In the tranquil haven of Costa del Sol, where the lush greens meet the boundless blue skies, Finca Cortesin stands as a testament to golfing magnificence. As it prepares to host the prestigious Solheim Cup this week, we had the privilege of sitting down with Rocio Sanchez, the Golf Manager of Finca Cortesin, to unveil the secrets behind their journey towards golfing greatness and their transformative partnership with 59club.
“ Rocio, first things first, with the Solheim Cup just around the corner, can you share with us how everything is shaping up for the event, and how exciting is it for you and your team?”
“ We are all thrilled to be hosting the Solheim Cup this week, and have left no stone unturned in preparing to provide an exceptional experience for the players and guests. Over the past two years, all areas of our resort have been tirelessly improved to ensure we’re in top form. The excitement is building as we eagerly anticipate the event and we can’t wait for it to start”
“You have been working with 59club for a couple of years, can you tell us how 59club has helped Finca Cortesin objectively evaluate the customer experience and identify areas for improvement?”
“59club’s definition of excellence in service matches our own at the Club. With its well-defined parameters spanning various aspects of the golf reservation process, from the initial booking call to the ultimate visit day, we gain a comprehensive understanding of our service performance. The clarity offered by these parameters allows us to identify both our strengths and areas in need of improvement. By analyzing the entire customer journey, we can pinpoint specific touchpoints where we excel, and areas where we may fall short, enabling us to implement targeted strategies for enhancement.”
“As the Golf Manager of Finca Cortesin, can you share with us your vision for the club’s growth and what contributes to achieving that goal?”
“In achieving the high-quality standards that we set ourselves, my role involves evaluating the ratings provided by 59club’s mystery shoppers, and preparing comprehensive reports. These reports are then discussed with team leaders to identify areas where we excel and those that require improvement. Based on the findings, new guidelines are established to enhance our service further. Subsequently, I lead a meeting with the team to communicate the significance of this information and emphasize the importance of maintaining our level of excellence. Through this process, we aim to continuously elevate our service standards and provide exceptional experiences to our valued customers. “
“Collaborating with 59club has been instrumental in our continuous efforts to monitor customer service data and elevate our renowned service and facility standards. The ability to track each parameter over time ensures that we remain vigilant and take initiative, never letting our guard down“
“Can you share any specific goals or benchmarks you aim to achieve in terms of service quality and member experience, utilizing 59club’s services?”
We have a very clear vision in the quality of service that we want to offer, so our standard rate to achieve this memorable experience for our members and visitors should be always to be in the top 3 clubs and maintain a 59club Golf Flag designation.
“How do you think the ongoing evaluation through 59club’s mystery shopping services will support Finca Cortesin in maintaining a culture of continuous improvement and delivering unparalleled experiences for your members and guests?”
“Over the years, collaborating with 59club has been instrumental in our continuous efforts to monitor customer service data and elevate our renowned service and facility standards. The ability to track each parameter over time ensures that we remain vigilant and take initiative, never letting our guard down. This partnership empowers us to stay responsive to our customers’ needs, identify areas for enhancement, and consistently deliver exceptional experiences that set us apart in the industry.”
“You & the team led the way at our recent Service Excellence Awards by winning Golf Manager of the Year & Golf Operations Team of the Year, what does this mean to you & the team?”
“We are delighted to receive these two awards; it is a testament to the hard work and effort demonstrated by the team day-in-day-out. Undoubtedly, these awards recognize the teamwork that we apply at Finca Cortesin, and we are very fortunate to have an incredible team that allows us to maintain our standards of service each and every year.
Personally, it has given me immense pride in winning 59club’s Golf Manager of the Year & Golf Operations Team of the Year awards. Being recognized in such a unique way makes us feel thrilled! Customer service has always been about exceeding customer expectations, and our team is very professional when it comes to daily tasks and responsibilities. We understand the established standards at the Club that are required to maintain an excellent level of service.”
“As a leader in the golf industry, how do you think the insights and best practices provided by 59club will contribute to the growth and development of golf clubs in Spain, particularly in the Costa del Sol region?”
“The adoption of tools such as 59club by clubs in the Costa del Sol can help raise the overall standards of service, setting a wider benchmark for excellence – as Clubs can monitor their levels of service in a very transparent way and therefore take action to improve on the required areas.”
“Finally, what advice would you give to other golf clubs considering partnering with 59club to improve their customer service, staff training, and overall performance?”
“Finca Cortesin has received some prestigious awards over the last few years for its quality of service and standards that set the benchmark in our region. Our partnership with 59club has been extremely helpful to track our metrics from a non-biased perspective, and take action where needed. So, any service and assistance that can help you achieve your goals, I think its always a good thing”
Royal Park I Roveri, located in the stunning setting of the La Mandria Natural Park at the foot of the Alps, is now in its third year with 59club and it also just happens to be one of the most prestigious clubs in Italy.
“59club’s objective evaluations and strategic support empowered us to continuously improve our performance, striving to be among the best in the industry“
We caught up with General Manager, Marco Aquilino, as he highlighted the journey he and the team have been on with 59club, the benefits they have realised and his future plans for the team and the club.
“Throughout the years, Royal Park I Roveri has been on a transformative journey, continuously striving to provide exceptional customer experiences and elevate service quality. Our partnership with 59club has played a crucial role in this pursuit, revolutionising our approach and propelling us towards new heights.
And like so many Managers that find themselves engaging with 59club, Marco had the same common law of attraction to 59club, and went on to say;
“It all began with a realization – the danger of becoming complacent when working in the same environment day after day. We needed an objective lens to evaluate our operations and identify areas for improvement, this is where 59club came in to help with our pursuit of excellence. Their evaluations provided us with a fresh perspective, uncovering blind spots and bringing awareness to our starting point.
“Our vision at Royal Park I Roveri has always been to create an unforgettable experience for our members and visitors. We wanted our club to be more than just a place to play golf; we aimed to cultivate an environment where everyone felt genuinely valued, even if they were just visiting for a day. This vision required exceptional service that went beyond delivering a good product. Partnering with 59club became instrumental in turning this vision into a reality.”
Marco explains that certain elements of the club’s member & guest experience were prioritised, and he details how 59club supported the team to succeed in those areas …
“Through our collaboration, we focused on key touchpoints such as the welcome on arrival, booking confirmation, and guest management on the course. 59club’s insights, coupled with their online educational tools, allowed us to enhance the training of our staff, and elevate their attention to these critical areas. 59club’s objective evaluations and strategic support empowered us to continuously improve our performance, striving to be among the best in the industry.
“Our goal is to provide a customer experience which is recognised alongside the best international venues, and with data collected through 59club platforms, this becomes our catalyst for shaping operations and driving further success. Analysing this data enables us to refine our offerings based on the needs of our customers, optimising our investments to deliver exceptional experiences.”
Looking ahead, Marco sees the insights and best practices provided by 59club contributing to the growth and development of golf clubs in Italy…
“In Italy, unfortunately, there are not many of us who are able to travel around the world to experience and explore new ideas, not due to lack of will but for lack of time. However, 59club’s international expertise bridged this gap, bringing fresh insights and igniting innovation. Their evaluations, explanations, and dedicated support serve as a foundation for golf clubs in Italy to grow and excel, even without extensive travel experiences.”
Most recently the team at Royal Park I Roveri enjoyed multiple successes at 59club’s Regional ‘Service Excellence Awards’. The club displayed some of the highest standards of customer excellence achieved within their impartial mystery shopping audits, spanning Spain, Portugal, Greece & Italy.
“Our dedication to excellence was recognised when we received our Silver Flag Designation, and Retail Manager of the Year Award at this years’ ceremony. These accolades served as validation for our hard work, and affirmed our commitment to continuous improvement.
“The recognition we received bolstered our team’s morale, inspiring us to aim higher and exceed our achievements. Our sights are now firmly set on obtaining Gold Flag Status next year.”
Marco had this advice for other clubs currently considering partnering with 59club;
“To golf clubs considering partnering with 59club, my advice is simple: seize the opportunity. Regardless of budget constraints, 59club offers a bespoke approach that caters to different needs. Even with minimal audits and staff training, immediate results can be observed. Embracing this partnership will undoubtedly enhance customer service, elevate staff training, drive overall performance and financial gain. To all clubs in Italy, it’s a step towards growth and positioning your club on an international path, ultimately contributing to the reputation of Italy as a premier golf destination”.
59club Europe South are delighted to announce GOLF COSTA ADEJE as its newest partner venue.
Based on the south side of the Island of Tenerife & only 15 minutes from the South Airport, Costa Adeje offers a wonderful escape for all visitors with fantastic Golf, directly located in La Caleta, an exclusive environment.
With partnering with 59club Europe South, Costa Adeje will benefit from a wealth of customer experience data scheduled from visits in 2023 & throughout 2024. This allows the club to continually develop their customer journey in their vision and help with staff training & service, all whilst being able to benchmark against other venues in the region and across the globe. We are delighted to partner with Costa Adeje and we look forward to working with the team.
Dans le monde compétitif de la gestion des clubs de golf et des country clubs, rester à la pointe du progrès exige une combinaison de dévouement, de stratégies innovantes et d’utilisation des bons outils.
Aujourd’hui, nous vous présentons les observations d’un leader de l’industrie qui fait des progrès dans la gestion de l’expérience des membres. Il s’agit de Jason Hanna, directeur de l’exploitation du Credit Valley Golf and Country Club, au Canada. Nous parlons de sa vision, du rôle transformateur de 59club dans leurs opérations et de l’avenir des clubs de golf dans la région.
La voie du visionnaire
Sous la direction de Jason, Credit Valley vise à rehausser ses normes de service aux membres en “ créant des moyens de mesurer nos progrès d’une année à l’autre et en effectuant des analyses comparatives avec des clubs semblables dans notre marché “. Cela permet de s’assurer que les normes et les attentes du secteur sont respectées ou dépassées.
Jason souligne l’importance des services d’analyse comparative de 59club, qu’il qualifie “d’outil inestimable, non seulement pour les directeurs de club, mais aussi pour les comités et les conseils d’administration, afin de mieux comprendre les normes de l’industrie”.
Améliorer l’expérience des clubs
Credit Valley se concentre sur l’amélioration des vestiaires et des opérations hors golf. Elle a trouvé un allié en la personne de 59club, dont le logiciel d’enquête et les audits de clients mystères ont trouvé un écho auprès de l’équipe du club, principalement en raison de leur précision. Cela a permis de réaliser des évaluations plus précises, de rationaliser les communications internes et d’enrichir la formation du personnel.
“L’analyse comparative et les enquêtes ont joué un rôle déterminant dans la définition des objectifs. Jusqu’à présent, nous avons utilisé les modèles d’enquête RH exclusivement pour le personnel afin d’avoir une idée de leur confort à l’approche d’une saison chargée, ainsi qu’une méthode d’évaluation entre collègues avec notre équipe de direction, qui s’intègre dans leurs évaluations. Nous allons également étendre l’utilisation des enquêtes à l’efficacité du conseil d’administration et des comités”, explique Jason. Cette approche sur mesure a été essentielle pour comprendre les aspects uniques de Credit Valley et favoriser l’amélioration continue.
Cap sur l’amélioration continue
Lorsqu’on lui a demandé comment il comptait exploiter les données, Jason a indiqué que les informations recueillies avaient déjà contribué à façonner ses plans opérationnels, en particulier en ce qui concerne la motivation du personnel.
Il souligne également le rôle des enquêtes mystères dans l’évaluation de l’expérience des clients : “Le fait de recevoir en temps voulu un rapport complet couvrant tous les domaines d’interaction au sein du club permet à la direction de procéder à des ajustements en temps réel ou d’approfondir ses recherches dans les domaines où les résultats sont inférieurs aux normes.”
Influence du secteur et prévisions
En tant que leader de l’industrie du golf, Jason pense que les idées de 59club contribueront de manière significative à la croissance des clubs de golf au Canada, en particulier dans la région du Grand Toronto, qui compte environ 20 % de la population du pays et un grand nombre de clubs de haut de gamme.
“La mise en œuvre de nouvelles opérations ou de nouveaux logiciels peut parfois être décourageante, mais en travaillant avec 59club, la mise en œuvre de nouveaux protocoles et services devient assez routinière”
Il conseille aux autres clubs de golf qui envisagent un partenariat avec 59club : “En raison de la capacité à construire des services autour des besoins spécifiques et des particularités, 59club permettra de recueillir des données et de mesurer les normes de service dans n’importe quel club”.
Credit Valley envisage de poursuivre l’intégration de ces services de gestion des performances, notamment en ce qui concerne les enquêtes de satisfaction des membres sur des aspects ciblés des équipements du club et les évaluations mystères supplémentaires dans d’autres domaines de l’entreprise, tels que l’accueil des membres. Selon Jason, la formation et l’assistance régulières de 59club feront de cette démarche une promenade de santé.
“La mise en œuvre de nouvelles opérations ou de nouveaux logiciels peut parfois être décourageante, mais en travaillant avec 59club, la mise en œuvre de nouveaux protocoles et services devient assez routinière”, a déclaré Hanna. “59club nous accompagne à chaque étape, non seulement en nous aidant à lire et à interpréter les données des évaluations mystères, mais aussi en nous recommandant et en nous aidant avec les plans d’éducation et de formation de nos employés, ainsi qu’en fournissant un soutien opérationnel.
Le partenariat entre Credit Valley Golf and Country Club et 59club est synonyme de progrès et de perspectives d’avenir. Avec une vision d’amélioration, les bons outils mis en place et un engagement à l’égard de l’excellence du service, l’avenir semble prometteur pour Credit Valley et l’industrie canadienne des clubs de golf dans son ensemble.
Le monde de la gestion des clubs de golf et des country clubs, tel qu’il est observé à travers l’objectif de Jason, est un monde d’innovation incessante, d’amélioration continue et de dévouement inébranlable à l’égard de l’excellence du service. Alors que nous nous dirigeons vers l’avenir, ces observations témoignent du pouvoir de transformation de la collaboration et de la volonté de progrès qui caractérisent des leaders comme Jason Hanna et des organisations comme le Credit Valley Golf and Country Club.
El Paraiso Golf Club, located in the middle of Marbella & Estepona on the Costa del Sol, is a newcomer to the 59club community, having started working closely with the leading sales & customer service management specialists at the start of this year.
The club, who are currently celebrating their 50th anniversary, has found solace in 59club’s intelligent mystery shopping program, and the perfect survey platform to monitor their customer journey at the club, along with a support network to help them achieve their ambitious goals.
We asked Managing Director, David Ramos, to share his experience of this journey and how it is shaping his vision for the future of the club.
“I have been pleasantly surprised by the insights gained from the mystery shopper platform. It has been eye-opening to measure the level of service provided by the various departments at our golf course. Previously, monitoring the performance of each department at the club was challenging, but the 59club platform has provided a comprehensive overview of strengths and areas for improvement. It has highlighted specific aspects that stood out positively, such as the friendly and welcoming atmosphere we have created.
Additionally, our audits have emphasized the excellent condition of our course, which received high praise, and it’s not a subjective opinion, the course is measured against 59club’s global benchmarking criteria, and I am confident of knowing where we sit regionally and internationally. These findings from the data have been invaluable in guiding our efforts to continuously enhance the overall experience for our guests. We are using this information to address any areas that need improvement and to reinforce the positive aspects of our operations.”
“These findings from the data have been invaluable in guiding our efforts to continuously enhance the overall experience for our guests. We are using this information to address any areas that need improvement and to reinforce the positive aspects of our operations.”
For this Managing Director, there is no resting on his laurels, as Ramos is eager to describe his vision for the club’s growth, and this partnership with 59club will contribute to the realisation of that vision.
“As Managing Director, especially during this milestone year as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, I have a clear vision for the growth and continued success of the club. Over the past few years, we have made significant investments in improving both the course and the clubhouse, ensuring that our facilities are of the highest quality. However, we believe that there is always room for improvement in every aspect of our operations.
One area that we want to focus on to enhance the overall experience for our members and guests is customer service. While we have received very positive reviews from clients in the past, we recognise that monitoring key aspects of the customer journey can help us provide an even better experience.
This is where our partnership with 59club becomes invaluable. With access to the mystery shopper services and intelligent survey software, this allows us to gain valuable insights into our customer service performance. This data-driven approach enables us to understand the needs and expectations of our guests more comprehensively, and subsequently tailor our services to exceed their expectations. By actively monitoring and addressing key aspects of customer service, we aim to create a truly exceptional and memorable experience for everyone who visits El Paraiso Golf Club.
We are working on implementing effective strategies, refining our operations, and ensuring that our growth as a club aligns with our vision of providing the highest level of service and satisfaction to our valued members and guests”.
The intel that 59club has delivered has empowered Ramos to set specific goals & benchmarks that he and the team are aiming for in terms of service quality and experience. Ramos explains just how he plans to implement these strategies and the tools he will use.
“We have specific goals and benchmarks in mind, one of our key focuses is improving the information provided to clients, particularly those who are playing El Paraiso for the first time. This includes offering comprehensive details about our facilities, services, and any special events or promotions. We want to ensure they have all the necessary details and guidance to make their visit seamless and enjoyable. By proactively communicating with our clients and addressing their inquiries or concerns ahead of time, we can enhance their overall experience and ensure their expectations are met or exceeded.”
And it’s not just to the benefit of El Paraiso, David firmly sees the insights and best practices provided by 59club contributing to the growth and development of golf clubs in Spain, and particularly in the Costa del Sol region, he explains
“I believe that the insights and best practices provided by 59club will have a significant impact on the growth and development of golf clubs in Spain, particularly in the Costa del Sol region. The customer service experience is a key differentiating factor among the 70 courses in our area, and this is where the information provided by 59club becomes invaluable.
The challenges and opportunities we encounter at El Paraiso Golf Club are likely to be similar to those faced by other clubs in the region. By leveraging the insights and best practices shared by 59club, we can collectively elevate the standard of customer service throughout the Costa del Sol. This will not only enhance the experience for golfers visiting the region, but also contribute to the overall reputation and competitiveness of our golf clubs.
