that includes not only physical fitness but also mental well-being, not just a gym but a club to belong to».
This is achieved through personalized training programs and subscription formulas suitable for all needs, including club access (with unique and exclusive spaces), digital home training, and assistance from qualified personal trainers to help members achieve their goals.

“With INGO, we offer an accessible ANYTIME and ANYWHERE assistance experience.”

DIEGO FUSETTO – Customer Relations Manager at Virgin Active

What were the client’s needs?

• Why did the company contact INGO?
  
  Virgin has been collaborating with INGO since 2021: the client was looking for a new partner to manage their customer service through a tender process that also included an on-site assessment.
  Thanks to the meeting, a relationship of trust was immediately established between the two entities, and Virgin chose INGO to successfully manage their excellent customer service.

• What were their needs?
  
  Initially, in 2021, the client requested the development of a Contact Center service that focused on qualitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and quantitative Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
  Thanks to the achieved results, starting from 2023, Virgin expressed the desire to introduce an innovative service that could provide customer support for the use of self-service solutions already partially implemented, using technology and artificial intelligence,resulting in streamlining and optimizing customer experience processes.
  
  
• What services were needed and what were the goals set?
  
  Virgin requested the development of Contact Center activities with a focus on supporting the members of the then 37 clubs (now 40) in managing their subscriptions for:
  
• Information about clubs/courses/schedules/possible maintenance
• Information about additional services
• Payments
• Course bookings
• Digital content / AP
  
  

The goal was to improve the overall customer experience and increase member satisfaction.

What did INGO achieve?

INGO provided a range of services to meet the needs of Virgin Active starting from the year of activation of Customer Care.
In 2021, an active Contact Center was set up from Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, with support in Italian and English.
The client also requested INGO to manage appointment scheduling for a limited period in response to lead generation.
In 2022, INGO launched a chat service similar to the one provided through the inbound telephone channel, allowing customers to interact via chat for immediate assistance.
In the same year, a Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) service was activated, which is still active, allowing each member to provide feedback on the service at the end of the call, taking into account parameters related to:

• Courtesy of the operator
• Preparation and completeness of information
• Overall evaluation of INGO’s customer service

In 2023, INGO redesigned the user’s customer journey, introducing process automation and artificial intelligence through a sophisticated VoiceBOT, in order to improve the customer experience and manage standardized interactions, simplifying the customer support process.

Since 2024, INGO has been working on integrating the XCALLY and Zendesk systems, enabling the automatic generation of support tickets on Zendesk with customer data found or created during interactions.

The results achieved

The implementation of INGO’s services has led to significant improvements in Virgin Active’s customer service. Thanks to the activation of the Contact Center, Virgin has experienced increased customer satisfaction due to the high competence of the agents. The introduction of the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) feature has allowed members to provide immediate feedback on the service experience, providing INGO with insights into service quality and enabling necessary changes if required.

The use of bots and VoiceBOTs has improved operational efficiency, with up to 40% of calls being handled in an automated manner, and an increase in the number of calls taken for first-level assistance, enabling faster and more accurate handling of customer requests.
Waiting times have also been reduced by 40%, resulting in approximately 15% cost savings.

The integration of the XCALLY and Zendesk systems will provide a more integrated workflow and better traceability of customer interactions, allowing Virgin to map and update the customer journey as needed.

Overall, thanks to the partnership with INGO, Virgin Active has been able to meet its needs to improve customer service, meet the required SLAs, and introduce new innovative solutions to support customers in managing their subscriptions and achieving their fitness and well-being goals.