| name | member-onboarding-and-retention |
| description | Build the first-30-days onboarding and the attendance-signal early-warning system that keep members: first-visit-at-signup, an early-frequency target, a check-in cadence, and a churn-save flow that matches the offer to the cancel cause instead of reflex-discounting. Retention benchmarks are verify-at-use. |
Member Onboarding & Retention
The first 30 days decide the member. Early attendance frequency is the best predictor of who stays — so onboarding is a retention investment, and the save you make on a decaying member is cheaper than the one you acquire to replace them.
The first-30-days sequence
signup -> book the first visit NOW -> set a goal + baseline
-> hit the early-frequency target (the habit threshold)
-> scheduled check-ins through the honeymoon window
-> member crosses the "sticky" attendance milestone
The habit threshold (visits/week in the first weeks that predicts retention) is [verify-at-use] against your own cohort data — but the principle holds: a member who never builds a visit habit churns.
The attendance-signal early-warning system
Churn is predicted by attendance decay, not the cancel form:
| Signal | Risk | Action |
|---|
| Visits/week trending down | Rising | Proactive check-in / re-engage |
| Days-since-last-visit crossing a threshold | High | Personal outreach before they call |
| Missed a re-book after onboarding | Early cliff | Onboarding follow-up |
| Cancel request | Confirmed | Cause-first save flow (below) |
Cause-first save flow
Match the offer to the real reason — never a blanket discount:
| Cancel cause | Best save (not a discount) |
|---|
| Price / affordability | Downgrade tier or class-pack, not a permanent discount |
| Life change / travel | Freeze or pause |
| Injury / health | Medical pause + return plan |
| Boredom / plateau | Program change, new class type, PT assessment |
| Moved away | Graceful let-go + win-back list |
Metrics
| Metric | Note |
|---|
| 30/60/90-day retention by cohort | The onboarding scoreboard |
| Early-frequency attainment | Leading indicator of retention |
| Save rate by cause | Tests whether the flow beats reflex discounting |
| Referral rate from engaged members | Cheapest acquisition, rides on retention |
Anti-patterns
- Treating onboarding as a welcome email instead of a frequency-building program.
- Waiting for the cancel form instead of watching attendance decay.
- Reflex-discounting every save (cuts LTV, trains the threat).
See also