By embracing the data-driven approach and implementing strategies, golf clubs in the Costa del Sol can ensure that they are delivering exceptional customer service and exceeding the expectations of their members and guests. This, in turn, will drive increased satisfaction, loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth, ultimately leading to the growth and success of the golf industry in the region”
The message that Ramos is eager to share with his industry peers and other golf clubs considering partnering with 59club is clear
“I strongly recommend partnering with 59club to improve customer service, staff training, and overall performance at their golf clubs. We have been delighted with the insights gained in just a few months. Embrace this data-driven approach, utilise their mystery shopper services, support network and survey tools. It will undoubtedly benefit your club and contribute to its long-term success.”
The game of golf has seen significant changes over the past few decades and so have the people who play it. Once stuck with the stigma of being stuffy and elitist, golf is now showing signs of getting younger, more inclusive and available to players of all abilities.
As a result, what was expected of a golf course in the past – in the way of customer service and player experience – is changing at the same rapid rate. In phrase: the days of focusing only on turf conditions are coming to an end.
Bernat Llobera receiving his Eminent Collection award in 2023, presented by 59club EU South General Manager Lee Mathew Waggott
In this 59club Spotlight on Service, we head to Mallorca, Spain to catch up with Bernat Llobera, Area Golf Director at Arabella Golf who echoes the importance of providing exceptional customer service across the board, and uses 59club’s industry leading services to objectively evaluate their customer experience, drive continuous improvement, and establish a club-wide culture of service across their three golf properties on Spain’s largest island.
“We see nowadays that it is not only about having a course in great shape. It is about a journey, a full experience.” – Bernat Llobera.
For Llobera, identifying growth opportunities – for revenue and service operations – begins with understanding the experience from the player’s perspective. Working with 59club has made that objective infinitely easier through regular mystery shopping services at Arabella Golf.
“59club’s evaluations are incredibly valuable assets as they provide a client’s perspective which resembles a real guest experience,” said Llobera. “The objective insights provided by 59club are far more valuable than internal assessments. The ‘extra bonus’ is being able to compare ourselves, our three courses, and the ability to compare this to the wider industry benchmarks. And once we have identified areas for growth, 59club’s training and education services allow us to make improvements to our systems and protocols extremely quickly.”
Llobera went on to say identifying and fixing problems as they arise is only half the battle. A commitment to continuous improvement must be the driving force behind changes to customer service protocols.
“Once we receive our evaluation results, we immediately sit down to discuss them as a group,” said Llobera. “We look at everything from comments and images to objective ratings and begin to identify trends and long-term solutions, something that wouldn’t be possible if every team member wasn’t completely committed.”
That commitment to improvement at Arabella Golf, and regular training through 59club has created a culture of customer service at the club. Employee training sessions are completed every year in many aspects of hospitality service, including phone skills, upselling options and retail protocols.
“We see nowadays that it is not only about having a course in great shape. It is about a journey, a full experience.”
“Our team members love the training sessions,” said Llobera. “It’s clear to see that everyone takes them seriously and strives to improve. The common feedback from the team is that 59club knows and understands the intricacies of the business, and from what I know, there is nothing that can be compared to what 59club offers. Most recently 59club training sessions have been instrumental in improving our reservations department – often the first impression with your customer.”
Another goal for Llobera this year? Pick up a few awards.
“We were extremely proud of all three of our properties’ recognition at the most recent Service Excellence Awards, with Son Muntaner leading the way with a gold flag,” said Llobera. “It encourages you to keep working hard. Ultimately, our team members are the ones who create an incredible golf journey for our guests, so it’s especially gratifying to see the entire team recognized for their commitment and hard work.”
Arabella Golf, Mallorca – Son Vida Course, Hole 16
The age old saying goes, ‘that great managers lead by example’; and 59club are quick to point out that Llobera was recently invited into 59club’s Eminent Collection, joining only twenty-two managers spanning 59clubs global territory – and the very first in Europe – having achieved this international benchmark of excellence, which recognises the finest individuals who are leading the industry in the customer experience realms.
Eligibility into the Eminent Collection is based solely on achievements across the 59club Service Excellence Awards, with individual and team accolades, along with property flag designations, all contributing towards the Eminent Benchmark of Excellence; measuring performances over a minimum of 5 years.
Golf experience in Spain is being elevated by managers such as Llobera who seek analysis and feedback to support their team to strengthen their proposition in the marketplace. The advice that he would give to other club managers in Europe and across the wider golfing landscape is that “59club’s wide range of services and solutions improve the business, and therefore, the bottom line. Through personal experience they understand the golf operation and the hospitality industry better than anyone we have met before; they are a great support specialising in customer service; I highly recommend them and their services.”
In the world of club operations, having the right people, in the right places, behaving in the right way is paramount to success. A customer only has to receive one bad experience to disassociate themself with a brand or organisation, while spreading news of that poor experience far and wide.
To some, the notion of reinvesting surplus back into operations specifically to educate and develop the team may seem groundbreaking, but could it potentially become the standard for future budgeting?
Now, imagine we shift our perspective slightly and ask: what if a ‘specific portion’ of your overall revenue is dedicated to staff training and development in your budgeting process, just like McDonalds, Starbucks and other enormous global companies earmarks a particular amount for advertising each year?
Although training and development have always found a place in your annual expense report, how can you be certain that your investment is enough, and how can you be sure that it’s paying dividends?
Over the past three years, Club Study has conducted multiple surveys via its industry network to understand the investment trends in staff training and development.
Interestingly, the Club Study industry peers report that their investment seems to have slightly dipped since 2021, as seen in the graphic below.
Surprisingly, these numbers seem rather underwhelming for something so crucial to club operations. Observing the expenditure as an absolute dollar value, however, changes the narrative.
A club with a $3 million turnover will spend less than $30k on average on training & development. Given the financial constraints that club budgets often have to grapple with, including break-even targets, slim profit margins, and increasing inflation, this amount suddenly seems justifiable, even generous to some. But can we really justify increasing this budget?
In the wake of a recent increase in club activities and longer wait lists, many clubs may not see the immediate need for investing more in staff training. The decision-making process is typically reactive rather than proactive, and clubs often prioritize preventing losses over seeking gains. But wouldn’t you agree that the clubs investing more than 2% in staff training probably enjoy a more robust staff culture, leading to better relationships, longer staff tenures, and an overall happier environment? Ultimately, selling and servicing customers to better degrees.
We are pleased to report that we have seen an increased appetite for staff training in recent times, with many 59club clients who receive ‘mystery shopping’ audits investing heavily in training, probably for the same reason they are challenging the golf industry by delivering some of the finest customer experiences in the world of golf.
59club handles enormous quantities of live data and insights, so much so that we are the only authority in golf who can go out on a limb and make such bold accusations about global CX benchmarks and industry trends.
Surprisingly, these numbers seem rather underwhelming for something so crucial to club operations.
Just as we support our clients to understand their customers, we know our clients and we know them very well, and we can whole-heartedly confirm that they take education extremely seriously – so much so that we have witnessed a 166% increase in the number of training sessions delivered by the 59club UK team between 2021 & 2022.
Taking it back to the wider industry, the Club Study network reports that the largest proportion of development dollars is spent on middle management. So, where exactly do these training dollars go? The most logical answer seems to be conferences, organised by various associations and governing bodies at national and regional levels. Conferences can provide inspiration, reflection, and innovative ideas, not to mention the fantastic networking opportunities and the fun that they provide.
Yet, it remains hard to precisely calculate the ROI from these events.
The crux of the matter when justifying expenditure lies in quantifying the return on investment (ROI) from training and development, which is no easy task. If we don’t measure it, it’s likely to be overlooked.
To quantify improvement in training and development, we need a benchmark. This is where “mystery shopping” comes in. As an unbiased, ground-level measure of your customer service, it provides the perfect service benchmark. After a period of conducting such audits, you’ll have a robust dataset highlighting your strengths and weaknesses, confirming (or disproving) your suspicions.
So, what’s next? The answer is simple: Train! Use the data, celebrate the successes, and develop strategies to address the weaknesses. Department-specific training, consistent programming, and building an ongoing relationship geared to enhance club culture, audit after audit, will make a world of difference.
Your focus should always be on measuring. Once you start doing that, you’ll start viewing training as an investment that yields a return. This brings us back to the heart of the industry: relationships.
Dans le monde des clubs, avoir les bonnes personnes, aux bons endroits, se comportant de la bonne manière est primordial pour réussir. Il suffit d’une seule mauvaise expérience pour qu’un client se sépare d’une marque ou d’une organisation, et que cette mauvaise expérience se répande à grande échelle.
Pour certains, l’idée de réinvestir les bénéfices dans les opérations afin de former et de développer l’équipe peut sembler révolutionnaire, mais pourrait-elle devenir la norme pour l’établissement des budgets à l’avenir ?
Imaginons maintenant que nous changions légèrement de perspective et que nous posions la question suivante : et si une “part spécifique” de vos recettes globales était consacrée à la formation et au développement du personnel dans votre processus budgétaire, tout comme McDonalds, Starbucks et d’autres énormes entreprises mondiales réservent chaque année un montant particulier à la publicité ?
Bien que la formation et le développement aient toujours trouvé leur place dans votre rapport annuel de dépenses, comment pouvez-vous être sûr que votre investissement est suffisant et qu’il porte ses fruits ?
Au cours des trois dernières années, Club Study a mené plusieurs enquêtes par l’intermédiaire de son réseau industriel afin de comprendre les tendances en matière d’investissement dans la formation et le développement du personnel.
Il est intéressant de noter que les pairs du secteur de Club Study signalent que leur investissement semble avoir légèrement diminué depuis 2021, comme le montre le graphique ci-dessous.
Il est surprenant de constater que ces chiffres semblent plutôt modestes s’agissant d’un élément aussi crucial pour le fonctionnement du club. Cependant, l’observation des dépenses en valeur absolue change la donne.
Un club dont le chiffre d’affaires s’élève à 3 millions de dollars dépensera en moyenne moins de 30 000 dollars pour la formation et le développement. Compte tenu des contraintes financières qui pèsent souvent sur les budgets des clubs, notamment les objectifs de rentabilité, les marges bénéficiaires réduites et l’inflation croissante, ce montant semble soudain justifiable, voire généreux pour certains. Mais pouvons-nous vraiment justifier l’augmentation de ce budget ?
Suite à l’augmentation récente des activités du club et à l’allongement des listes d’attente, de nombreux clubs ne voient peut-être pas la nécessité immédiate d’investir davantage dans la formation du personnel. Le processus de prise de décision est généralement réactif plutôt que proactif, et les clubs donnent souvent la priorité à la prévention des pertes plutôt qu’à la recherche de gains. Mais ne pensez-vous pas que les clubs qui investissent plus de 2 % dans la formation du personnel bénéficient probablement d’une culture du personnel plus solide, ce qui se traduit par de meilleures relations, une plus grande longévité des collaborateurs et un environnement globalement plus heureux ? En fin de compte, la vente et le service aux clients s’en trouvent améliorés.
Nous sommes heureux d’annoncer que nous avons constaté un appétit accru pour la formation du personnel ces derniers temps, avec de nombreux clients de 59club qui reçoivent des audits de ” clients mystères ” investissant fortement dans la formation, probablement pour la même raison qu’ils défient l’industrie du golf en offrant certaines des meilleures expériences client dans le monde du golf.
59club traite d’énormes quantités de données et d’informations en temps réel, à tel point que nous sommes la seule autorité dans le domaine du golf à pouvoir lancer des accusations aussi audacieuses sur les données de référence mondiales en matière de relations clients et sur les tendances de l’industrie.
Il est surprenant de constater que ces chiffres semblent plutôt décevants s’agissant d’un élément aussi crucial pour le fonctionnement d’un club.
Tout comme nous aidons nos clients à comprendre leurs clients, nous connaissons nos clients et nous les connaissons très bien, et nous pouvons confirmer sans réserve qu’ils prennent la formation très au sérieux – à tel point que nous avons constaté une augmentation de 166 % du nombre de sessions de formation dispensées par l’équipe de 59club UK entre 2021 et 2022.
En ce qui concerne le secteur au sens large, le réseau Club Study indique que la plus grande partie des fonds consacrés au développement est dépensée pour les cadres moyens. Alors, où va exactement l’argent consacré à la formation ? La réponse la plus logique semble être les conférences, organisées par diverses associations et organes directeurs aux niveaux national et régional. Les conférences peuvent être source d’inspiration, de réflexion et d’idées novatrices, sans parler des fantastiques possibilités de mise en relation et du plaisir qu’elles procurent.
Pourtant, il reste difficile de calculer précisément le retour sur investissement de ces événements.
Pour justifier les dépenses, il est essentiel de quantifier le retour sur investissement (“ROI”) de la formation et du développement, ce qui n’est pas une chose facile. Si nous ne le mesurons pas, nous risquons de ne pas en tenir compte.
Pour quantifier l’amélioration de la formation et du développement, nous avons besoin d’un point de référence. C’est là qu’intervient l’évaluation mystère. En tant que mesure impartiale, au niveau du terrain, de votre service à la clientèle, elle constitue l’étalon de service parfait. Après une période d’audits de ce type, vous disposerez d’un solide ensemble de données mettant en évidence vos forces et vos faiblesses, confirmant (ou infirmant) vos soupçons.
Quelle est la prochaine étape ? La réponse est simple : S’entraîner ! Utilisez les données, célébrez les succès et élaborez des stratégies pour remédier aux faiblesses. Une formation spécifique au service, une programmation cohérente et l’établissement d’une relation continue visant à améliorer la culture du club, audit après audit, feront toute la différence.
Vous devez toujours vous concentrer sur le suivi des résultats. Une fois que vous aurez commencé à le faire, vous commencerez à considérer la formation comme un investissement rentable. Cela nous ramène au cœur du secteur : les relations.
As the world continues to blaze the digital frontier, there are now more ways than ever to book a tee time or make a dinner reservation at your club. At face value, that’s a good thing. Additional ways to sell tee times and restaurant covers mean more ways to make your club more accessible and potentially profitable.
But new digital pathways also create opportunities for digital missteps. Mainly, customers want to know their credit card information is secure and they want to know when you have reserved their spot – whether that be for a tee time booking, a dinner reservation or even a treatment at the health spa. And if you’re not providing a written record of their place on your tee sheet or a table at your restaurant, customers may start to feel uneasy about the entire process.
More importantly, an inquisitive written confirmation – which we’ll discuss below – eliminates common customer service problems and opens additional upsell opportunities at your club and restaurant.
Golf Visitor Experience Mystery ShopperInsights:
The global golf industry failed to request an email address during 40% of all tee time reservations made during 2022.
17% of all email confirmations went astray; either the incorrect email address was recorded, or possibly never sent.
Only 56% of golfers ever received their booking confirmation…
What’s the point?
The initial purpose of a written confirmation is to acknowledge the correct date and time of the reservation. Simple. The bare minimum.
If you ordered a widget from Amazon without a confirmation of the purchase, you would be left wondering if Amazon is, in fact, fulfilling the order. That kind of digital misstep creates enormous uncertainty and is unlikely to be the first impression you want to convey to your customer.
With email fields being mandatory, most online tee-time and restaurant booking engines provide immediate and automated written confirmation, allowing customers sight of their booking details and the opportunity to spot any potential errors. When the reservation is booked over the phone the duty of collecting the email address sits with the reservations agent. According to Matt Roberts, 59club’s Director of Training & Education, the absence of a written confirmation can lead to uncertainty and potentially some level of confrontation, not to mention the potential loss of revenues.
“If you’re taking the reservation by phone, it’s imperative to take the customer’s email address and ensure it is correct by repeating it back to your guest to avoid errors. From our experience, you would be amazed at how many people show up at the wrong time or even on the wrong day. This leads to an awkward conversation at the check-in counter trying to figure out how the error may have occurred.”
Additional Components
“Mycustomerhasbooked, mysoftwaregeneratedanimmediatewrittenconfirmation, ormystaffhaveaccesstosend a ‘templated’email. Doneanddone. Right?” Not exactly. For many places around the world, golf and secondary revenue channels like restaurants and bar are seasonal. Operating hours, menu items, club dress code and practice facility access and other large parts of the overall golf experience can change and be different from week to week. How often do you rehash the templated message? – and does it contain everything you’d expect?
Small additions to a written confirmation with updated restaurant hours, dress code or practice facility access, for example, ensure customer expectations match your club’s operations. According to Roberts, clubs who don’t include this information in their written confirmation are leaving themselves open to poor customer experience.
“Everything in the written confirmation has to match the customer expectations,” said Roberts. “The last thing you want to happen is someone arriving at your club expecting to eat breakfast and the restaurant is closed or wishing to hit some balls prior to play and it just happens to be that one day the range is closed for maintenance!
Worse yet, and the one that can cause confrontation, is when a player arrives wearing an outfit outside of the club’s dress code policy. The staff are now faced with an undesirable dilemma: do I make a concession to this one visitor and risk others perceiving this as special treatment, or do I force this customer to purchase attire from the club shop to then adhere to the dress policy? A bad experience either way. Both are avoidable with an informative written confirmation.”
Revenue generation
Asking questions or providing additional information within the written confirmation also creates upselling and subsequent marketing opportunities. A common example is the promotion of a golf cart/buggy if one hasn’t been reserved at the call stage. Just by offering a link or a contact to the consumer for them to be able to reserve prior to arrival is imperative for increasing revenue. It also allows the club to prepare this hire item for the arrival of the guest.
Any operator will tell you that the whole check in experience can be busy, but then throw in additional needs of the customer, such as buggy hire, club rental, use of a caddy, or even a personalized gift that the club wasn’t aware of, will lead to more time servicing the guest’s needs and a delay in an already busy operation.
