Mark Rendell, CEO of BK’s Gymnastics, shares his tips on building a successful child-focused business.

Working with parents and their children can be very rewarding – but it also brings a unique set of challenges. 

Understandably, parents are the most discerning and cautious of all customers. They want and expect the best for their children, and that can work in your favour. When they find a business they love they spread the word. 

For parents, the professional, prompt, reliable and friendly service they expect from every business is just the beginning. When they’re choosing for their children they want customer service to be exceptional – and this is the key to establishing loyalty and building a word-of-mouth network with the potential to take your franchise from strength to strength. 

Here are the ABCs.

A: Awareness

To a parent, a child is the most important thing in the world. As a business owner, you need to show parents you understand and respect that. This includes knowing each child by name and learning about their needs, likes, dislikes and fears as well as their birthday and a little about their family, such as whether they have siblings. Awareness also applies to your interactions with parents – are you really listening, and watching nonverbal communication too? Parenting doesn’t always go to plan so you should also be prepared to be flexible and understanding. 

B: Bring the fun

Even though the parent pays the bill, the child is the end customer – and a happy child means a happy parent. Creating an environment where children feel safe, relaxed and able to enjoy themselves has a lot to do with the people you hire. Not everyone has the skills to work with kids, so finding and training people who are positive, passionate and patient is essential. Look at your offering through the eyes of a child and let this shape your programs, your processes and your culture. 

C: Clear, concise communication

Parents are often very busy, multi-tasking every day. To help make their lives easier, and make it easier for them to do business with you, use simple and regular communication to remind them of important dates, alert them to cancelled services and present new and special offers. Brief messages are best, with dot points for key information. Ask parents whether they prefer text or email and use it.

Many parents take care of their life admin at night when the house is quiet so after-hours communication channels are also important. Offer options such as email, instant messenger and voicemail so that they can contact you at any time, and make sure a staff member checks and responds to those messages the following morning.

D: Doors open

Being transparent with parents is an important part of building trust and open-door policies work well. Parents should be able to access all areas, especially early in the relationship, so they can see the spaces their children occupy and the people who will be around them. Parents want health, happiness and safety for their children. It’s up to you to show them how you are meeting each of those needs.

E: Easy payments

Keep payment options simple and automated where possible. These days, most people expect to be able to pay online. Most public primary schools, for example, have moved to payment apps for lunch orders, excursions and other costs because they work so well. 

Set yourself apart

When you’re working with parents and their children, the quality of your customer service and the relationships you build can set you apart from the competition and help you create a loyal following of appreciative parents and happy kids.