Winning a new customer gives a business something to celebrate. Keeping that customer for the next decade says far more about how the business is run.
In children’s activities, parents make the initial booking, but their decision to return develops through everything that follows. The teaching matters enormously, yet so does the conversation at pick-up, the response to a concern and whether someone notices the progress their child has worked hard to make.
Here, Lisa Stead, CEO of Stagecoach Performing Arts, explores what franchise owners can learn from relationships that last throughout a child’s formative years.
Retention is a leadership responsibility
Prospective franchisees understandably spend time examining how a business attracts customers. Marketing support, local demand and enquiries all deserve attention, but an equally revealing question is what happens once someone joins.
A franchise owner sets the tone for that experience. Their priorities influence whether staff remember a parent’s concern, share a child’s achievement or follow up when something feels wrong. Over time, those habits give families reasons to renew that a promotional offer would struggle to replicate.
At Stagecoach Bishop’s Stortford, Principal Miriam Leary-White calls every new parent before their child starts. That conversation gives her information a registration form might never capture.
“I always ask parents to tell me a little about their child, what makes them happy, what they might find tricky and whether there is anything we can do to help them feel at home,” she said. “Every child is different and those little conversations help us make sure they feel welcome from the moment they walk through the door.”
For a franchise owner, the commercial lesson is straightforward. Understanding someone’s expectations early gives the team a better chance of meeting them, while opening a conversation that makes future feedback easier.
Make the value visible
Children do not always provide a detailed account of their afternoon. Parents might hear that a session was “fine”, while missing the moment their child volunteered an idea, made a friend or attempted something they had previously avoided.
That creates a responsibility for the business to communicate progress. Families need opportunities to understand what their child is gaining, particularly when the benefits develop gradually.
Felicity Corbould-Dawe, Principal of Stagecoach Orpington and Leatherhead, recognises how differently those gains can appear. A single measure of achievement would overlook much of what matters to individual families.
“Success looks completely different for every child,” she said. “For one student, performing in London’s West End might be an enormous achievement, whereas for another, standing up and saying a line in front of the class for the first time might be just as significant.”
Systems can help keep that communication consistent. Felicity uses the Parent Portal and social media to share experiences parents might otherwise miss, alongside conversations at pick-up. The judgement lies in recognising which moments deserve a personal conversation and making time for it.
Feedback tests the relationship
A friendly welcome is relatively easy when everything is going well. The more revealing test comes when a customer raises something uncomfortable.
Felicity recalls a parent who was concerned that her daughter was struggling with dance because of suspected dyslexia or dyspraxia. The school funded specialist training for her dance teacher, who introduced strategies that transformed the child’s experience.
“The family were blown away, not just by the strategies themselves, but because they could see how seriously we had taken their feedback,” she explained. Their concern had prompted a practical response, giving them evidence that the school was willing to listen and adapt.
Every issue will require a different level of action. The leadership habit worth establishing is to listen carefully, agree what happens next and check whether it has helped. Staff also need to understand when they can make an adjustment themselves and when the owner should become involved.
A long relationship must keep evolving
A family’s needs will change as their child grows. Maintaining their loyalty means continuing to understand those needs, rather than assuming the experience that suited them at four will be enough at 14.
Stagecoach’s Mini Stages programme introduces children aged two to four to classes alongside their parents. For Miriam, some of those early connections have developed into longstanding relationships.
“I have students with me who started aged two in Mini Stages and are now 14 in Main Stages,” she said. “I have great relationships with their parents, and they are part of the backbone of my school.”
For anyone considering franchise ownership, that is a useful perspective on growth. Recruitment brings new people into the business, while sustained attention gives existing customers reasons to keep choosing it. The next booking may depend on a conversation taking place today.
Key takeaways
- Customer retention in a franchise is shaped by the owner’s leadership priorities – whether staff remember a parent’s name, follow up after a difficult session or notice a child’s progress is a direct result of the culture the owner creates.
- Calling every new parent before their child’s first class, as Miriam Leary-White does at Stagecoach Bishop’s Stortford, is a simple and low-cost habit that sets expectations early and gives the business information it can use to personalise the experience.
- Progress must be made visible to families, because children rarely give detailed accounts of their sessions – franchisees who use parent portals, social media and direct communication to share milestones give families a reason to stay that goes beyond enjoyment alone.
- Handling a concern well often strengthens a relationship more than a smooth experience would – Felicity Corbould-Dawe’s example of funding specialist training for a dance teacher, after a parent raised concerns about suspected dyslexia or dyspraxia, shows how much families value seeing their feedback taken seriously.
- Long-term customer relationships require the business to keep evolving alongside the customer – families whose children grow from Mini Stages at age two to Main Stages at 14 represent a decade of retained revenue built on consistent, personalised engagement.