Multiple course operators can also promote the options of an upgrade or highlight other courses within a group. The booking confirmation can also promote elements such as accommodation either on-site, or at other local establishments that offer preferential rates when booked via the club.
And, let’s face it, the opportunities to upsell are endless, when you consider other services and facilities such as high-ropes, custom-fitting, score card marking, leisure & spa usage, private dining etc that can be accessed either on the day, or that may tempt a future return to the club.
Directions or a link to an interactive map, potential transfers and how to book them as well as any information about how to access the club are always useful for any visitors who may be unfamiliar with the area.
Finally, and possibly the most important, are the Terms and Conditions of the club which are there to provide clarity on payment and cancelation, pairing up policy, bad weather and course closures must also be included within the confirmation. You will always be in a more comfortable position, when facing any confrontation, if your T’s and C’s are set in place.
Of course, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to customer service at your club, and your fellow 59club manager can guide you through industry best practices.
Alors que le monde continue de franchir la frontière numérique, il existe aujourd’hui plus de moyens que jamais de réserver un départ ou un dîner dans votre club. À première vue, c’est une bonne chose. Des moyens supplémentaires de vendre des heures de départ et des couverts au restaurant signifient plus de moyens de rendre votre club plus accessible et potentiellement plus rentable.
Mais les nouvelles voies numériques créent également des risques de défaillance. Principalement, les clients veulent savoir que les informations relatives à leur carte de crédit sont sécurisées et ils veulent savoir quand vous avez réservé leur place – qu’il s’agisse d’une réservation d’horaire de départ, d’une réservation de dîner ou même d’un traitement au spa. Et si vous ne fournissez pas de trace écrite de leur place sur votre liste de réservation ou à une table de votre restaurant, les clients peuvent commencer à se sentir mal à l’aise par rapport à l’ensemble du processus.
Plus important encore, une confirmation écrite, dont nous parlerons plus loin, élimine les problèmes courants de service à la clientèle et ouvre de nouvelles possibilités de vente dans votre club et votre restaurant.
L’expérience des visiteurs dans le domaine du golf : les clients mystères :
L’industrie mondiale du golf n’a pas demandé d’adresse électronique pour 40 % des réservations de départ effectuées en 2022.
17% de toutes les confirmations par e-mail se sont égarées ; soit l’adresse e-mail a été enregistrée de manière incorrecte, soit elle n’a jamais été envoyée.
Seuls 56% des golfeurs ont reçu leur confirmation de réservation…
A quoi cela sert-il ?
L’objectif initial d’une confirmation écrite est d’attester que la date et l’heure de la réservation sont correctes. C’est simple. Le strict minimum.
Si vous commandez un gadget sur Amazon sans confirmation de l’achat, vous vous demanderez si Amazon honore bien la commande. Ce genre d’erreur numérique crée une énorme incertitude et n’est probablement pas la première impression que vous souhaitez donner à votre client.
Les champs du courrier électronique étant obligatoires, la plupart des moteurs de réservation de restaurants et de départs en ligne fournissent une confirmation écrite immédiate et automatisée, ce qui permet aux clients de voir les détails de leur réservation et de repérer toute erreur potentielle. Lorsque la réservation est effectuée par téléphone, c’est à la personne chargée de la réservation qu’il incombe de collecter l’adresse électronique. Selon Matt Roberts, directeur de la formation et de l’éducation chez 59club, l’absence de confirmation écrite peut être source d’incertitude, voire de confrontation, sans parler de la perte potentielle de revenus.
“Si vous prenez la réservation par téléphone, il est impératif de prendre l’adresse électronique du client et de vous assurer qu’elle est correcte en la répétant à votre client afin d’éviter les erreurs. D’après notre expérience, vous seriez surpris du nombre de personnes qui se présentent à la mauvaise heure ou même le mauvais jour. Cela entraîne une conversation embarrassante au comptoir d’enregistrement en essayant de comprendre comment l’erreur a pu se produire”.
Services additionnels
“Mon client a réservé, mon logiciel a généré une confirmation écrite immédiate, ou mon personnel a accès à l’envoi d’un courriel ‘modèle’. C’est fait, c’est fait. N’est-ce pas ? Pas exactement. Dans de nombreux endroits du monde, le golf et les activités secondaires telles que les restaurants et les bars sont saisonniers. Les heures d’ouverture, les menus, le code vestimentaire du club, l’accès aux installations d’entraînement et d’autres éléments importants de l’expérience globale du golf peuvent changer et être différents d’une semaine à l’autre. Combien de fois devez-vous répéter le message type ? – et contient-il tout ce que vous attendez ?
De petits ajouts à une confirmation écrite indiquant les heures d’ouverture du restaurant, le code vestimentaire ou l’accès aux installations d’entraînement, par exemple, permettent de s’assurer que les attentes des clients correspondent aux activités de votre club. Selon M. Roberts, les clubs qui n’incluent pas ces informations dans leur confirmation écrite s’exposent à une mauvaise expérience client.
“Tout ce qui figure dans la confirmation écrite doit correspondre aux attentes du client”, précise M. Roberts. “La dernière chose que vous souhaitez, c’est que quelqu’un arrive dans votre club en espérant prendre un petit-déjeuner et que le restaurant soit fermé, ou qu’il souhaite frapper quelques balles avant de jouer et qu’il se trouve que le practice est fermé pour cause d’entretien !
Le pire, et qui peut provoquer une confrontation, c’est lorsqu’un joueur arrive en portant une tenue qui n’est pas conforme au code vestimentaire du club. Le personnel est alors confronté à un dilemme indésirable : dois-je faire une concession à ce visiteur et risquer que les autres perçoivent cela comme un traitement de faveur, ou dois-je obliger ce client à acheter une tenue dans la boutique du club afin de respecter le code vestimentaire ? Dans les deux cas, il s’agit d’une mauvaise expérience. Les deux cas peuvent être évités grâce à une confirmation écrite donnant ces précisions”.
Générer des revenus
Le fait de poser des questions ou de fournir des informations supplémentaires dans la confirmation écrite crée également des opportunités de vente incitative et de marketing ultérieur. Un exemple courant est la promotion d’un chariot de golf ou d’une voiturette si il n’a pas été réservé au moment de l’appel. Le simple fait d’offrir un lien ou un contact au consommateur pour qu’il puisse réserver avant son arrivée est impératif pour augmenter les recettes. Cela permet également au club de préparer cet article de location pour l’arrivée du client.
N’importe quel gérant vous dira que le processus d’enregistrement peut être très chargé, mais si l’on y ajoute les besoins supplémentaires du client, tels que la location d’un buggy, la location de clubs, l’utilisation d’un caddy ou même un cadeau personnalisé dont le club n’était pas au courant, il faudra passer plus de temps à répondre aux besoins du client et à retarder une opération déjà très chargée.
Les directeurs de plusieurs parcours peuvent également promouvoir les options de surclassement ou mettre en avant d’autres parcours au sein d’un groupe. La confirmation de réservation peut également promouvoir des éléments tels que l’hébergement sur place ou dans d’autres établissements locaux qui offrent des tarifs préférentiels lorsqu’ils sont réservés par l’intermédiaire du club.
Et, ne nous voilons pas la face, les possibilités de vente incitative sont infinies, si l’on considère les autres services et installations tels que le sur-mesure, le marquage des cartes de score, l’utilisation des installations de loisirs et du spa, les repas privés, etc. qui peuvent être accessibles le jour même ou qui peuvent inciter à revenir au club.
Un itinéraire ou un lien vers une carte géographique interactive, les transferts possibles et la manière de les réserver, ainsi que toute information sur la manière d’accéder au club sont toujours utiles pour les visiteurs qui ne connaissent pas bien la région.
Enfin, et c’est peut-être le plus important, les conditions générales du club sont là pour clarifier les modalités de paiement et d’annulation, la politique de jumelage, le mauvais temps et les fermetures de parcours doivent également figurer dans la confirmation. Vous serez toujours dans une position plus confortable, face à toute confrontation, si vos CGV sont en place.
Bien entendu, il ne s’agit là que de la partie émergée de l’iceberg proverbial en ce qui concerne le service à la clientèle dans votre club, et votre partenaire 59club peut vous guider à travers les meilleures pratiques de l’industrie.
Last year, 59club announced its commitment to become carbon neutral across its global operations by 2030, and is unbelievably excited to have taken a huge step on that journey, with its UK & Ireland business now officially accredited with achieving neutrality in 2022.
To help guide them through the transition to carbon neutral, 59club found solace in the services provided by “Neutral Carbon Zone (NCZ)” – a leading consultancy, management and certification platform.
“Strategically we decided to start with the UK business as it is our most mature business. If we can achieve carbon neutral here, we know we can share best practice and achieve it in our Asia, Australia, Canada, European, MEA, Nordic & USA businesses.” said Simon Wordsworth, Founder and CEO of 59club.
Over the last 16 months, Alan Stenson & Krys Stanton from NCZ supported Will Hewitt, Andy Etherington and the 59club UK team to adopt NCZ’s three scope structure to tackle the key areas of emissions, by creating strategies for every emission line, either at the company’s cost or simply behavioural changes within the business.
59club even went further than ‘required’ to help its team members tackle their own carbon emissions through their personal travel and home energy use.
“We reviewed emissions directly generated by the company’s activities, emissions that are indirectly generated by energy purchased by the company, and lastly emissions that arise from organizational activities, but from sources owned or controlled by other organizations.
“It’s taken time simply because of the complexity of our business, as it’s not just our office and our people, but all the emissions created by our mystery testers and auditors as they move around the UK & Ireland, the events that we host such as the annual awards ceremony, client golf days, the servers that our software runs on…the list could just go on.” continued Wordsworth.
The business even went further than ‘required’ to help its team members tackle their own carbon emissions through their personal travel and home energy use.
To date, 59club’s UK & Ireland division has completed the first phase of its pledge, having received the results of a recently commissioned carbon footprint assessment, which measures the carbon emissions generated by the organisation’s activities. The assessment is the critical first stage of a comprehensive and commercially focused carbon management plan. The measurement of 59club’s carbon emissions follows the internationally recognised standard ISO-14064-1:2006.
Wordsworth added; “As we progress through this journey, will start to change company buying decisions to ‘fellow green businesses’ who are positively seeking neutrality – where we stay, where we eat, who we buy from etc.”
Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2030 across 59club’s Global Operations
“For 59club, the pursuit of excellence extends beyond exceptional customer service; it encompasses a responsibility towards our planet. Today, we proudly reaffirm our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality across our global operations by 2030. With this effort, 59club is dedicated to creating a brighter future, where exceptional experiences coexist with a greener world.
“Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in 59club’s journey towards global carbon neutrality. We firmly believe that every long journey begins with a first step, and this commitment to becoming carbon neutral across our entire global operations by 2030 is just the beginning.”
Wordsworth concludes; “Some of our operations that cover huge geographical areas are going to find this really difficult whilst still trying to grow and be profitable, but we believe this is an absolute necessity for the preservation of our planet. Over the coming decades, we will continue to forge ahead, implementing innovative measures and collaborating with partners worldwide to ensure a sustainable future. We have always tried to be amongst the first/early movers, tried to be creative and innovative and this journey allows us to flourish, playing our part to inspire positive change for generations to come.”
L’année dernière, 59club a annoncé son engagement à devenir neutre en carbone pour l’ensemble de ses activités mondiales d’ici 2030. Nous sommes incroyablement heureux d’avoir franchi une étape importante sur ce chemin, avec ses activités au Royaume-Uni et en Irlande désormais officiellement accréditées pour avoir atteint la neutralité en 2022.
Pour les guider dans la transition vers la neutralité carbone, 59club a trouvé du soutien dans les services fournis par “Neutral Carbon Zone (NCZ)” – une plateforme de conseil, de gestion et de certification de premier plan.
“D’un point de vue stratégique, nous avons décidé de commencer par les activités au Royaume-Uni, car il s’agit de nos activités les plus matures. Si nous parvenons à atteindre la neutralité carbone ici, nous savons que nous pourrons partager les meilleures pratiques et y parvenir dans nos entreprises d’Asie, d’Australie, du Canada, d’Europe, de la région MEA, des pays nordiques et des États-Unis”, a déclaré Simon Wordsworth, fondateur et PDG de 59club.
Au cours des 16 derniers mois, Alan Stenson et Krys Stanton de NCZ ont aidé Will Hewitt, Andy Etherington et l’équipe de 59club UK à adapter la structure en trois volets de NCZ pour s’attaquer aux principaux domaines d’émissions, en créant des stratégies pour chaque ligne d’émission, que ce soit aux frais de l’entreprise ou simplement par des changements de comportement au sein de l’entreprise.
59club est même allé plus loin que ce qui était “requis” en aidant les membres de son équipe à s’attaquer à leurs propres émissions de carbone par le biais de leurs déplacements personnels et de leur consommation d’énergie à la maison.
“Nous avons examiné les émissions directement générées par les activités de l’entreprise, les émissions indirectement générées par l’énergie achetée par l’entreprise et, enfin, les émissions résultant des activités de l’organisation, mais provenant de sources détenues ou contrôlées par d’autres organisations.
“Cela a pris du temps en raison de la complexité de notre activité, car il ne s’agit pas seulement de nos bureaux et de notre personnel, mais aussi de toutes les émissions créées par nos testeurs mystères et nos auditeurs lorsqu’ils se déplacent au Royaume-Uni et en Irlande, les événements que nous organisons tels que la cérémonie annuelle de remise des prix, les journées de golf des clients, les serveurs sur lesquels fonctionnent nos logiciels… la liste est encore longue”, poursuit M. Wordsworth.
L’entreprise est même allée plus loin que ce qui était “nécessaire” pour aider les membres de son équipe à réduire leurs propres émissions de carbone par le biais de leurs déplacements personnels et de l’utilisation de l’énergie à domicile.
À ce jour, la division britannique et irlandaise de 59club a achevé la première phase de son engagement, après avoir reçu les résultats d’une évaluation de l’empreinte carbone récemment commandée, qui mesure les émissions de carbone générées par les activités de l’organisation. Cette évaluation est la première étape cruciale d’un plan de gestion du carbone complet et commercialement ciblé. La mesure des émissions de carbone de 59club est conforme à la norme internationalement reconnue ISO-14064-1:2006.
M. Wordsworth a ajouté : “Au fur et à mesure que nous progresserons dans cette voie, nous commencerons à modifier les décisions d’achat des entreprises en faveur d’autres entreprises vertes qui recherchent positivement la neutralité – où nous logeons, où nous mangeons, auprès de qui nous achetons, etc.
Atteindre la neutralité carbone d’ici 2030 dans l’ensemble des activités mondiales de 59club
“Pour 59club, la recherche de l’excellence va au-delà d’un service à la clientèle exceptionnel ; elle englobe une responsabilité à l’égard de notre planète. Aujourd’hui, nous sommes fiers de réaffirmer notre engagement à atteindre la neutralité carbone dans l’ensemble de nos opérations mondiales d’ici à 2030. Grâce à cet effort, 59club s’engage à créer un avenir meilleur, où des expériences exceptionnelles coexistent avec un monde plus vert.
“L’annonce d’aujourd’hui marque une étape importante dans le parcours du 59club vers la neutralité carbone mondiale. Nous croyons fermement que tout long parcours commence par un premier pas, et cet engagement à devenir neutre en carbone pour l’ensemble de nos opérations mondiales d’ici 2030 n’est qu’un début.”
M. Wordsworth conclut : “Certaines de nos activités, qui couvrent d’immenses zones géographiques, vont trouver cela très difficile tout en essayant de se développer et d’être rentables, mais nous pensons qu’il s’agit d’une nécessité absolue pour la préservation de notre planète. Au cours des prochaines décennies, nous continuerons à aller de l’avant, en mettant en œuvre des mesures innovantes et en collaborant avec des partenaires du monde entier pour garantir un avenir durable. Nous avons toujours essayé d’être parmi les premiers, d’être créatifs et innovants, et ce voyage nous permet de prospérer, en jouant notre rôle d’inspirateur d’un changement positif pour les générations à venir.”
In the ever-evolving world of golf club and hospitality management, being a successful manager involves juggling multiple roles. In the whirlwind of these responsibilities, there isn’t enough time to play guessing games about your member or guests’ needs. The best way to learn what your customers want at your club? Ask them !!!
Over the years, we have witnessed a significant shift in customer behaviour within our Survey Software. What started out with aspirations of becoming the most comprehensive pick & mix survey tool in the golf & hospitality industry, has inspired a new-age of club managers who stretch beyond the realms of typical club surveys, to solicit feedback on a whole host of areas to help inform their decision making and the direction the club chooses to take.
Some of those uses border on being radical – a phrase that doesn’t usually appear in the context of Customer Service Management or in Golf in general… but then again, we’ve always been a magnet for those in the industry who like to do things better, and in doing so we like to support them to behave a bit differently…
So, what exactly are these new radicals up to?
They’re putting the club’s destiny in the hands of their members, guests and employees, they’re not just seeking opinion, they’re making instant ‘data-driven’ decisions to help guide the most suitable offering for their customers without prejudice and based on science.
A new age of club managers are delivering surveys for a whole multitude of reasons, some even to establish where their members would prefer grant monies to be spent – on the course, or in the clubhouse?
We’ve seen a club make their entire stock selection based on responses to a simple ‘one question’ survey to establish which brands members would prefer to see in the pro shop – giving different supplier options to both male & female members.
Many clubs are now turning to their members requesting feedback on the club’s competition calendar in an attempt to increase participation, with others collating data to help shape their social events calendar, based on likes and dislikes from previous years, whilst ascertaining interest on potential new themes.
There are so many daily decisions that as managers we face, but the new-age of club managers are involving their members, guests and employees, after all it’s their club and we need them to enjoy it to the absolute maximum, if we want to secure their loyalty.
We’ve always been a magnet for those in the industry who like to do things better, and in doing so we like to support them to behave a bit differently…
We’ve witnessed members inspire seasonal menu changes, and on occasion beer and wine suppliers being switched to the delight of those thirsty members. And then there’s a whole bunch of clubs who made member driven changes to their tee-sheets.
