Neil Gillis, the recently appointed chief executive of Esporta, believes great customer service is what the health and fitness industry is lacking.

Speaking to Health Club Management magazine, Gillis said: “I’ve been a member of a health club for as long as I can remember and no one ever says ‘hello’ to me or knows my name.

“Members aren’t greeted in this industry, they’re ignored. The assets are terrific and the facilities are wonderful, but to some extent, gyms are just big rooms full of kit, without any friendliness, help or advice.”

He also said he plans to get rid of turnstiles in all Esporta clubs. “Turnstiles are awful,” he said. “There’s no human interaction and you feel like cattle being processed.

“I want to get rid of all turnstiles, so members and receptionists will interact. It’s much harder to operate a club with receptionists swiping cards rather than turnstiles, but as with most things in life, the harder they are, the better.”

Gillis takes the helm at Esporta as the seventh chief executive in two years and knows he has a huge task ahead of him: “People are very cynical,” he said. “Whatever I say, they come back with ‘Well, the previous six said that and it never happened, so what makes you any different?’ So what am I going to do to make a difference? Well, stay for a start!

“I’m not going to promise anything, because everyone has heard it all six times before. All I can say is I’m keen to deliver quickly, so wait and see.

“I’ve got six months to get the confidence of the people in this business and if, at the end of that six months, things haven’t significantly changed for the better, then I haven’t done my job.” For the full interview see Health Club Management, October 2003, p30