Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
So we’ve already talked about trying to set the perfect temperature in a float tank, now listen to Graham and Ashkahn talk about how they deal with complaints from customers about it at Float On.
Show Resources
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: And today’s question is “how do you handle temperature complaints in your float tanks?”
Ashkahn: The friggin’ temperature complaint are-
Graham: Yeah, and we-
Ashkahn: Okay. Getting me all riled up over here!
Graham: We do have an episode where we talk about how to actually try to get the perfect temperature in the float rooms, things like that. So we won’t concentrate on that so much. Just like, once someone’s come out of their float and complained, what do you do?
Ashkahn: So it’s just frustrating, because it’s like it’s just the most frequent complaint you’re gonna get. It’s just because it’s hard. It’s just really hard to maintain temperature perfectly.
Graham: And if it’s not the most frequent complaint you get, you’re really doing something else very wrong. Like listen to those other complaints very closely.
Ashkahn: So I mean, you can try to fix it for their next float, is part of it, right? And most people are satisfied with that. You’re saying “Hey, you know” … All your scheduling software has a way for you to put notes somewhere. So putting a note onto someone’s account saying “Hey, this person likes it a little bit warmer, or a little bit colder,” letting the customer know that you did that. “Hey, I put a note on your account and next time you come in, we’ll turn the temperature up for you a little bit.” 90% of the time, that’s enough for them to be like “Okay, cool, yeah that sounds great. Next time I come, we’ll give it a go.”
Graham: And also along with that too, you know, if they really had a miserable experience. Like if they come out and they’re like “Man, I was shivering there the whole time,” or they get out early because the temperature was either too cold or too hot, or something like that, offering a free float is a really good way to get them back in, as well. So it’s kind of like it’s sort of like a one-two whammy of like “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ll put a note on your account. The temperature will either be adjusted up or down next time you come in. And here’s a free float to come try that again. We just can’t get the temperature right for everyone. It’s just how our bodies work. We keep it at the average point for people, but everyday we still have people it’s just not their exact body temperature. So please come try it again on the house. It’ll be better then.” And that’s kind of … Again, for those cases where it did ruin their float because the temperature was so far off a good addition.
Ashkahn: And another thing that’s good to clarify that I found this question really useful when I started asking it was did they feel like the air was cold or the water was cold? Because often when you ask, they’ll know. They’ll be like “Oh, it was the air. The top of my body felt really cold.” And that helps you figure out hey, do I need to turn the air temperature up, or the water temperature? Or am I getting consistent complaints about one versus the other, and it helps you kind of adjust a little bit to cut those down.
Graham: For sure. And just as a little point of interest too, I found that especially for women, the air temperature seems to be more, what’s the word? Finicky, or you have to get it more precise for them to really feel comfortable. And I’m not sure if it’s just breasts being exposed and that being a little more sensitive on women than men, but they do seem to really be cued into that air temperature a lot more than men do, which I found interesting.
Ashkahn: Yeah, and at the end of the day, this whole thing is just so uncontrollable. It’s crazy. Someone will come in the next time and their body will be in different place and maybe they just ate, or maybe they just worked out, or maybe it’s a different time of day and they’ll just be running at a different temperature. So despite your best efforts, there’s only so much you can do that will actually make the temperature perfect for everybody.
Graham: Yeah, for sure. What else … I guess, the other side of this is sometimes it’s actually hard to get complaints out of people as well.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: So finding multiple ways to try and solicit those … And again, usually it’s a complaint about temperature. But a lot of people get out and they’re like “Oh, maybe I just run a little …” It’s amazing how much guilt I think people carry around with them.
Ashkahn: They think they screwed it up.
Graham: The amount of floaters who get out and they were cold and they feel like it’s their fault, and so they don’t mention it is non-trivial. It’s actually a huge percentage of people.