There’s so many survey templates to choose from, and so much data to gain and take inspiration from, but there’s one that remains a favorite, always topping the usage charts – and that’s the new member survey. Designed to ensure all newbies are integrated into the club community from day one. Some club managers go one step further using the intelligent software to send their new members a ‘series’ of surveys at specific landmarks during their first three months at the club – monitoring their journey into club life, and addressing any weaknesses along the way.
But let’s not forget the most important people within your business – your employees!!! Forward thinking managers are gathering critical data from the HR survey template bundle, to analyse new and existing employee’s satisfaction levels, along with finding out why some chose to leave.
We’ve noticed a huge shift from being reactive to pro-active, and that in itself is pure 100 percent karat gold, gone are the days of making assumptions of what will sell in the shop, or what events members may enjoy attending, or why suddenly a loyal group of members went AWOL.
The best way to learn what your customers want at your club?
Ask them!!!
Big shout out to all our radical customers – you know who you are!
And if you’re just starting out on your journey with us – let us guide you to get the best out of your customers, and to give the best back.
Dans le monde en constante évolution de la gestion des clubs de golf et de l’hôtellerie, être un manager performant implique de jongler avec de multiples rôles. Dans le tourbillon de ces responsabilités, vous n’avez pas assez de temps pour jouer aux devinettes sur les besoins de vos membres ou de vos visiteurs. La meilleure façon de savoir ce que vos clients veulent dans votre club ? Demandez-leur !
Au fil des ans, nous avons constaté un changement significatif dans le comportement des clients de notre logiciel d’enquête. Ce qui a commencé avec l’ambition de devenir l’outil d’enquête le plus complet de l’industrie du golf et de l’hôtellerie a inspiré une nouvelle ère de directeurs de club qui vont au-delà des enquêtes typiques pour solliciter un retour d’information sur toute une série de domaines afin d’éclairer leur prise de décision et l’orientation que le club choisit de prendre.
Certaines de ces utilisations frôlent la radicalité – une expression qui n’apparaît généralement pas dans le contexte de la gestion du service à la clientèle ou du golf en général… mais là encore, nous avons toujours été un pôle d’attraction pour ceux qui, dans l’industrie, aiment faire les choses mieux, et ce en les aidant à se comporter un peu différemment…
Alors, que font exactement ces nouveaux radicaux ?
Ils mettent le destin du club entre les mains de leurs membres, de leurs clients et de leurs employés. Ils ne se contentent pas de demander leur avis, ils prennent instantanément des décisions fondées sur des données afin d’orienter l’offre la plus appropriée pour leurs clients, sans préjugés et en se basant sur la science.
Une nouvelle génération de directeurs de clubs réalise des enquêtes pour une multitude de raisons, certains même pour déterminer où leurs membres préfèreraient que l’argent des abonnements soit dépensé – sur le parcours ou dans le clubhouse ?
Nous avons vu un club choisir l’ensemble de son stock sur la base des réponses à une simple enquête en une seule question pour déterminer les marques que les membres préféreraient voir dans le pro-shop – offrant ainsi différentes options de fournisseurs aux membres masculins et féminins.
De nombreux clubs se tournent désormais vers leurs membres pour leur demander leur avis sur le calendrier des compétitions du club afin d’essayer d’augmenter la participation, tandis que d’autres rassemblent des données pour aider à façonner leur calendrier d’événements sociaux, en se basant sur les préférences et les réticences des années précédentes, tout en vérifiant l’intérêt pour de nouveaux thèmes potentiels.
En tant que dirigeants, nous sommes confrontés à de nombreuses décisions quotidiennes, mais la nouvelle ère des dirigeants de clubs implique leurs membres, leurs visiteurs et leurs employés, car après tout, c’est leur club et nous avons besoin qu’ils en profitent au maximum si nous voulons nous assurer de leur fidélité.
Nous avons toujours été un aimant pour ceux qui, dans l’industrie, aiment faire les choses mieux, et ce en les aidant à se comporter un peu différemment…
Nous avons vu des membres proposer des changements de menus saisonniers et, à l’occasion, des changements de fournisseurs de bière et de vin, pour le plus grand plaisir de ces membres assoiffés. Et puis, il y a toute une série de clubs qui ont modifié leurs systèmes de réservation à l’initiative de leurs membres.
Il y a tellement de modèles d’enquêtes à choisir, et tellement de données à acquérir et à utiliser, mais il y en a une qui reste favorite, toujours en tête du palmarès des utilisations – et c’est l’enquête auprès des nouveaux membres. Conçue pour s’assurer que tous les nouveaux membres s’intègrent dans la communauté du club dès le premier jour. Certains directeurs de club vont encore plus loin en utilisant le logiciel intelligent pour envoyer à leurs nouveaux membres une “série” d’enquêtes à des étapes spécifiques au cours de leurs trois premiers mois au club, afin de suivre leur parcours dans la vie du club et de remédier à leurs éventuelles difficultés rencontrées en cours de route.
Mais n’oublions pas les personnes les plus importantes de votre entreprise : vos collaborateurs ! Les managers avant-gardistes rassemblent des données essentielles à partir du modèle d’enquête RH, afin d’analyser les niveaux de satisfaction des employés nouveaux et existants, et de découvrir pourquoi certains ont choisi de partir.
Nous avons constaté un changement radical de la réactivité à la proactivité, ce qui est en soi de l’or pur à 100 %. L’époque où l’on imaginait ce qui allait se vendre dans le magasin, les événements auxquels les membres allaient aimer participer ou les raisons pour lesquelles un groupe de membres fidèles avait soudainement disparu est révolue.
La meilleure façon de savoir ce que vos clients veulent dans votre club ?
Demandez-leur !!!
Un grand coup de chapeau à tous nos clients radicaux – vous-vous reconnaîtrez !
Et si vous commencez à peine votre voyage avec nous, laissez-nous vous guider pour obtenir le meilleur de vos clients et leur donner le meilleur en retour.
In the competitive world of golf and country club management, staying ahead of the curve requires a combination of dedication, innovative strategies, and utilizing the right tools.
Today, we bring you insights from an industry leader who’s making headway in optimizing member experiences, Jason Hanna, COO of the Credit Valley Golf and Country Club in Canada. We talk about his vision, 59club’s transformative role in their operations, and the future of golf clubs in the region.
The Visionary Path
Under Jason’s stewardship, Credit Valley aims to grow its member service standards by “creating means to measure our progress year over year and benchmarking with similar clubs in our market.” This ensures they’re either meeting or exceeding industry standards and expectations.
Jason highlights the significance of 59club’s industry benchmarking services, calling them “an invaluable tool, not only for club managers but for committees and Boards to better understand industry standards.”
Striking a Better Club Experience
Credit Valley is focusing on enhancing locker room and outside golf operations. They’ve found an ally in 59club, whose survey software and mystery shopping audits has resonated with the club’s team, mainly due to its granularity. This has facilitated more accurate evaluations, streamlined internal communications, and enriched staff training.
“Benchmarking and surveys have been instrumental in setting targets. We have used the HR survey templates exclusively on staff to date in order have a sense of their comfort heading into a busy season, and a peer assessment method with our management team that folds into their appraisals. We will also be expanding to use surveys for Board and committee effectiveness,” Jason shares. This bespoke approach has been pivotal in understanding Credit Valley’s unique aspects, and driving continuous improvement.
On Course for Continuous Improvement
When asked how they intend to capitalize on data, Jason expressed that the information gathered has already contributed to shaping their operational plans, especially around staff engagement.
He also emphasizes the role of mystery shopping services in evaluating customer experiences, stating, “Receiving a timely, comprehensive report covering all areas of interaction at the club allows management to make real-time adjustments, or seek further inquiry into areas performing below standard.”
Industry Influence and Future Forecasts
As a leader in the golf industry, Jason believes that 59club’s insights will contribute significantly to the growth of golf clubs in Canada, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, that holds about 20% of the nation’s population and many of the top-tier clubs.
“Implementing new operations or software can be daunting at times, but working with 59club makes implementing new protocols and services fairly routine,”
He advises other golf clubs considering a partnership with 59club; “Due to the ability to build services around the specific needs and nuances, 59club will capture data and measure service standards at any club.”
On the horizon for Credit Valley is further integration of these performance management services, especially in terms of member satisfaction surveys on targeted areas of the club’s amenities and additional mystery shopping across other areas of the business such as member onboarding. According to Jason, 59club’s regular training and support will make this a walk in the park.
“Implementing new operations or software can be daunting at times, but working with 59club makes implementing new protocols and services fairly routine,” said Hanna. “59club is with us every step of the way, not only helping us read and interpret mystery shopping data, but also recommending and helping us with our employee education and training plans, as well as providing operations support, they are always focused on identifying opportunities for growth.”
The partnership between Credit Valley Golf and Country Club and 59club paints a picture of progress and promise. With a vision to improve, the right tools in place, and a commitment to service excellence, the future seems bright for Credit Valley and the Canadian golf club industry as a whole.
The world of golf and country club management, as observed through Jason’s lens, is one of relentless innovation, continuous improvement, and unwavering dedication to service excellence. As we navigate the future, these insights serve as a testament to the transformative power of collaboration, and the drive for progress that defines leaders like Jason Hanna and organizations like Credit Valley Golf and Country Club.
“We are pleased to introduce our first official clothing partner at 59club Nordic – J.Lindeberg!” General Manager at 59club Nordic Sebastian Czyz says. “We are extremely proud welcoming Joakim Ågren and the entire J.Lindeberg family to 59club Nordic. J.Lindeberg has been a partner with 59club UK for many years, and we look forward to further expand the partnership, and to create and share exciting stories in the Nordic countries.”
J.Lindeberg first launched in the summer of 1996, in Stockholm and New York simultaneously. Their founder, Johan Lindeberg, had a desire to challenge conventions and an idea to modernize the golfing fashion landscape, leaving the stale and the conservative behind.
“The history behind J.Lindeberg and the mindset of why Johan Lindeberg founded it, is very intriguing” Sebastian Czyz says. “A shared desire and vision for the game, yet in different areas, we believe this partnership is a great match. 59club Nordic exists with the sole purpose of supporting and guiding the high end and ambitious golf clubs to deliver the ultimate customer experience for their members, guests and employees. In order to do so, a mindset like Johan Lindeberg is valuable – a mindset who wants to challenge the current state; a mindset who is willing to think differently and a mindset who wants to excel.”
“At J.Lindeberg, we partner with companies with shared values. We have had a long-lasting relationship with 59club UK, due to our similar vision and desire for the entire industry. The fact that we have 59club Nordic in our own backyard now, just makes it even that more exciting. We look forward to partner with 59club Nordic and join them on their journey to support golf clubs in the Nordic region,” Scandinavia Wholesale Manager Joakim Ågren says.
A case Study exploring global New Member Onboarding trends
In the modern landscape, data stands as the pivotal cornerstone guiding our actions and shaping our strategies. It offers insight, reveals patterns and uncovers hidden opportunities.
In short, data becomes our road map. Insights collected from our recent multi-national survey of new club members reinforces not only the importance of data collection in this industry, but also how action – or in this case, inaction – can create a mismatch between Member needs and Club operations.
Out of more than a thousand global respondents to the member onboarding survey, a striking 80 percent cited “lose weight or get in shape” as the primary motive for joining the health club. This clearly signals a profound desire among members to prioritize their fitness journey and take proactive steps towards health and wellness.
However, there exists a disconnection in the club’s member service ecosystem, indicated by other data points from the survey. A sizable 82 percent of the respondents disclosed that they had not received a new member welcome call within 5 days of joining the club, and only 47 percent received any type of health & fitness induction with the personal trainer, with 40 percent failing to even receive a fitness class schedule.
This data demonstrates a significant gap in communication and service delivery that can hinder members from realizing their wellness goals. It paints a stark contrast between what members expect and what they experience.
Data is a powerful tool, but it’s only as valuable as the action it inspires. What can we, as industry leaders and club managers, do with this data? How can we turn these insights into effective strategies?
Firstly, this data suggests a crucial need to improve communication with new members, ensuring they are well informed about the fitness services available to them. This should involve a personalized welcome call, with an invitation to attend a face-to-face meeting with the personal trainer and / or operations manager, to provide all the necessary items and advice to help them integrate instantly into club life. This simple act of proactive engagement can not only facilitate their fitness journey but also build a stronger rapport, promoting a sense of belonging within the club community from day one.
Secondly, the importance of implementing a comprehensive and structured onboarding program for new members. This should start with a new member initiation meeting, this could include guided tours, allowing the club to emphasize the various fitness services, the different fitness classes or group activity programs and to make introductions to other employees within the fitness team as well as like-minded members, those of a similar ability, or members with relatable fitness goals.
Subsequent appointment scheduling – should not be overlooked, employees should as part of their regular service calls attempt to engage new members in health assessments, equipment inductions, fitness programs and future goal settings, with appointments set aside for regular reviews – and perhaps a complimentary session with a personal trainer. The goal is to provide an enriched experience that encourages members to actively utilize the club’s fitness offerings, and engage with fellow club members and the wider fitness team, whilst serving them to meet their goals.
Lastly, feedback mechanisms should be put in place to continuously gather member input. These might include regular surveys and service calls where members can share their experiences and ideas. This ongoing data collection not only helps to identify any areas needing improvement, but also to anticipate changing member needs, fostering a responsive and adaptable club environment.
This example is a wake-up call for clubs to re-evaluate and reinforce their new member engagement strategies. It’s a clear testament to the importance of effective communication, a well-structured onboarding process, and ongoing feedback collection. By embracing data and taking the appropriate action, clubs can bridge the service gap, enhance member satisfaction, and ultimately, help members succeed in their fitness journey. After all, data is a tool, and its power is realized only when it’s put into action.
If you are ready to measure your member experience and develop a structured onboarding process for your new golf and leisure club members, then help is at hand…
Our New Member Integration Survey, Member Retention Survey and Member Exit Survey Templates will deliver the data to support you to tailor your offering throughout your entire member life cycle.
And you can follow the education lessons within 59club’s Mentor platform, or request for one of the 59club training managers to guide you through the various training modules.
Together we can build a successful member integration and retention strategy for your club, ensuring members feel welcome, connected, and valued, with the purpose of encouraging them to visit more often, enter into club life, refer friends and family and linger-longer whilst they are at the club.
Une étude de cas explorant les tendances mondiales en matière d’accueil des nouveaux membres
Dans le monde moderne, les données sont la clé qui guide nos actions et façonne nos stratégies. Elles nous éclairent, révèlent des schémas et mettent au jour des opportunités cachées.
En bref, les données deviennent notre feuille de route. Les informations recueillies lors de notre récente enquête multinationale sur les nouveaux membres de clubs renforcent non seulement l’importance de la collecte de données dans ce secteur, mais aussi la façon dont l’action – ou, dans ce cas, l’inaction – peut créer un décalage entre les besoins des membres et les activités des clubs.
Sur plus d’un millier de personnes ayant répondu à l’enquête sur l’accueil des membres, 80 % ont cité la perte de poids ou la remise en forme comme principale raison de s’inscrire dans un club de remise en forme. Cela indique clairement que les membres souhaitent donner la priorité à leur parcours de remise en forme et prendre des mesures proactives en faveur de la santé et du bien-être.
Cependant, il existe une déconnexion dans l’écosystème du service aux membres du club, comme l’indiquent d’autres données de l’enquête. En effet, 82 % des personnes interrogées ont déclaré ne pas avoir reçu d’appel de bienvenue dans les cinq jours suivant leur adhésion au club, et seulement 47 % ont bénéficié d’une initiation à la santé et à la forme physique avec un entraîneur personnel, 40 % n’ayant même pas reçu l’horaire des cours de remise en forme.
Ces données révèlent un écart important dans la communication et la prestation de services qui peut empêcher les membres d’atteindre leurs objectifs en matière de bien-être. Le contraste est saisissant entre ce que les membres attendent et ce qu’ils vivent.
Les données sont un outil puissant, mais leur valeur dépend de l’action qu’elles génèrent. Que pouvons-nous faire de ces données, en tant que leaders de l’industrie et gérants de clubs ? Comment transformer ces informations en stratégies efficaces ?
Tout d’abord, ces données suggèrent qu’il est essentiel d’améliorer la communication avec les nouveaux membres, en veillant à ce qu’ils soient bien informés des services de remise en forme qui leur sont proposés. Cela devrait passer par un appel de bienvenue personnalisé, avec une invitation à participer à une réunion en face à face avec l’entraîneur personnel et/ou le responsable des opérations, afin de fournir tous les éléments et conseils nécessaires pour les aider à s’intégrer instantanément dans la vie du club. Ce simple acte d’engagement proactif peut non seulement faciliter leur parcours de remise en forme, mais aussi établir une relation plus forte, favorisant un sentiment d’appartenance à la communauté du club dès le premier jour.
Deuxièmement, il est important de mettre en œuvre un programme d’intégration complet et structuré pour les nouveaux membres. Ce programme devrait commencer par une réunion d’accueil des nouveaux membres, qui pourrait inclure des visites guidées, permettant au club de mettre l’accent sur les différents services de remise en forme, les différents cours de remise en forme ou les programmes d’activités de groupe et de faire des présentations aux autres employés de l’équipe de remise en forme ainsi qu’aux membres partageant les mêmes idées, ceux qui ont des capacités similaires ou des membres ayant des objectifs de remise en forme comparables.
La prise de rendez-vous ultérieure – ne doit pas être négligée, les employés doivent, dans le cadre de leurs visites de service régulières, tenter d’engager les nouveaux membres dans des évaluations de santé, des initiations à l’équipement, des programmes de remise en forme et la définition d’objectifs futurs, avec des rendez-vous fixés pour des évaluations régulières – et peut-être une séance gratuite avec un entraîneur personnel. L’objectif est d’offrir une expérience enrichie qui encourage les membres à utiliser activement les offres de fitness du club et à s’engager auprès des autres membres du club et de l’équipe de fitness, tout en les aidant à atteindre leurs objectifs.
