Back To Basic Best Practices
Let’s go back to basics for a moment. The basics of good customer service, recognition, best practices, and the overall thinking that if you treat your guests properly, they will be yours forever.
Based on some reading in seasoned publications of the industry, I came across some helpful fundamentals that every course should be maintaining and/or brushing up on.
Entitled “Making the Most of the Moment,” author Carl Swanback uses his extensive background in hospitality and international resort management to provide some key tips on ‘making the most of the moment’ at your club.
The following are some tips Swanback suggests:
Welcome Guests Promptly. You and your staff should strive to acknowledge every person who enters the pro shops with a smile and friendly greeting within 10 seconds. Be sure staff members individualize their greetings because they can start sounding fake when every customers is asked the same question or welcomed the same way.
Be Sincere. Flattery without sincerity is insulting.
Create a “First Name” Culture. Names are power, so don’t just send customers to the course. Have them check in with “Jane, the starter” and let them know it’s perfectly fine to ask for you by name of their next visit.
On the course, consider these as positive customer experiences that extend well beyond the pro shop:
Spread The Love. Inform starters and marshals of upcoming events, areas of ground under repair, hidden pin locations, aeration schedules and lunch specials so they can share the information with golfers. The more helpful you or your player assistants are, the more likely it is that guests will want to come back.
Take The Blame – Even If It Isn’t Your Fault. So you called a group up to the first tee only to discover the previous group is a little slow. Apologize for not spacing them farther apart from the group ahead of them. This works equally well for the marshall. If the course is backed up, have your ranger apologize and take the blame rather than pointing the finger at other guests.
Prod Politely. When it does become necessary to speed up slow-playing patrons, be polite. Rather than starting, “You’re holding up the groups behind you,” solicit their help. Ask if they could help you out by playing “ready golf” or picking up their pace slightly. Or, offer a tip that will help speed play, such as staying left in the next fairway to avoid the hidden hazard.
Beyond these simple suggestions, Swanback clearly states that the best way to impact a guest’s experience is by empowering a staff and serving customers passionately. He says always make sure to thank each and every guest for visiting.
Based on some reading in seasoned publications of the industry, I came across some helpful fundamentals that every course should be maintaining and/or brushing up on.
Entitled “Making the Most of the Moment,” author Carl Swanback uses his extensive background in hospitality and international resort management to provide some key tips on ‘making the most of the moment’ at your club.
The following are some tips Swanback suggests:
Welcome Guests Promptly. You and your staff should strive to acknowledge every person who enters the pro shops with a smile and friendly greeting within 10 seconds. Be sure staff members individualize their greetings because they can start sounding fake when every customers is asked the same question or welcomed the same way.
Be Sincere. Flattery without sincerity is insulting.
Create a “First Name” Culture. Names are power, so don’t just send customers to the course. Have them check in with “Jane, the starter” and let them know it’s perfectly fine to ask for you by name of their next visit.
On the course, consider these as positive customer experiences that extend well beyond the pro shop:
Spread The Love. Inform starters and marshals of upcoming events, areas of ground under repair, hidden pin locations, aeration schedules and lunch specials so they can share the information with golfers. The more helpful you or your player assistants are, the more likely it is that guests will want to come back.
Take The Blame – Even If It Isn’t Your Fault. So you called a group up to the first tee only to discover the previous group is a little slow. Apologize for not spacing them farther apart from the group ahead of them. This works equally well for the marshall. If the course is backed up, have your ranger apologize and take the blame rather than pointing the finger at other guests.
Prod Politely. When it does become necessary to speed up slow-playing patrons, be polite. Rather than starting, “You’re holding up the groups behind you,” solicit their help. Ask if they could help you out by playing “ready golf” or picking up their pace slightly. Or, offer a tip that will help speed play, such as staying left in the next fairway to avoid the hidden hazard.
Beyond these simple suggestions, Swanback clearly states that the best way to impact a guest’s experience is by empowering a staff and serving customers passionately. He says always make sure to thank each and every guest for visiting.
posted by Angi @ 12:41 PM
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