I recently checked out a local skincare franchise and soon regretted it. I was bombarded by multiple texts and messages. The sales pitch was strong! I choose to do facials and other treatments for pampering and relaxing and this approach was anything but soothing. If felt intrusive. I don’t mind a reminder about my appointment and find that helpful but the constant sales pitch for items I don’t intend to buy turns me off.

I recieve messages and emails regularly from companies that want to ‘make my life easier’ be turning my prospect snd client interactions into artificial intelligent conversations with a robot. Yuck. Maybe I’m showing my age but this is just not for me or how i’d want you to interact with Surprise Pilates.

Last week I had a call with our software company to review new features. The marketing expert I spoke with was delighted to share with me all about their ‘push notifications’ feature. If you aren’t sure what that is (I wasn’t) - it’s a marketing approach to send regular texts daily or at the time frame you set up to all of your clients or prospects. You’ve probably received push notifications from companies like “We see you looked at our products - buy before they are gone!” These tactics haven’t encouraged me to buy or act and I have found them a nuisance. Maybe millennials feel differently?

Have you ever chosen the text option when there has been an issue with a company? Rarely have I gotten a resolution for my issue because it doesn’t ‘fit’ what the robot is programed to handle. I am a fan of good old fashion person to person communication. I get that it may cost more to pay a person but the experience is better and the resolution is better.

When I think about Surprise Pilates and the experience I want you to have - it’s personal. It’s not automated messages and preplanned impersonal texts. When you have a problem, I want to know the details so we can fix it and fix it right for you. I like being a small business because it allows me to be more flexible. If the rules need to change or evolve they can. The solution may be different for different students based on their needs.

We treat each body as an individual at Surprise Pilates - shouldn’t our communication match that, too? Call me old fashioned but the only robot I intend to ‘employ’ at Surprise Pilates is our Roomba vacuum cleaner!