Enfin, des systèmes de retour d’information doivent être mis en place pour recueillir en permanence les commentaires des membres. Il peut s’agir d’enquêtes régulières ou d’appels de service permettant aux membres de partager leurs expériences et leurs idées. Cette collecte continue de données permet non seulement d’identifier les domaines à améliorer, mais aussi d’anticiper l’évolution des besoins des membres, favorisant ainsi un environnement de club réactif et adaptable.
Cet exemple est un signal d’alarme pour les clubs qui doivent réévaluer et renforcer leurs stratégies d’engagement des nouveaux membres. Il témoigne clairement de l’importance d’une communication efficace, d’un processus d’intégration bien structuré et d’une collecte continue de commentaires. En s’appuyant sur les données et en prenant les mesures qui s’imposent, les clubs peuvent combler les lacunes en matière de service, améliorer la satisfaction des membres et, en fin de compte, les aider à réussir leur parcours de remise en forme. Après tout, les données sont un outil, et leur puissance ne se concrétise que lorsqu’elles sont mises en œuvre.
Si vous êtes prêt à mesurer l’expérience de vos membres et à développer un processus d’intégration structuré pour les nouveaux membres de vos clubs de golf et de loisirs, vous avez de l’aide à portée de main…
• Nos modèles d’enquête d’intégration des nouveaux membres, d’enquête de fidélisation des membres et d’enquête de départ des membres vous fourniront les données nécessaires pour adapter votre offre tout au long du cycle de vie de vos membres.
• Vous pouvez également suivre les leçons de formation sur la plateforme Mentor de 59club ou demander à l’un des responsables de formation de 59club de vous guider à travers les différents modules de formation.
Ensemble, nous pouvons mettre en place une stratégie réussie d’intégration et de fidélisation des membres pour votre club, en veillant à ce que les membres se sentent bien accueillis, connectés et valorisés, dans le but de les encourager à venir plus souvent, à participer à la vie du club, à recommander leurs amis et leur famille et à s’attarder plus longtemps pendant qu’ils sont au club.
We are thrilled to share some great news about our founder, Simon Wordsworth, who was recently recognised as the latest PGA Member to achieve PGA Master Manager status. This announcement comes from the Professional Golfers’ Association itself, marking a new milestone in Simon’s illustrious career and adding another feather to his cap.
The PGA Master Manager status is an accolade of the highest order, recognising Simon’s significant contribution to the golf industry and his immense expertise in club management. He is one of only sixty one PGA members to have been granted this honour.
Our founder has always been a forward-thinker, a trailblazer who has ceaselessly worked towards promoting the golf industry’s best practices. He founded 59club back in 2008, with a vision to revolutionize golf management and service excellence. Under his leadership, we have grown from a handful of clubs in the UK, to a multi-national brand and industry leader with divisions and operations on five continents.
Reflecting on his achievement, Simon shared, “It’s incredibly humbling to receive this recognition. I’m passionate about delivering excellence in golf management, and I believe this honor represents the collective efforts of our fantastic team at 59club. We’ve always strived to deliver the best, and we’ll continue to do so.”
Over the years, Simon has always been a proponent of professional development within the industry. He believes that the key to success lies in continuous learning, evolving with changing times, and always striving to improve. This ethos has been ingrained in our organisational culture at 59club and continues to drive us towards excellence.
Simon’s PGA Master Manager status comes as a result of his vast experience, his dedication to the industry, and his ability to lead, challenge and inspire. It not only recognizes his past achievements but also underscores his potential for future contributions to the golfing industry. We’re confident that under Simon’s stewardship, 59club will continue to reach new heights and redefine industry standards.
We are absolutely delighted for Simon and immensely proud to be led by a PGA Master Manager. As we continue our journey, we remain committed to the pursuit of excellence, championing the finest standards in golf and leisure management.
Congratulations, Simon! This is a well-deserved recognition, and we are excited to see where your leadership takes us in the future.
Nous sommes ravis de vous faire part d’une grande nouvelle concernant notre fondateur, Simon Wordsworth, qui a récemment été reconnu comme le dernier membre de la PGA à obtenir le statut de Master Manager de la PGA. Cette annonce provient de l’Association des golfeurs professionnels elle-même, marquant une nouvelle étape dans l’illustre carrière de Simon et ajoutant une corde à son arc.
Le statut de Master Manager de la PGA est une distinction de la plus haute importance, qui reconnaît la contribution significative de Simon à l’industrie du golf et son immense expertise en matière de gestion de club. Il est l’un des soixante et un membres de la PGA à avoir reçu cet honneur.
Notre fondateur a toujours été un penseur d’avant-garde, un précurseur qui n’a cessé de travailler à la promotion des meilleures pratiques de l’industrie du golf. Il a fondé 59club en 2008, avec la vision de révolutionner la gestion du golf et l’excellence du service. Sous sa direction, nous sommes passés d’une poignée de clubs au Royaume-Uni à une marque multinationale et à un leader de l’industrie avec des divisions et des opérations sur cinq continents.
En réfléchissant à sa réussite, Simon a déclaré : “C’est une grande leçon d’humilité que de recevoir cette reconnaissance. Je suis passionné par l’excellence en matière de gestion de golf et je pense que cet honneur représente les efforts collectifs de notre fantastique équipe au sein de 59club. Nous nous sommes toujours efforcés d’offrir ce qu’il y a de mieux, et nous continuerons à le faire.”
Au fil des ans, Simon a toujours été un partisan du développement professionnel au sein de l’industrie. Il est convaincu que la clé du succès réside dans l’apprentissage continu, l’évolution avec le temps et la recherche constante de l’amélioration. Cette philosophie est ancrée dans la culture organisationnelle de 59club et continue à nous pousser vers l’excellence.
Le statut de PGA Master Manager de Simon est le résultat de sa grande expérience, de son dévouement pour l’industrie et de sa capacité à diriger, à défier et à inspirer. Il ne s’agit pas seulement d’une reconnaissance de ses réalisations passées, mais aussi d’une mise en valeur de son potentiel pour de futures contributions à l’industrie du golf. Nous sommes convaincus que sous la direction de Simon, 59club continuera à atteindre de nouveaux sommets et à redéfinir les normes de l’industrie.
Nous sommes absolument ravis pour Simon et immensément fiers d’être dirigés par un Master Manager de la PGA. Alors que nous poursuivons notre voyage, nous restons engagés dans la poursuite de l’excellence, en défendant les normes les plus élevées dans la gestion du golf et des loisirs.
Félicitations, Simon ! C’est une reconnaissance bien méritée et nous sommes impatients de voir où votre leadership nous mènera à l’avenir.
Golf clubs aren’t merely venues for a beautiful round of golf; they’re spaces where members bond over a meal or drink. As such, food and beverage operations play an essential role in shaping the member experience. However, balancing quality with profitability is a delicate dance that golf clubs across the world grapple with, especially during off-peak days.
According to recent analysis by 59club Study; 1 in 4 golf clubs reduce or even eliminate their F&B operations during their slowest days of the year, 56% of clubs identified Monday as the slowest day of the week, with Tuesday trailing at 22%.
In this case, the data – based on research from a global network of managers within the 59club Study community – affords managers industry insights around how other clubs are making changes to their F&B opening or closing times on specific “slower” days.
Data collection and understanding are fundamental before making any decision at your golf club. Precise data collected from your own members and guests will enable you to objectively assess your club’s operations, track member & guest preferences, and identify trends. It takes the guesswork out of decision-making, giving you a solid foundation upon which to design effective strategies.
These “slow” days offer an opportunity for creative solutions that can boost sales and enhance member satisfaction. If the data suggests that you should remain open, and lets face it, who wants to shut up shop when there’s potential revenue to gain, maybe it’s a case of kicking your restaurant into gear to boost sales on these slow days.
Remember, the goal is not just to increase sales but also to enhance the customer experience. The strategies you adopt should reflect your club’s ethos and cater to the needs and preferences of your members & guests, here are some strategies to consider;
Innovative Marketing and Communication
Using email newsletters, social media, and even the club’s website to communicate special offers or themed nights can spark interest and increase attendance. Communicate consistently and ensure that your message reaches your customers effectively.
Customer Engagement Activities
Involve members & guests in activities such as cookery classes, wine tastings, or a ‘meet the chef’ evening. These initiatives can create a sense of community and encourage members to visit the club on slower days.
Strategic Partnerships
Consider partnering with local businesses to create attractive package deals that combine a round of golf with dining discounts. This can help attract new visitors to the club and possibly convert them into regular members.
Streamline Operations
Use data and analytics from platforms like 59club Study, alongside your own regular customer satisfaction surveys to identify trends and monitor member preferences. You can use these insights to streamline your F&B operations, optimize menus, manage inventory, and reduce waste.
Slow days need not be a drain on your club’s F&B operations. By adopting creative strategies and leveraging data, you can turn these off-peak periods into opportunities for growth and member engagement. Remember, every day at your golf club is a chance to make a lasting impression and deliver an exceptional experience.
Don’t let the off-peak blues bring you down; instead, use them as a springboard to elevate your club’s F&B operations to new heights.
Les clubs de golf ne sont pas seulement des lieux où l’on joue au golf, ce sont aussi des espaces où les membres se retrouvent autour d’un repas ou d’une boisson. En tant que tels, les services de restauration jouent un rôle essentiel dans l’expérience des membres. Cependant, l’équilibre entre la qualité et la rentabilité est une discipline délicate à laquelle les clubs de golf du monde entier sont confrontés, en particulier pendant les jours creux.
Selon une analyse récente de 59club Study, 1 club de golf sur 4 réduit ou même supprime ses opérations F&B pendant les jours les plus calmes de l’année. 56% des clubs ont identifié le lundi comme le jour le plus calme de la semaine, le mardi arrivant en deuxième position avec 22%.
Dans ce cas, les données – basées sur la recherche d’un réseau mondial de gérants au sein de la communauté de l’étude 59club – permettent aux gérants d’avoir une idée de la façon dont les autres clubs modifient leurs horaires d’ouverture ou de fermeture des services de restauration pendant les jours les plus creux de l’année.
La collecte et la compréhension des données sont fondamentales avant de prendre toute décision dans votre club de golf. Des données précises recueillies auprès de vos membres et invités vous permettront d’évaluer objectivement les opérations de votre club, de suivre les préférences des membres et des invités, et d’identifier les tendances. Ces données vous permettent de prendre des décisions en toute connaissance de cause et de disposer d’une base solide pour élaborer des stratégies efficaces.
Ces journées “creuses” sont l’occasion de trouver des solutions créatives pour stimuler les ventes et améliorer la satisfaction des membres. Si les données suggèrent que vous devriez rester ouvert, et soyons honnêtes, qui voudrait fermer boutique lorsqu’il y a des revenus potentiels à gagner, il s’agit peut-être de donner un coup de fouet à votre restaurant pour stimuler les ventes pendant ces journées creuses.
N’oubliez pas que l’objectif n’est pas seulement d’augmenter les ventes, mais aussi d’améliorer l’expérience des clients. Les stratégies que vous adoptez doivent refléter l’éthique de votre club et répondre aux besoins et aux préférences de vos membres et de vos invités ;
Marketing et communication innovants
L’utilisation de newsletters, de médias sociaux et même du site web du club pour communiquer des offres spéciales ou des soirées à thème peut susciter l’intérêt et augmenter la fréquentation. Communiquez de manière cohérente et veillez à ce que votre message atteigne efficacement vos clients.
Activités d’engagement des clients
Faites participer les membres et les invités à des activités telles que des cours de cuisine, des dégustations de vins ou une soirée “rencontre avec le chef”. Ces initiatives peuvent créer un sentiment d’appartenance à la communauté et encourager les membres à se rendre au club les jours plus calmes.
Partenariats stratégiques
Envisagez de vous associer à des entreprises locales pour créer des forfaits attrayants combinant une partie de golf et des réductions sur les repas. Cela peut permettre d’attirer de nouveaux visiteurs au club et éventuellement de les convertir en membres réguliers.
Rationaliser les opérations
Utilisez les données et les analyses de plateformes telles que 59club Study, ainsi que vos propres enquêtes de satisfaction des clients, pour identifier les tendances et suivre les préférences des membres. Vous pouvez utiliser ces informations pour rationaliser vos opérations F&B, optimiser les menus, gérer les stocks et réduire le gaspillage.
Les journées creuses ne doivent pas être un fardeau pour les opérations de restauration de votre club. En adoptant des stratégies créatives et en exploitant les données, vous pouvez transformer ces périodes creuses en opportunités de croissance et d’engagement des membres. N’oubliez pas que chaque jour dans votre club de golf est l’occasion de faire une impression durable et d’offrir une expérience exceptionnelle.
Ne vous laissez pas abattre par les périodes creuses ; au contraire, utilisez-les comme un tremplin pour élever les opérations F&B de votre club à de nouveaux sommets.
In the world of retail, there is a common question that has plagued salespeople for years. It’s an easy question to ask, an easier question to answer and it does exactly nothing for your bottom line.
The question in question? “Can I help you?”
It seems innocent enough, a well-meaning attempt to assist customers. However, according to 59club Global Trainer Matt Roberts, this question may be the absolute worst to ask in any retail setting, and what’s more staggering is that 59club’s industry leading data suggests that 75% of all mystery shoppers were either asked this very question, or simply ignored after showing interest in a product.
The Ineffectiveness of “Can I Help You?”:
According to Roberts, the question “Can I help you?” often falls flat, and worse, creates a negative feedback loop between you and your customer. The most common response? “I’m just looking, thanks.” This lackluster interaction fails to create a meaningful connection between the salesperson and the customer, leaving both parties unsatisfied.
A fact supported by 59club’s mystery shopping data, which highlights, “of those that were asked this question; 58% identified that they would not wish to make a purchase”. Immediately, nearly 80% of customers who are asked “Can I help you?” aren’t buying. Now that’s a big-time problem.
Missed Sales Opportunities:
Asking the wrong question can trip up sales professionals and hinder their ability to create sales opportunities. Instead of resorting to the generic “Can I help you?” query, it is crucial to engage customers in a conversation that promotes active dialogue. By understanding their specific needs and preferences, salespeople can tailor their recommendations and provide a more personalised experience.
Turning Conversation into Sales Opportunities:
Having eliminated the “Can I help you?” scenario; 59club’s education stresses the importance of asking engaging questions that promote casual chat. For instance, sales staff asking customers a combination of open and closed questions about their golf game, their abilities, or their favourite part of their game can lead to fruitful conversations. These interactions can uncover areas where customers are struggling and allow sales professionals to offer relevant solutions or services. By actively listening and providing personalised recommendations, retailers can turn missed opportunities into successful sales. What do customers want in a personalised experience? Let’s find out through needs analysis.
The Power of Needs Analysis:
One key element of 59club’s education is the importance of conducting a needs analysis for customers seeking a particular product. Rather than immediately showcasing a range of options, salespeople should focus on understanding what the customer is looking for in that specific product. By asking a selection of well-constructed questions about their preferences, why they’re in the market for the product in the first place, current usage, and desired improvements, sales professionals can gain valuable insights to guide their recommendations. Failing to conduct a proper needs analysis can result in further missed sales opportunities. Alarmingly, only 50% of 59club mystery shoppers received a needs analysis during their encounter with the retail team, and to their detriment, 77% of those shoppers stating that they did not feel compelled to make a purchase based on their sales experience.
What’s a better way?
A crucial aspect of the retail sales process is the significance of linking product features to their benefits. Rather than overwhelming customers with a laundry list of specifications, salespeople should emphasize how a product can meet their specific needs and provide value. By identifying the benefits that resonate with the customer, sales professionals can create a compelling case for making a purchase. This approach not only enhances the customer’s understanding, but also increases the likelihood of closing a sale.
In the realm of retail, the question “Can I help you?” may be the worst one to ask customers. It often leads to missed sales opportunities and fails to establish a meaningful connection. By embracing alternative approaches, conducting a needs analysis, linking features to benefits, and promoting engaging conversations, sales professionals can transform their interactions with customers.
It is through these personalized and attentive strategies that retail businesses can foster stronger customer relationships, increase sales, and provide exceptional shopping experiences. So, the next time you step into a retail environment, remember that a genuine conversation can make all the difference.
Dans le monde de la vente au détail, il existe une question commune qui tourmente les vendeurs depuis des années. C’est une question facile à poser, une question facile à répondre et qui n’apporte rien à votre résultat.
La question en question ? “Puis-je vous aider ?”
Cela semble assez innocent, une tentative bien intentionnée d’aider les clients. Cependant, selon Matt Roberts, formateur mondial de 59club, cette question est peut-être la pire à poser dans un environnement de vente au détail. Plus étonnant encore, les données de 59club suggèrent que 75 % de tous les clients mystères se sont vu poser cette question ou ont été simplement ignorés après avoir manifesté de l’intérêt pour un produit.
L’inefficacité de la formule “Puis-je vous aider ?
Selon M. Roberts, la question “Puis-je vous aider ?” tombe souvent à plat et, pire encore, crée une boucle de rétroaction négative entre vous et votre client. La réponse la plus courante ? “Je ne fais que chercher, merci”. Cette interaction terne ne permet pas de créer un lien significatif entre le vendeur et le client, ce qui laisse les deux parties insatisfaites.
Un fait confirmé par les données des enquêtes mystères de 59club, qui soulignent que “parmi les personnes à qui cette question a été posée, 58 % ont indiqué qu’elles ne souhaiteraient pas effectuer d’achat”. Immédiatement, près de 80 % des clients à qui l’on demande “Puis-je vous aider ?” n’achètent pas. Il s’agit là d’un problème majeur.
