6 Customer Retention Strategies for your Music School

Customer retention is one of the most important aspects of running a music school business. Unfortunately, many business owners are purely focused on targeting new clients and forget about their older customers, which is a serious mistake.

To fully understand the situation, let us begin by defining the term.

Customer retention can be described as how long a company can keep their clients on board for a period of time. Student loyalty is key as it will keep your school successful and maintain profits. According to a study done by Bain & Company, if customer retention rates are increased by only 5%, profits will increase from anywhere between 25% to 95%! The numbers say it all!

To help your school succeed, we have compiled a list of six effective strategies to ensure customer retention. Your relationship with the students and parents in your school is of the utmost importance, and with these note-worthy methods, your music school will never B-flat again!

1. Provide Excellent Service on a Consistent Basis

You may have promised new students a high level of education, knowledgeable music instructors, as well as a proper learning environment to get them to sign up. However, your efforts cannot stop there. To keep students coming back year after year, you have to provide excellent service on a consistent basis.

Make sure that the curriculum caters to your particular students’ needs and abilities. It should foster their development and encourage them to grow into better musicians year after year. If students feel like they are evolving, they will continue at your institution.

Hire the best music instructors who are not only accomplished performers or talented musicians, but people who can actually develop a friendly rapport with students. It is of the utmost importance that your teachers are welcoming and approachable. Creating a safe and warm learning environment is vital for students to feel comfortable.

Lastly, proper facilities such as new instruments, spacious classrooms, and a performance area are imperative. Keep an eye out for broken strings and dirty classrooms, to ensure an excellent and clean-cut environment. If your clients’ expectations and desires are not being met, then they may look to your competitors.

Many music schools start off strong, but soon their level of education and proper facilities decline. Consistency is vital to providing excellent customer service. In this way, students and parents at your school will trust you and know that your school is reliable. Maintaining this excellent level of service year after year, will contribute to customer retention at your music school.

2. Set Up a Rewards Program

Another surefire way to increase customer retention is to set up a rewards program. Once students feel like they are being valued, they will repay you with their loyalty.

Give students the opportunity to accumulate points for certain actions. For example, if students get a high grade on a music exam, consistently behave well, or have perfect attendance for a specific amount of time, give them loyalty points!

Nothing will satisfy students more than the ability to be recognized for their hard work and good behavior. If students feel that their efforts are being valued, they will treasure your school forever.

Tracking rewards points can become a huge hassle, that’s why we’re here to help! WellnessLiving offers an easy-to-use rewards program that tracks points and rewards for you, so you don’t have to fuss with pen and paper or word processors. Furthermore, WellnessLiving also provides a leaderboard function that showcases top performers. A little friendly competition is a great way to keep your students motivated and engaged.

3. Host Memorable Events

Keep things fresh by hosting electrifying events at your music school! Make students and parents excited about annual shows and they will always be hungry for more.

Annual recitals, for example, are an opportunity for your music school to showcase what your students have been working so hard on throughout the year. Be sure to invite your students’ families and friends! This could also be a great place to raise money for your music school or a local charity.

Hosting masterclasses with famous musicians at various points throughout the year, is another way to build customer retention and keep your students excited about their music. Giving them the opportunity to learn from one of their idols is an experience they will cherish forever.

Keeping your students on their toes by throwing surprise performances by their teachers is another way to give them a thrill. The possibilities are endless!

Once students and parents realize that you are able to execute exhilarating performances time after time, they’ll never want to miss another show again.

4. Let Your Customers Know You Care

Remember that parents and students at your school are so much more than just sale targets.

Here are some ways to connect with your clients!

• Communicate with your students on a personal level by sending them personalized emails or text messages, something with their names on it as opposed to a generic email can speak volumes about your music school.
• Thank-you notes or a mention of your students’ achievements in your monthly school newsletter will also let them know you care.
• Let your clients know that their opinions are valuable by asking for feedback.
• Take suggestions and criticism into account and take it as an opportunity to help your school grow. If you implement ideas that they have provided, the students and parents at your music facility will know what they say truly matters.

In time, your students will thank you with their loyalty. Once they feel like they are more to you than just a number, your customer retention rate will sky rocket.

5. Make your Clients Feel Like they are a Part of the Team

Build customer retention by making your student body feel like they are part of a community. If they feel that they are your partner rather than your customer, your bond will never be broken.

Involve students in creating an anthem (if your school doesn’t already have one!). Give them an opportunity to write the lyrics and create the melody. If your school does already have one, the re-record it with your own students playing the music and singing the words. If they feel they can contribute to a piece of history at your music school, they will forever feel connected to it. Need to come up with a school motto? Allow students to help you write one! If they can participate in building your school’s identity, these musicians will never want to leave.

If you have younger students, invite their parents to faculty events to make them feel like they are part of your school family too. Let them play a part by voicing their opinions and asking for their suggestions before you make any changes to your music school. Reach a decision together, rather than simply informing them of what will happen. Developing a partnership with parents can also be done by reminding them that they have a very important role at home. One of the factors important for their child’s success is their encouragement and dedication. If teachers and parents work together and share in the child’s success, an everlasting bond will be created.

6. Resolve Issues Quickly

Exceptional schools are able to flip a difficult situation into a positive experience. If you can resolve issues quickly, then you will excel at customer retention.

Address criticism and negative comments you may receive immediately, and in a professional manner. Schedule a follow up meeting with the student or parent soon after, to ensure they feel that their complaints have been properly addressed. If clients choose to complain online or on social media, thank them and assure them that their issue will immediately be tended to. Later, you can invite them to your school to discuss it further (if needed). If the public sees that you respond to criticism in a proficient way online, your school will gain credibility. People will know you are not afraid of criticism and are professional in the way that you manage it.

Once your school can help a client by personally working to solve their issue, a new level of trust will be established. They will know that they can count on you in the future, which will always lead to customer retention.

All in all…

Acquiring new clients is always a challenge, but the even bigger challenge is keeping them on board for a lengthy period of time. We’re here to help you reach your maximum potential. And hopefully with our tips, your customer retention rates will soar!

Consider important factors such as always providing consistent, excellent service in addition to setting up rewards programs. If students feel like they’re being recognized and appreciated for their work, they will never consider leaving your school. Hosting fun events is another way to keep your clients hooked! Make your music school performances the talk of the town, so students will always want to be part of them. Remember that your customers are people who want to know that you appreciate them. Show them you care and make them feel like part of your school family. Lastly, if tensions arise, resolve them with grace and ensure that your clients can always count on you.

We would love to help your music school succeed with our exclusive, unique software! Not only can WellnessLiving provide you with exceptional service, but we can help guide you through all your marketing needs. Book a free, no-commitment demo with us and learn how we can take your music school to its highest note!