Ashkahn: Yeah, we do like a feedback email. So if it’s gone three months and you haven’t floated after you came in and floated with us, you’ll get an automated email from us asking you for feedback and I’d say the most common thing we get back is someone saying “It was nice, but I felt a little bit cold, or I felt a little bit hot.”
Graham: Other than just incredibly positive feedback, which I’d say is the most common.
Ashkahn: Or like “I moved, that’s why I haven’t floated again.” We get some of those. But in terms of the complaints, that’s definitely the lion’s share of them. And these are people who I don’t think mentioned that to us after their floats. They didn’t come out and say that to the person working the front desk or anything. They just kind of sat there, went home, and then three months later, once they got this email, they’re like “Oh, this is why. I was just kind of uncomfortable in there.”
Graham: Yeah, so figuring out some way for collecting information that’s not just passive and relying and people coming out and complaining, whatever that is, I think is a good method to get to the bottom of this too. Is there anything else do we handle temperature complaints? Tell the person never to come back. “Get out of here, man. The temperature is the temperature.”
Ashkahn: It’s perfect. You’re the one who’s wrong. Yeah, I mean, just keeping a good eye on temperature, really trying to … We’re constantly testing and adjusting and listening to the feedback and stuff like that. That’s just part of the process in cutting down on the complaints in the first place.
Graham: Alright. Great question and as always, if you have questions of your own, don’t hesitate to send them in. Floattanksolutions.com/podcast.
Recent Podcast Episodes
How long should an e-mail be? – DSP 250
In this sports analogy laden episode, Graham and Derek talk about effective copywriting tactics when writing out an email to the loyal customers of float centers across the globe.
They line out the importance of focusing on a short, sweet, and simple message, while outlining some strategies at Float On that are used with that in mind.
Getting Salty with Speakers: John Turner – DSP 249
Ashkahn takes the reigns on the show to talk to John Turner, a professor at the Medical University of Toledo and one of the original researchers into the benefits of float tanks.
They discuss some of the surprising benefits of floating, mindfulness, and just good ways to live a positive life. A very heartwarming and lovely chat.
Good Float Center T-Shirt Designs – DSP 248
What makes a good float center t-shirt? Is it about branding and being informative? Should it look cool or simple? Or does it have to do with comfort over design?
Graham and Ashkahn have some capital O Opinions about this so strap in and listen to them discuss all about the t-shirts they sell for Float On and the evolution of that process.
All the Float Conference Questions – DSP 247
The Float Conference is an exciting time and the way the rest of the industry talks about it sometimes borders on reverence. If you’ve never been before, then it can be simultaneously exciting and overwhelming trying to anticipate exactly what this event is going to be like.
Fortunately, Graham and Ashkahn are here to walk you through what to expect from the Conference and how to prepare for the wildest weekend of the year for the entire float industry.
What’s a Good Cancellation Policy for Float Centers? – DSP 246
There are few things more frustrating than having customers schedule early and then having them cancel, or worse, just fail to show. So how does Float On handle it?
Well, Graham and Ashkahn share their thoughts on this as well as commiserate with every float center our there that has a problem with cancellations. They share some tips, tricks, and advice on how to properly lie to customers for the best result.
Latest Blog Posts
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #13
Passing through Virginia and Maryland, we thought that if all serving politicians, lobbyists, Supreme Court justices, and the President of the United States of America floated on a regular basis, it’d be easy to imagine that the world would be a better place.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #12
In this issue of The Float Tour Blog, we visit centers across 3 states and catch up with a few long time friends and a familiar voice to a lot of float center owners.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #11
This issue of The Float Tour Blog focuses on our exploration into floating in the Deep South. Graham, Ashkahn, and JT tours centers in Louisiana and Georgia while also visiting the largest cryotherapy manufacturer in the USA.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #10
Floating has definitely found a home here in the big cities: Dallas, Austin, and Houston.
Texas has several centers that started as holdouts of floating from before 2010, but new centers are popping up on a regular basis.