Opportunités de ventes manquées :
Poser la mauvaise question peut faire trébucher les professionnels de la vente et entraver leur capacité à créer des opportunités de vente. Au lieu de recourir à la question générique “Puis-je vous aider ?”, il est essentiel d’engager les clients dans une conversation qui favorise un dialogue actif. En comprenant leurs besoins et préférences spécifiques, les vendeurs peuvent adapter leurs recommandations et offrir une expérience plus personnalisée.
Transformer les conversations en opportunités de vente :
Après avoir éliminé le scénario “Puis-je vous aider ?”, la formation de 59club insiste sur l’importance de poser des questions engageantes qui favorisent les discussions informelles. Par exemple, le personnel de vente peut poser aux clients une combinaison de questions ouvertes et fermées sur leur jeu de golf, leurs capacités ou la partie qu’ils préfèrent dans leur jeu, ce qui peut conduire à des conversations fructueuses. Ces interactions peuvent mettre en évidence les domaines dans lesquels les clients éprouvent des difficultés et permettre aux professionnels de la vente d’offrir des solutions ou des services pertinents. En écoutant activement et en fournissant des recommandations personnalisées, les détaillants peuvent transformer les occasions manquées en ventes fructueuses. Qu’attendent les clients d’une expérience personnalisée ? Découvrons-le grâce à l’analyse des besoins.
Le pouvoir de l’analyse des besoins :
L’un des éléments clés de la formation de 59club est l’importance de procéder à une analyse des besoins des clients à la recherche d’un produit particulier. Plutôt que de présenter immédiatement une gamme d’options, les vendeurs devraient s’efforcer de comprendre ce que le client recherche dans ce produit spécifique. En posant une série de questions bien construites sur les préférences du client, les raisons pour lesquelles il recherche le produit, son utilisation actuelle et les améliorations souhaitées, les professionnels de la vente peuvent obtenir des informations précieuses pour orienter leurs recommandations. Si l’on ne procède pas à une analyse correcte des besoins, on risque de rater d’autres opportunités de vente. Il est alarmant de constater que seulement 50 % des clients mystères du 59club ont reçu une analyse de leurs besoins lors de leur rencontre avec l’équipe de vente et, à leur détriment, 77 % de ces clients ont déclaré qu’ils ne se sentaient pas obligés de faire un achat sur la base de leur expérience de vente.
Quelle est la meilleure solution ?
Un aspect crucial du processus de vente au détail est l’importance de lier les caractéristiques des produits à leurs avantages. Plutôt que de submerger les clients avec une liste de spécifications, les vendeurs doivent souligner comment un produit peut répondre à leurs besoins spécifiques et leur apporter de la valeur. En identifiant les avantages qui touchent le client, les professionnels de la vente peuvent créer un argumentaire convaincant en faveur de l’achat. Cette approche permet non seulement d’améliorer la compréhension du client, mais aussi d’augmenter les chances de conclure une vente.
Dans le domaine de la vente au détail, la question “Puis-je vous aider ?” est peut-être la pire que l’on puisse poser aux clients. Elle conduit souvent à des opportunités de vente manquées et ne permet pas d’établir un lien significatif. En adoptant d’autres approches, en procédant à une analyse des besoins, en liant les caractéristiques aux avantages et en favorisant les conversations engageantes, les professionnels de la vente peuvent transformer leurs interactions avec les clients.
C’est grâce à ces stratégies personnalisées et attentives que les commerces de détail peuvent renforcer les relations avec les clients, augmenter les ventes et offrir des expériences d’achat exceptionnelles. Ainsi, la prochaine fois que vous entrerez dans un commerce de détail, n’oubliez pas qu’une conversation authentique peut faire toute la différence.
Have you been here before? It’s an innocuous and generally harmless question with enormous upside.
The restaurant industry have used this relatively innocent question for decades in order to prime the pump for an engaging customer experience. Asking someone if they have been to your golf course, restaurant, spa – or any other hospitality or leisure venue – opens the door for conversation and questions, builds rapport and emotional connection between the customer and your staff/brand, and provides an opportunity to share your club’s best stories or things a customer should know before heading out.
59club has crunched the numbers and, once again, the top-performing clubs never miss an opportunity to ask this question during the tee time booking call. The rest of the pack, however, fails to ask this question 64% of the time.
On arrival at the club during checking in for golf; even the best performers struggle when it comes to discussing a visitors previous experiences as they attempt to build a personal rapport, only achieving 68%, with the 59club industry average sat at just 50%.
Let’s dive in.
The most effective way to open the door for an engaging conversation and information gathering is to ask personal questions but asking a customer where they see themselves in five years or what makes them the happiest isn’t really appropriate in this instance. Asking a visitor if they have played the course before, however, is a semi-opened-ended question with a clear goal and hundreds of different avenues for additional conversation. If the customer has played the course before, it begs the question “when?” Was it a long time ago or before a recent renovation? Have there been changes to improve the club since then? Why did they take so long in between rounds? Are they from out of town and should their name and email address go into a special “feeder market” list bucket in your CRM system? Enormous amounts of information all gained from starting with one simple question.
These types of conversation starters not only gather important information for marketing and customer service operations, but also provide an opportunity to tell positive stories or provide important general information about your club to someone who may not know. If someone is playing for the first time, they might want to hear about a featured hole, strategy on how to play the course, where to find locker room, restaurant, practice area and 1st tee, humorous anecdotes and other positive stories.
The message is clear, the top performing clubs need to be more consistent from managing the tee time call to greeting a visitor on arrival, far too many other clubs – that feed into the 59club industry average – are leaving easily gatherable information on the table. The golf and leisure clubs who take charge of the first impression and subsequent conversations tend to score higher in other areas as well, creating a domino effect of individual, positive experiences which lead to a better experience overall.
Working with the data
Delve into your Mystery Shopping Audits, and analyze how many times the team has asked this question ‘month on month’ and ‘year on year’, paying close attention to the podium performance, industry and your own competitor set average to see how you compare.
Celebrate those within the team who have witnessed successes, reminding others of the fundamental basics to perfect their engagement techniques.
Encourage skill-share, role-play, and time away to study, reminding the team of the learning links within the mystery shopping results, and the resources within the Mentor education platform to develop their sales process & customer service experience.
Review successes and set targets on a regular basis as Mystery Shopping results are released…
Êtes-vous déjà venu ici ? Il s’agit d’une question anodine et généralement banale, mais qui présente un énorme intérêt.
L’industrie de la restauration utilise cette question relativement innocente depuis des décennies afin d’amorcer la procédure d’une expérience client attrayante. Demander à quelqu’un s’il est déjà venu sur votre parcours de golf, dans votre restaurant, dans votre spa – ou dans tout autre lieu d’accueil ou de loisirs – ouvre la voie à la conversation et aux questions, établit un rapport et une connexion émotionnelle entre le client et votre personnel/marque, et donne l’occasion de partager les meilleures histoires de votre club ou les choses qu’un client devrait savoir avant de sortir.
59club a analysé les chiffres et, une fois de plus, les clubs les plus performants ne manquent jamais l’occasion de poser cette question lors de l’appel de réservation de l’heure de départ. Les autres clubs, en revanche, ne posent pas cette question dans 64 % des cas.
A l’arrivée au club, lors de l’enregistrement pour le golf, même les clubs les plus performants ont du mal à discuter avec les visiteurs de leurs expériences précédentes pour tenter d’établir une relation personnelle. Ils n’atteignent que 68%, alors que la moyenne de l’industrie du 59club se situe à seulement 50%.
Voyons ce qu’il en est.
Le moyen le plus efficace d’ouvrir la porte à une conversation engageante et à la collecte d’informations est de poser des questions personnelles, mais demander à un client où il se voit dans cinq ans ou ce qui le rend le plus heureux n’est pas vraiment approprié dans ce cas. En revanche, demander à un visiteur s’il a déjà joué sur le parcours est une question semi-ouverte dont l’objectif est clair et qui offre des centaines de possibilités de conversations supplémentaires. Si le client a déjà joué au cours, il faut se demander “quand”. Était-ce il y a longtemps ou avant une rénovation récente ? Des changements ont-ils été apportés pour améliorer le club depuis lors ? Pourquoi ont-ils pris autant de temps entre deux parties ? Est-ce qu’ils viennent de l’extérieur de la ville et est-ce que leur nom et leur adresse électronique devraient être enregistrés dans une liste spéciale de “clients potentiels” dans votre système de gestion des relations avec la clientèle ? Il suffit d’une simple question pour obtenir d’énormes quantités d’informations.
Ce type d’amorce de conversation permet non seulement de recueillir des informations importantes pour les opérations de marketing et de service à la clientèle, mais aussi de raconter des histoires positives ou de fournir des informations générales importantes sur votre club à quelqu’un qui ne le connaîtrait pas. Si quelqu’un joue pour la première fois, il voudra peut-être entendre parler d’un trou vedette, d’une stratégie sur la façon de jouer le parcours, de l’endroit où se trouvent les vestiaires, le restaurant, le practice et le départ du trou n°1, d’anecdotes humoristiques et d’autres histoires positives.
Le message est clair, les clubs les plus performants doivent être plus cohérents, de la gestion de l’appel de départ à l’accueil du visiteur à son arrivée, beaucoup trop d’autres clubs – qui alimentent la moyenne de l’industrie de 59 clubs – laissent des informations facilement collectables. Les clubs de golf et les resorts qui prennent en charge la première impression et les conversations qui s’ensuivent ont tendance à obtenir de meilleurs résultats dans d’autres domaines également, créant un effet domino d’expériences individuelles positives qui conduisent à une meilleure expérience globale.
Travailler avec les données
Plongez dans vos audits de visites mystères et analysez le nombre de fois que l’équipe a posé cette question, mois après mois et année après année, en prêtant une attention particulière aux performances du podium, au secteur et à la moyenne de vos propres concurrents pour voir comment vous vous situez par rapport à eux.
Félicitez ceux qui, au sein de l’équipe, ont été témoins de succès, en rappelant aux autres les bases fondamentales pour qu’ils perfectionnent leurs techniques d’engagement.
Encouragez le partage des compétences, les jeux de rôle et le temps consacré à l’étude, en rappelant à l’équipe les liens d’apprentissage contenus dans les résultats de l’évaluation mystère et les ressources de la plateforme de formation Mentor pour développer leur processus de vente et leur expérience du service à la clientèle.
Examiner les réussites et fixer des objectifs sur une base régulière au fur et à mesure que les résultats des évaluations mystères sont publiés…
In today’s competitive golf industry, it’s crucial for golf clubs to deliver exceptional customer experiences to attract and retain players. One golf club that has successfully navigated this challenge is We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, which – under the leadership of General Manager Matt Barr – has seen significant growth in retail and F&B sales over the past two years. Their secret? Unbiased, actionable data collected from regular mystery shopping audits.
The Partnership Between We-Ko-Pa Golf Club and 59club
Barr and his team at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club gained valuable insights into the areas where they could improve their customer service and drive sales growth. According to Barr, what started out as an opportunity to identify on-course condition and maintenance, like turf health and bunkering, turned into an extremely valuable tool for nearly every customer-facing operation at the club.
“Managers can’t be everywhere at once, so we engaged with 59club in order to make sure our on-course product was up to our standards,” said Barr. “The data we received from our initial golf visitor experience audits opened our eyes to not only the on-course product, but also our retail and F&B operations. We quickly realised we could grow in many ways.”
Implementing Effective Sales Techniques
Armed with the insights, Barr and his team at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club implemented new sales techniques that focused on improving customer interactions. By training staff to engage with customers more effectively and to upsell and cross-sell products and services, the club was able to increase its retail sales by double digits in a little under two years.
“We’ve seen a remarkable retail sales increase since starting with 59club,” said Barr. “This growth can be directly attributed to learning and implementing effective sales processes that focus on upselling and cross-selling. By equipping our team with the right tools and techniques, we’ve been able to enhance the customer experience and drive significant revenue growth for our club.”
On the F&B front, mystery shopping data allowed Barr and his team to identify areas for growth and double down on quality customer service operations. According to Barr, simple questions asked by F&B staff have led to significant sales increases, and even improved employee satisfaction.
“Asking simple questions like ‘have you dined with us before’ or ‘would you like another beer’ not only lead to increases in F&B revenue, but also staff wages,” said Barr. “As bills increase from another round of drinks or upselling a more expensive spirit, so do tips for our servers. It’s a win-win across the board and something we might never have seen without data from 59club.”
Enhancing Customer Satisfaction
By making improvements in their daily processes, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club was able to enhance the overall customer experience. Satisfied customers are more likely to return to the club and recommend it to others, which will have a positive impact on future sales. The increased focus on customer service, driven by the insights gained from regular mystery shopping audits, helped the club create a more enjoyable guest experience.
The success of We-Ko-Pa Golf Club demonstrates the significant impact that mystery shopping and data analysis can bring to the golf, leisure & hospitality industry. As the industry becomes increasingly competitive, it’s essential for clubs to prioritize customer service and continually strive for improvement. By partnering with 59club, venues can gain valuable insights and support to help them boost sales and create exceptional experiences for their customers.
Dans l’industrie compétitive du golf d’aujourd’hui, il est crucial pour les clubs de golf d’offrir des expériences exceptionnelles à leurs clients afin d’attirer et de fidéliser les joueurs. Un club de golf qui a réussi à relever ce défi est le We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, situé à Scottsdale, en Arizona, qui, sous la direction du directeur général Matt Barr, a connu une croissance significative des ventes au détail et des ventes F&B au cours des deux dernières années. Leur secret ? Des données impartiales et exploitables recueillies lors d’audits mystères réguliers.
Le partenariat entre We-Ko-Pa Golf Club et 59club
M. Barr et son équipe au We-Ko-Pa Golf Club ont obtenu des informations précieuses sur les domaines dans lesquels ils pouvaient améliorer leur service à la clientèle et stimuler la croissance des ventes. Selon M. Barr, ce qui n’était au départ qu’une opportunité d’identifier l’état et l’entretien du parcours, comme la santé du gazon et les bunkers, s’est transformé en un outil extrêmement précieux pour presque toutes les opérations en contact avec la clientèle au sein du club.
“Les responsables ne peuvent pas être partout à la fois, c’est pourquoi nous avons fait appel à 59club pour nous assurer que notre produit sur le terrain était à la hauteur de nos normes”, a déclaré M. Barr. “Les données que nous avons reçues de nos audits initiaux sur l’expérience des visiteurs nous ont ouvert les yeux non seulement sur le produit sur le parcours, mais aussi sur nos opérations de vente au détail et de F&B. Nous avons rapidement réalisé que nous pouvions nous développer dans d’autres domaines. Nous avons rapidement réalisé que nous pouvions nous développer de plusieurs façons.”
Mise en œuvre de techniques de vente efficaces
Forts de ces informations, M. Barr et son équipe du We-Ko-Pa Golf Club ont mis en œuvre de nouvelles techniques de vente axées sur l’amélioration des interactions avec les clients. En formant le personnel à s’engager plus efficacement auprès des clients et à faire de la vente incitative et croisée de produits et de services, le club a pu augmenter ses ventes au détail à deux chiffres en un peu moins de deux ans.
“Nous avons constaté une augmentation remarquable des ventes au détail depuis que nous avons commencé à travailler avec 59club”, a déclaré M. Barr. “Cette croissance peut être directement attribuée à l’apprentissage et à la mise en œuvre de processus de vente efficaces qui se concentrent sur la vente additionnelle et la vente complémentaire. En dotant notre équipe des bons outils et des bonnes techniques, nous avons été en mesure d’améliorer l’expérience client et de générer une croissance significative du chiffre d’affaires de notre club”.
En ce qui concerne la restauration, les données des enquêtes mystères ont permis à M. Barr et à son équipe d’identifier des domaines de croissance et de doubler la qualité des opérations de service à la clientèle. Selon M. Barr, de simples questions posées par le personnel de la restauration ont permis d’augmenter considérablement les ventes et même d’améliorer la satisfaction des employés.
Poser des questions simples comme “Avez-vous déjà dîné chez nous ?” ou “Voulez-vous une autre bière ?” n’entraîne pas seulement une augmentation du chiffre d’affaires des services de restauration, mais aussi des salaires du personnel”, explique M. Barr. “Lorsque les factures augmentent en raison d’une nouvelle tournée de boissons ou de la vente d’un alcool plus cher, les pourboires de nos serveurs augmentent également. Tout le monde y gagne et c’est quelque chose que nous n’aurions peut-être jamais vu sans les données de 59club”.
Améliorer la satisfaction des clients
En apportant des améliorations à ses processus quotidiens, le We-Ko-Pa Golf Club a pu améliorer l’expérience globale de ses clients. Les clients satisfaits sont plus susceptibles de revenir au club et de le recommander à d’autres, ce qui aura un impact positif sur les ventes futures. L’attention accrue portée au service à la clientèle, grâce aux enseignements tirés des évaluations mystères régulières, a aidé le club à offrir une expérience plus agréable à ses clients.
Le succès de We-Ko-Pa Golf Club démontre l’impact significatif que les enquêtes mystères et l’analyse de données peuvent avoir sur l’industrie du golf, des resorts et de l’hôtellerie. Alors que le secteur devient de plus en plus compétitif, il est essentiel pour les clubs de donner la priorité au service à la clientèle et de s’efforcer continuellement de s’améliorer. En s’associant à 59club, les clubs peuvent bénéficier d’informations et d’un soutien précieux pour les aider à augmenter leurs ventes et à créer des expériences exceptionnelles pour leurs clients.
In this edition of our Partner Spotlight, we highlight Finca Cortesin, the host venue of the 2023 Solheim Cup.
Finca Cortesin led the way at our recent Service Excellence Awards claiming: Golf Operations Team of the Year & Golf Manager of the Year, which was won by Rocío Sánchez Clavijo. In addition to this, the team also secure our prestigious Gold Flag Award.
We asked, Francisco de Lancastre David, CCM, General Manager of Golf and Leisure Operations at Finca Cortesin, what these awards meant to the club.
“Finca Cortesin is proud and humbled to have received two prestigious accolades at the 59club Awards. It is great to see our golf operations team rewarded for their dedication to creating a culture of high-quality service, and providing a unique experience that is unlike any other resort in Europe.
The resort also has a long-standing history and commitment of supporting women in the golf industry, both on and off the course, which makes it even more special to see our very own Rocio Sanchez collect the ‘Golf Manager of the Year’ award. Rocio is an integral part of our operations team and continues to excel in her day-to-day role that allows Finca Cortesin to be renowned as one of golf’s best experiences.”
All of us at 59club wish the team the very best with hosting the Solheim Cup and are excited to see how the week unfolds.
59club Europe South are delighted to welcome GOLF DE ANDRATX as it’s newest partner venue.
59club Europe South will help Golf de Andratx with their long-term vision of providing service excellence by delivering industry leading data across the customer journey. Golf de Andratx joins several other facilities in Mallorca who currently work with us and with this data, the team across the property can analyze focus areas and continue to grow the overall golf experience.
Located less than 30 km from the island´s capital Palma de Mallorca, Golf de Andratx is nestled in the beautiful coastal town of Camp de Mar. The spectacular surroundings, picturesque views and some of the most stimulating hole designs provide an unforgettable experience for golfers.
We are thrilled to welcome another great facility in Mallorca onboard & look forward to working with the team throughout the year.
In this edition of our Partner Spotlight, we highlight Pula Golf Resort who recently secured a Bronze flag at our recent Service Excellence Awards within their first year of partnering with us.
Pula Golf has utilized 59club in-depth analysis to review the entire customer journey to strive to provide the best experience possible from start to finish. We asked, Arnau Sala (CEO), his thoughts from his first year of working with 59club Europe South:
“I am really happy about our collaboration together with 59club. After one year working together, we have been upgrading our services standards which is great to see in the data delivered.
As we all know, the service we deliver to our clients is one of the most important things of tourism and ensuring we gain them back at our properties. I am also very proud of how my team is delivering our service and how they can improve every time with working with 59club”
Situated in one of the most beautiful and peaceful spots in Mallorca, the old manor house dates back to 1581 houses today’s hotel and country club facilities, which welcomes guests with the warm and friendly hospitality typical of the Mallorcan people.
The course was founded in 1995 and completely redesigned by José María Olazábal between 2004 and 2006 in order to satisfy the demands of international and professional golf. In addition, Pula Golf Resort has a magnificent outdoor swimming pool and sauna, as well as a massage service to relax after a day of golf.
59club Europe’s French division hosted their Customer Service Excellence Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 21, 2023, at the Ormesson Golf Course.
The event which recognises golf clubs & resorts for achieving the highest customer service standards within the region, started with an Education seminar which took place in front of an audience representing the French golf industry.
As evening fell, a cocktail reception allowed attendees to continue their exchanges, ahead of the annual 59club Service Excellence Awards Ceremony & Dinner, sponsored by Toro/Solver, Ransomes/Jacobsen and Piguy Golf Challenge.
Winners for the French Service ‘Excellence’ titles were determined through scores collected by a set of mystery shoppers, who use 59club’s unique and objective evaluation criteria. The scores to qualify for these awards, include a series of audits that analyse the properties customer service levels, sales performance, staff engagement and facility management.
During the evening, the golf venues & resorts were also rewarded for their use of the survey tools within the my59 platform, as they continually work to enrich the experience afforded to both members and guests.
A highlight of the evening saw 59club present their global benchmark of excellence, the Gold, Silver & Bronze Flag Designations. These highly prized awards recognise member clubs’ and resorts that provide excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy, as well as having achieved the required standard of customer service throughout 2022. On the night, 59club presented a total of 7 Golf Flag Designations, which included a Gold Flag awarded to Golf de Terre Blanche, and a Silver Flag presented to Golf National Albatross. A further 5 Bronze Flag Designations recognized Golf de Seignosse; Golf de Servanes ; Golf d’ Hardelot; Golf d’ Opio Valbonne and Golf du Touquet.
Of the evening, 59club Global Director, Mark Reed who flew over to present the Golf Flag Awards said; “It was a pleasure to join Claude Rousseau and Colin Bosio as they hosted the 2nd annual French Service Awards Ceremony, it was a very personal affair, and naturally, Claude brought his charm and wit to the evening – which everyone appreciated.
“59club Europe is split into three territories, Europe West, Europe South (who celebrated their award winners earlier in the year), and most recently 59club Nordic who opened at the tail end of 2022. Europe West: the territory that represents France, is just beginning their awards journey with their clients, and it was heart-warming to see so many venues recognized with the 59club Global benchmark of excellence for having delivered some of the finest customers experiences recognized in the world of golf.
“To subject your club to independent evaluation, and claim a title that has to be earned through hard work & determination after the culmination of a successful series of mystery shopper audits, is something that we are incredibly proud to recognise, and I look forward to returning again early next year”.
Full list of Award Winners
59club Golf Flag Designations:
Gold Flag Designation: Golf de Terre Blanche
Silver Flag Designation: Golf National Albatross
Bronze Flag Designation: Golf de Seignosse; Golf de Servanes ; Golf d’ Hardelot; Golf d’ Opio Valbonne & Golf du Touquet
Complete list of Trophées de l’Excellence winners:
Performance Award for Customer (Reception) Service:
Golf d’HARDELOT
Proshop Experience Award:
UGolf de BOURGES
Best Restaurant Experience Award:
Golf BlueGreen de GUJAN MESTRAS
Best Sales Team Award:
Golf BueGreen de SAINTE-MAXIME
On Course Services Experience Award:
Golf d’Opio Valbonne
Best Greenkeepers Team Awards: (3 trophies according to the average price of greenfees)
Golf Club de LYON SALVAGNY
Golf BlueGreen de SAINT LAURENT
Golf Blue Green de MAZIERE EN GATINE
my59 Customer Survey Performance Award:
Golf International d’Arcachon
Customer Experience Progress Award:
Golf de CHANTILLY
Global Visit of the Year Award: (3 trophies according to the average greenfee rate)
La deuxième Cérémonie des Trophées de l’Excellence organisée par la division française de 59club Europe s’est déroulée le jeudi 21 avril 2023 au golf d’Ormesson.
L’événement, qui récompense les clubs de golf et les resorts qui ont atteint les normes de service à la clientèle les plus élevées, a débuté à 17 heures par la conférence annuelle sur la qualité devant un auditoire représentant la filière du golf.
A 19h30, un cocktail a permis aux participants de poursuivre les échanges avant le dîner de la Cérémonie des Trophées de l’Excellence « 59club Service Excellence Awards », parrainés par Toro / Solver, Ransomes / Jacobsen et Piguy Golf Challenge.
Les nominés pour les titres d’“Excellence” de service sont déterminés grâce aux notes recueillies par un ensemble de clients mystères, qui utilisent les critères d’évaluation uniques et objectifs de 59club. Les notes permettant de se qualifier pour ces récompenses, reconnues dans le monde du golf, comprennent une série de contrôles portant sur les niveaux de service de la structure, les performances de vente, l’attitude du personnel, les processus internes et les normes des installations.
Au cours de la soirée, les établissements ont été également récompensés pour l’utilisation des outils d’enquêtes sur la plate-forme my59. Cet outil d’analyse permet d’enrichir l’expérience des membres et des clients.
L’autre moment fort de la soirée a vu 59club présenter sa reconnaissance mondiale de l’excellence avec les désignations de drapeau Or, Argent et Bronze. Ces prix très prisés récompensent les clubs de membres et les resorts qui ont offert d’excellentes installations aux golfeurs, ainsi qu’un haut niveau de service à la clientèle tout au long de l’année 2022.
Au cours de la soirée, 59club a présenté un total de 7 désignations de drapeaux de golf, dont un drapeau d’or décerné au Golf de Terre Blanche et un drapeau d’argent présenté au Golf National Albatros. 5 autres désignations de drapeaux de bronze ont été décernées aux ; Golf de Seignosse, Golf de Servanes, Golf d’Hardelot, Golf d’Opio Valbonne et Golf du Touquet.
Après la soirée, le directeur mondial de 59club, Mark Reed, qui s’est envolé pour présenter les Golf Flag Awards, a déclaré : « Ce fut un plaisir de me joindre à Claude Rousseau et Colin Bosio qui organisaient la 2ème cérémonie annuelle de remise des Prix, c’était une affaire très personnelle, et naturellement, Claude a apporté son charme et son esprit à la soirée – ce que tout le monde a apprécié. »
« 59club Europe est divisé en trois territoires, l’Europe Ouest, l‘Europe Sud (qui a célébré ses lauréats plus tôt dans l’année) et, plus récemment, 59club Nordic qui a ouvert ses portes en fin d’année 2022. L’Europe de l’Ouest est au début de son histoire notamment avec les récompenses de ses clients. Cela m’a fait chaud au cœur de voir autant de sites reconnus par notre référence d’excellence mondiale 59club, ces sites offrent certaines des meilleures expériences client reconnues dans le monde du golf. »
« Soumettre votre club à une évaluation indépendante et revendiquer un titre qui est gagné grâce à un travail acharné et à la détermination après l’aboutissement d’une série réussie d’audits de clients mystères, est quelque chose que nous sommes incroyablement fiers de récompenser, et j’ai hâte de revenir au début de l’année prochaine. »
Liste complète des lauréats des Trophées
Désignation des drapeaux de golf 59Club :
Drapeau d’or décerné au Golf de Terre Blanche
Drapeau d’argent décerné au Golf National Albatros.
Drapeaux de bronze décernés aux ; Golf de Seignosse, Golf de Servanes, Golf d’Hardelot, Golf d’Opio Valbonne et Golf du Touquet.
Liste complète des lauréats des Trophées de l’Excellence :
Prix de la performance pour l’Accueil des Clients
Golf d’HARDELOT
Prix de l’expérience Proshop
UGolf de BOURGES
Prix de la meilleure expérience au restaurant
Golf BlueGreen de GUJAN MESTRAS
Prix de la meilleure équipe de vente
Golf BueGreen de SAINTE-MAXIME
Prix de l’expérience de Services sur le parcours
Golf d’Opio Valbonne
Prix de la meilleure Equipe terrain (3 trophées selon le tarif moyen des greenfees)
Golf Club de LYON SALVAGNY
Golf BlueGreen de SAINT LAURENT
Golf Blue Green de MAZIERE EN GATINE
Prix de la Performance enquêtes clients my59
Golf International d’Arcachon
Prix de la progression dans l’expérience client
Golf de CHANTILLY
Prix de la Visite globale de l’année (3 trophées selon le tarif moyen des greenfees)
59club Europe South are delighted to announce La Cala Resort as their newest partner venue.
La Cala have taken their commitment in endeavouring to deliver service excellence by partnering with 59club Europe South who will deliver industry leading experience data across Golf, Hotel & Food & Beverage.
Situated in the foothills of the Sierra de Mijas with breath-taking views of the Andalusian countryside and distant Mediterranean, La Cala Resort is a golfing mecca with three championship courses, designed by world-renowned architect Cabell B. Robinson, providing an exhilarating challenge while their four-star 107-room hotel is the perfect place to stay between rounds
We are delighted to welcome another fantastic facility in the Costa del Sol onboard & look forward to working with the team throughout the year.
For those of you who are new to 59Club Study; the platform connects curious Club Managers and industry personnel from around the globe, creating opportunities to explore operational decision making from a wide range of operators in different locales, under different cultural norms, as we learn from each other.
59Club Study’s goal is to build a professional network of hospitality managers, driven by data and club research, with a strict focus on collaboration and tackling tough topics together.
Each fortnightly report highlights technical, conceptual, and philosophical insights from inside Golf, Leisure & Hospitality businesses across the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Asia, Middle East, Africa, Australia & New Zealand.
Managers are encouraged to submit questions they would like to appear in subsequent surveys, putting you in control of the direction the study takes, providing an industry perspective like no other.
The insight, collaboration, and community that 59Club Study creates, will inspire curiosity, and ultimately empower Club Managers to make informed data-driven decisions.
Pour ceux d’entre vous qui ne connaissent pas encore 59Club Study, la plateforme met en relation les directeurs de club curieux et le personnel de l’industrie du monde entier, créant ainsi des opportunités d’explorer la prise de décision opérationnelle d’un large éventail de gestionnaires dans différents endroits, selon différentes normes culturelles, tout en apprenant les uns des autres.
L’objectif de 59Club Study est de construire un réseau professionnel de gestionnaires d’accueil, basé sur des données et des recherches sur les clubs, en mettant l’accent sur la collaboration et en abordant ensemble des sujets difficiles.
Chaque rapport bimensuel met en lumière des points de vue techniques, conceptuels et philosophiques provenant d’entreprises de golf, de Resort et d’hôtellerie du Royaume-Uni, d’Europe, des États-Unis, du Canada, d’Asie, du Moyen-Orient, d’Afrique, d’Australie et de Nouvelle-Zélande.
Les dirigeants sont encouragés à soumettre des questions qu’ils souhaiteraient voir figurer dans les enquêtes suivantes, ce qui leur permet de contrôler l’orientation des études et de bénéficier d’une perspective sectorielle sans équivalent.
Les informations, la collaboration et la communauté créées par 59Club Study inspireront la curiosité et permettront aux directeurs de club de prendre des décisions éclairées, basées sur des données.
En tant que client de 59club, vous avez maintenant un accès gratuit à cet outil incroyable.
Cliquez ici pour lire trois des rapports les plus récents de 59Club Study.
Which is more important for employee retention: higher wages or schedule flexibility? Employee turnover can be costly and time-consuming, and it’s essential to keep your top talent motivated and engaged. Any club manager will tell you it’s much harder to find and train a new employee, than it is to keep good staff members happy.
If you get word a few of your best employees are beginning to think about working elsewhere, what do you do?
You could pay them more, certainly, but that might not be the underlying issue for their unhappiness. Schedule flexibility could help, but you need them at the club as often as possible. After all, they’re your best staff members.
What is more important: higher wages or schedule flexibility? What would work the best? How could you possibly know? It might depend on individual needs.
Higher wages can be an attractive option for employees, as it can increase their sense of financial security and stability. Employees who feel that they are being paid fairly are more likely to be motivated and committed to their work. However, there is only so much you can offer in terms of a salary before it becomes unaffordable for your business. It’s essential to consider whether you can sustain paying higher wages in the long term, especially if it means compromising on other areas of your business, such as investment in training or new equipment.
On the other hand, schedule flexibility can be another key factor in employee retention. Many employees value having the ability to adjust their work schedule to accommodate personal or family commitments, such as attending a child’s school event or caring for a sick relative. Offering schedule flexibility can increase employee satisfaction, which can lead to increased productivity, engagement, and loyalty. However, it’s important to ensure that schedule flexibility doesn’t impact business operations or create any staffing gaps that can impact other employees’ workloads or morale. Can your club operate successfully with that amount of flexibility for just one or two employees? Does it have to be available to every employee?
So, what’s the answer? Which is more important: higher wages or schedule flexibility? It’s challenging to determine what’s more important without asking your employees directly.
By surveying your employees, you can gather unbiased feedback and gain valuable insights into their preferences and needs. You can ask staff about their thoughts on higher wages versus schedule flexibility and use this information to make more informed decisions about how to retain your top talent. All anonymously and without bias.
These are only two answers to a delicate problem faced in the club industry. Both options have their advantages, and the answer to what’s more important may vary depending on the individual needs and preferences of your employees. To make an informed decision, it’s essential to gather feedback from your employees and use this information to make adjustments to your retention strategies.
With 59club’s survey tools at your disposal – you really can ask whatever you like. Plus the HR survey templates make it easy to monitor employee wellbeing, engagement & satisfaction levels, ensuring that you are providing existing employees and new hires with the support they need to thrive in their roles – and there’s always something to learn from an employee exit survey.
If the reality is that ‘happy employees = happy customers,’ then it’s high time we prioritise employee well-being.
As J. Willard Marriott famously said; “Take good care of your employees, and they’ll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back”.
Qu’est-ce qui est le plus important pour la fidélisation des employés : un salaire plus élevé ou la flexibilité des horaires ?
La rotation du personnel peut être coûteuse et prendre du temps, et il est essentiel de maintenir la motivation et l’engagement de vos meilleurs collaborateurs. Tout gérant de club vous dira qu’il est beaucoup plus difficile de trouver et de former un nouvel employé que de garder les bons membres du personnel heureux.
Si vous apprenez que certains de vos meilleurs employés commencent à envisager d’aller travailler ailleurs, que faire ?
Vous pourriez les payer davantage, certes, mais ce n’est peut-être pas la cause sous-jacente de leur mécontentement. La flexibilité des horaires pourrait les aider, mais vous avez besoin d’eux au club aussi souvent que possible. Après tout, ce sont les meilleurs collaborateurs de votre entreprise.
Qu’est-ce qui est le plus important : des salaires plus élevés ou une flexibilité des horaires ? Qu’est-ce qui fonctionnerait le mieux ? Comment le savoir ? Cela peut dépendre des besoins individuels.
Un salaire plus élevé peut être une option attrayante pour les employés, car il peut accroître leur sentiment de sécurité et de stabilité financières. Les employés qui ont le sentiment d’être payés équitablement sont plus susceptibles d’être motivés et de s’investir dans leur travail. Toutefois, le salaire que vous pouvez offrir est limité avant qu’il ne devienne inabordable pour votre entreprise. Il est essentiel de se demander si vous pouvez continuer à payer des salaires plus élevés à long terme, surtout si cela implique des compromis dans d’autres domaines de votre entreprise, tels que l’investissement dans la formation ou dans de nouveaux équipements.
D’autre part, la flexibilité des horaires peut être un autre facteur clé de la fidélisation des employés. De nombreux salariés apprécient de pouvoir ajuster leur horaire de travail en fonction d’engagements personnels ou familiaux, comme assister à un événement scolaire pour un enfant ou s’occuper d’un parent malade. La flexibilité des horaires peut accroître la satisfaction des employés, ce qui peut se traduire par une augmentation de la productivité, de l’engagement et de la loyauté. Toutefois, il est important de veiller à ce que la flexibilité des horaires n’ait pas d’impact sur les activités de l’entreprise et ne crée pas d’écarts de personnel susceptibles d’affecter la charge de travail ou le moral des autres employés. Votre club peut-il fonctionner avec une telle flexibilité pour un ou deux employés seulement ? Cette flexibilité doit-elle être offerte à tous les employés ?
Quelle est la réponse ? Qu’est-ce qui est le plus important : des salaires plus élevés ou la flexibilité des horaires ? Il est difficile de déterminer ce qui est le plus important sans poser directement la question à vos employés.
En interrogeant vos collaborateurs, vous pouvez recueillir des commentaires impartiaux et obtenir des informations précieuses sur leurs préférences et leurs besoins. Vous pouvez leur demander ce qu’ils pensent d’un salaire plus élevé par rapport à la flexibilité des horaires et utiliser ces informations pour prendre des décisions plus éclairées sur la manière de retenir vos meilleurs éléments. Le tout de manière anonyme et sans parti pris.
Il ne s’agit là que de deux réponses à un problème délicat auquel est confronté le secteur des clubs. Les deux options ont leurs avantages, et la réponse à la question de savoir ce qui est le plus important peut varier en fonction des besoins individuels et des préférences de vos salariés. Pour prendre une décision éclairée, il est essentiel de recueillir les commentaires de vos employés et d’utiliser ces informations pour ajuster vos stratégies de fidélisation.
Avec les outils d’enquête de 59club à votre disposition, vous pouvez vraiment poser toutes les questions que vous voulez. De plus, les modèles d’enquêtes RH facilitent le suivi des niveaux de bien-être, d’engagement et de satisfaction des employés, garantissant que vous fournissez aux salariés existants et aux nouveaux embauchés le soutien dont ils ont besoin pour s’épanouir dans leurs fonctions – et il y a toujours quelque chose à apprendre d’une enquête auprès des employés.
Si la réalité est que “employés heureux = clients heureux”, il est grand temps de donner la priorité au bien-être de vos collaborateurs.
Comme l’a dit J. Willard Marriott, “Prenez soin de vos employés, ils prendront soin de vos clients, et les clients reviendront”.
Running a golf club located in one of the most luxurious destinations in the world, Abu Dhabi, certainly puts a premium on excellent customer service. The city attracts a diverse range of visitors from all around the globe, from business executives to leisure travelers, all of whom expect a high level of service and experience and are accustomed to top-notch treatment wherever they go.
In a place like Abu Dhabi – and for general manager of Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Rhian Lobo – investing in customer service operations is crucial to meet the expectations of both local and international guests.
“As a premier golf destination in the region, we understand the importance of delivering a world-class experience for our members and guests,” said Lobo. “By investing in our customer service operations, we can ensure that we meet and exceed the expectations of our customers, and maintain our position as a leader in the industry.”
One of the key investments for Lobo and his team was partnering with 59club, to work on many aspects of their customer-facing operations.
“We strive to provide our members and guests with the best possible experience, and 59club has been instrumental in identifying not only areas of improvement, but also how to capitalize on things we already do well. They’ve been instrumental in helping us achieve our goals,” said Lobo.
Identifying needs and opportunities are one thing. Collecting and implementing actionable data is another. Using data collected through 59club’s survey tools, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club was not only able to identify that their customers wanted improvements to their driving range, but also used data to create a pitch to their governing board. With the help of such intel, they now have ball tracking technology on all 48 bays, something their members & guests greatly valued.
Lobo adds, “The reports from 59club has given us a fresh perspective on our operations, enabling us to focus on the areas we might have otherwise overlooked. We’re thrilled with the impact it’s had on our driving range, and we look forward to implementing further changes based on new reports down the line.”
In addition to their unbiased mystery shopping audits and survey data, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club has also benefited from on-site training sessions with 59club. These sessions bring the team together and provide them with the tools they need to excel in their roles.
Lobo explains, “Investing in our team is crucial to maintaining our high standards of customer service. The F&B, golf operations, membership sales and retention training sessions provided by 59club have helped us identify our team’s strengths and weaknesses, enabling us to provide targeted training that has ultimately improved the customer experience.”
The investment in 59club and commitment from Lobo’s team has already paid dividends. According to 59club’s data comparisons over the course of the last three years, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club’s customer service satisfaction scores have shown double digit increases in eight different categories, spanning; staff sales & upselling aptitude, customer engagement, facility management, on-course service standards, and the food and beverage operation to name a few.
“The ability to measure our investment and see our success through these reports has been absolutely incredible,” said Lobo. “It can be easy to implement a new program as a manager and simply forget about it. When you forget about it, so do your staff. With regular mystery shopper reports from 59club, we make sure we’re always focused on what matters to our customers, and we are able to reward our staff for achieving measurable success.”
Abu Dhabi City Golf Club has come a long way in their customer service journey. Starting from a Bronze Flag Designation, they have progressed to the 59club Gold Flag standard, a testament to their commitment to excellence.
Lobo concludes, “59club has been an integral part of our success, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without their support. We’re excited to continue working with them to provide the best possible experience for our members and guests.”
La gestion d’un club de golf situé dans l’une des destinations les plus luxueuses au monde, Abu Dhabi, met certainement l’accent sur l’excellence du service à la clientèle. La ville attire un large éventail de visiteurs du monde entier, qu’il s’agisse de cadres d’entreprise ou de touristes, qui s’attendent tous à un niveau élevé de service et d’expérience et sont habitués à un traitement de qualité supérieure où qu’ils aillent. Dans un endroit comme Abu Dhabi – et pour le directeur général de l’Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Rhian Lobo – il est essentiel d’investir dans les opérations de service à la clientèle pour répondre aux attentes des clients locaux et internationaux.
“En tant que première destination golfique de la région, nous sommes conscients de l’importance d’offrir une expérience de classe mondiale à nos membres et à nos clients”, a déclaré Rhian Lobo. “En investissant dans nos opérations de service à la clientèle, nous pouvons nous assurer que nous répondons et surpassons les attentes de nos clients, et que nous maintenons notre position de leader dans l’industrie”.
L’un des principaux investissements de M. Lobo et de son équipe a consisté à s’associer à 59club pour travailler sur de nombreux aspects de leurs opérations de service à la clientèle.
“Nous nous efforçons d’offrir à nos membres et à nos clients la meilleure expérience possible, et 59club a joué un rôle déterminant en identifiant non seulement les domaines à améliorer, mais aussi la manière de capitaliser sur les choses que nous faisons déjà bien. Ils nous ont aidés à atteindre nos objectifs”, a déclaré M. Lobo.
Identifier les besoins et les opportunités est une chose. Recueillir et mettre en œuvre des données exploitables en est une autre. Grâce aux données collectées par les outils d’enquête de 59club, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club a non seulement été en mesure d’identifier que ses clients souhaitaient des améliorations sur son practice, mais a également utilisé les données pour créer un argumentaire à l’intention de son conseil d’administration. Grâce à ces informations, le Club dispose désormais d’une technologie de suivi des balles sur les 48 postes de jeu, ce que ses membres et ses invités apprécient particulièrement.
Lobo ajoute : “Les rapports de 59club nous ont donné une nouvelle perspective sur nos opérations, nous permettant de nous concentrer sur les domaines que nous aurions pu négliger autrement. Nous sommes ravis de l’impact que cela a eu sur notre practice, et nous sommes impatients de mettre en œuvre d’autres changements basés sur les nouveaux rapports à venir.”
Outre les audits et enquêtes mystères impartiaux, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club a également bénéficié de sessions de formation sur site avec 59club. Ces sessions rassemblent l’équipe et leur fournissent les outils dont ils ont besoin pour exceller dans leurs fonctions.
Lobo explique : “Investir dans notre équipe est essentiel pour maintenir nos normes élevées de service à la clientèle. Les sessions de formation sur la restauration, les opérations de golf, les ventes d’abonnements et la fidélisation de nos clients proposées par 59club nous ont aidés à identifier les forces et les faiblesses de notre équipe, ce qui nous a permis d’offrir une formation ciblée qui a finalement amélioré l’expérience des clients.”
L’investissement dans 59club et l’engagement de l’équipe de M. Lobo ont déjà porté leurs fruits. Selon les comparaisons de données de 59club au cours des trois dernières années, les scores de satisfaction du service à la clientèle d’Abu Dhabi City Golf Club ont enregistré des augmentations à deux chiffres dans huit catégories différentes, couvrant les ventes du personnel et l’aptitude à la vente incitative, l’engagement des consommateurs, la gestion des installations, les normes de service sur le parcours et les opérations de restauration, pour n’en citer que quelques-unes.
“La possibilité de mesurer notre investissement et de constater notre réussite grâce à ces rapports a été absolument incroyable”, a déclaré M. Lobo. “Il peut être facile de mettre en œuvre un nouveau programme en tant que directeur et de l’oublier. Lorsque vous l’oubliez, votre personnel fait de même. Grâce aux rapports réguliers des clients mystères de 59club, nous nous assurons de toujours nous concentrer sur ce qui compte pour nos clients et nous sommes en mesure de récompenser notre personnel pour les succès mesurables qu’il obtient.
Abu Dhabi City Golf Club a parcouru un long chemin dans son parcours de service à la clientèle. Partant d’une désignation de drapeau de bronze, il a progressé jusqu’à la norme de drapeau d’or de 59club, ce qui témoigne de son engagement en faveur de l’excellence.
M. Lobo conclut : “59club a fait partie intégrante de notre succès et nous ne serions pas là où nous sommes aujourd’hui sans son soutien. Nous sommes ravis de continuer à travailler avec eux pour offrir la meilleure expérience possible à nos membres et à nos invités.”
Opened in 1973 the club are celebrating their 50th year anniversary & designed by the legendary Gary Player, El Paraíso has long been recognised as one of the best championship courses on the Costa Del Sol. Nestled between the La Concha mountain and the Mediterranean sea, the course offers a true test of golf for all levels of player.
With now partnering with 59club Europe South, El Paraíso will benefit from a wealth of customer experience data scheduled from visits throughout 2023. This allows the club to continually develop their customer journey in their vision and help with staff training & service, all whilst being able to benchmark against other venues in the region and across the globe. We are delighted to partner with El Paraíso and we look forward to working with the team.
In this edition of our Partner Spotlight, we highlight Royal Park I Roveri who recently secured a Silver flag at our recent Service Excellence Awards which demonstrates fantastic growth developing from a bronze flag gained the previous year. Not only this but Fabio Vido was successfully crowned Retail Manager of the Year.
Royal Park I Roveri have skilfully made 59club part of their clubs DNA which allows the entire team across the venue to work towards common goals. We asked Marco Aquilino (CMDip) his thoughts on working with 59club Europe South.
“Joining 59club was an important and strategic choice to improve our standards of hospitality and have concrete goals to improve our services. For the Royal Park I Roveri, it is a tool that can give us an international vision on hospitality methods and help on the road to continuous improvement. We are looking forward to continuing on this path on constantly raise the bar we started a few years ago”.
Located in the stunning setting of the La Mandria Natural Park, at the foot of the Alps, Royal Park I Roveri is one of the most prestigious clubs in Italy, scene of several international events including the Italian Open and the European Amateur Championship.
Making members and guests feel valued and welcome is an absolute no brainer for any hospitality venue, but for golf course F&B establishments which often operate with smaller margins and lower foot traffic than traditional restaurants, the line between success and failure is razor thin.
And with labour shortages and employee turnover at levels not seen in decades, the importance of increasing margins through upselling and keeping good employees has never been higher.
According to 59club’s global data; the F&B customer service tactic most in need of improvement is also the least costly, and happens to be a catalyst for increased margins. It also helps raise tips for servers and happens to be one of the key components of exceptional customer service – friendly conversation starters, A.K.A the upsell engine.
Customers are far more likely to purchase additional or premium items when they have a personal connection to their server.
Something as simple as a friendly introduction from the server, with the attempt to involve the table in engaging conversation can be the difference between your customers ordering the least profitable items on the menu, or on their recommendation, opting for the higher ticket, higher return options, or additional courses.
Developing rapport through the ‘friendly conversation starter’ tactic is something every server in your organisation should strive for at the beginning of each individual interaction. And it works.
This same tactic is also one of the driving forces of higher tips. Since most diners chose to tip a percentage of the bill; raising the final total through upselling – made easier through friendly communication – will increase gratuities and employee satisfaction, and assist in lowering employee turnover.
The Stats…
Clubs are simply not taking advantage of this tactic. When it comes to a server’s willingness and ability to initiate friendly conversation starters; the podium performers score just 58%, the 59club industry average drops to 40%, showing an industry wide opportunity for growth and higher F&B margins.
Despite all the positive scenarios related to upselling, staff are just not on board. We have to focus their attention and encourage them, and give them the confidence to give upselling a go. The opportunity to sell more and increase F&B profits is easy money, yet the industry only attempts to upsell additional items on 37% of occasions. The podium venues also need to re-focus their servers, as they only achieved 56%.
Let’s do the math based on a club that see an average of 140 players per day, of which 40 of them order a meal after their round.
If the servers use friendly conversation starters to prime the table for the upsell of an additional course priced at £5 (with a 60% margin), and managed to convert just half of the 40 diners; the result is a £21,900 uplift in profit over the course of one year, just by implementing a simple conversation piece in your customer service toolkit. Win win.
And let’s not forget the opportunities to upsell simple but highly profitable snack items & drinks to the 140 golfers before they even teed off ! And that’s something we can all get more bang from our buck; with the podium set performers only attempting to upsell 30% of the time, and the industry missing even more opportunities, as they only attempt to upsell to a fifth of all golfers !
Implement friendly conversation starters today, and watch your profits sore.
Faire en sorte que les clients et les membres se sentent appréciés et bienvenus est une évidence pour tout établissement d’accueil, mais pour les établissements de restauration des terrains de golf, qui fonctionnent souvent avec des marges plus faibles et une fréquentation inférieure à celle des restaurants traditionnels, la frontière entre le succès et l’échec est extrêmement mince.
Et avec la pénurie de main-d’œuvre et la rotation des employés à des niveaux jamais vus depuis des décennies, l’importance d’augmenter les marges grâce à la vente incitative et de garder les bons collaborateurs n’a jamais été aussi importante.
Selon les données mondiales de 59club, la meilleure méthode de service à la clientèle dans le secteur de la restauration et de l’hôtellerie est aussi la moins coûteuse et se trouve être un catalyseur de l’augmentation des marges. Elle permet également d’augmenter les pourboires des serveurs et s’avère être l’un des éléments clés d’un service client de qualité – l’amorce d’une conversation amicale, c’est-à-dire le déclenchement d’une vente additionnelle.
Les clients sont beaucoup plus enclins à acheter des articles supplémentaires ou de qualité supérieure lorsqu’ils ont un lien personnel avec leur serveur.
Quelque chose d’aussi simple qu’une présentation amicale de la part du serveur, avec une tentative d’engager la conversation avec les convives, peut faire la différence entre vos clients qui commandent les plats les moins rentables du menu ou qui, sur leur recommandation, optent pour des options plus coûteuses et plus rentables, ou pour des plats supplémentaires.
Chaque serveur de votre entreprise devrait s’efforcer d’établir un rapport en entamant une conversation amicale au début de chaque interaction. Et cela fonctionne.
Cette même tactique est également l’un des moteurs de l’augmentation des pourboires. Étant donné que la plupart des convives ont choisi de laisser un pourcentage de l’addition en guise de pourboire (N.D.L.R. dans certains Pays), le fait d’augmenter le total final par le biais d’une vente additionnelle – facilitée par une communication amicale – augmentera les pourboires et la satisfaction des employés, tout en contribuant à réduire le taux de rotation du personnel.
Les statistiques…
Les clubs ne profitent tout simplement pas de cette tactique. Lorsqu’il s’agit de la volonté et de la capacité d’un serveur à entamer une conversation amicale, les meilleurs scores ne sont que de 58%, la moyenne de l’industrie des 59 clubs tombe à 40%, ce qui montre une opportunité de croissance et de marges F&B plus élevées pour l’ensemble de l’industrie.
Malgré tous les scénarios positifs liés à la vente additionnelle, le personnel n’est tout simplement pas à la page. Nous devons attirer leur attention, les encourager et leur donner confiance en eux pour qu’ils se lancent dans la vente additionnelle. L’opportunité de vendre plus et d’augmenter les bénéfices des restaurants est facile à saisir, mais l’industrie n’essaie de vendre des produits additionnels que dans 37 % des cas. Les établissements du podium doivent également remotiver leurs serveurs, car ils n’atteignent que 56 %.
Faisons le calcul pour un club qui accueille en moyenne 140 joueurs par jour, dont 40 commandent un repas après leur partie.
Si les serveurs utilisent des sujets de conversation conviviaux pour préparer la table à la vente d’un plat supplémentaire au prix de 5 € (avec une marge de 60 %) et parviennent à convertir seulement la moitié des 40 convives, le résultat est une augmentation des bénéfices de 21 900 € sur un an, grâce à la mise en œuvre d’un simple sujet de conversation dans votre service à la clientèle. Tout le monde y gagne.
Et n’oublions pas les opportunités de vendre des snacks et des boissons simples mais très rentables aux 140 golfeurs avant même qu’ils ne prennent le départ ! Et c’est quelque chose dont nous pouvons tous tirer le meilleur parti ; les Clubs les plus performants n’essayent de faire de la vente additionnelle que dans 30 % des cas, et l’industrie manque encore plus d’opportunités en n’essayant de faire de la vente additionnelle qu’à un cinquième de tous les golfeurs !
Mettez en place dès aujourd’hui des moyens d’amorcer la conversation de manière conviviale et vous verrez vos bénéfices grimper en flèche.
In this weeks’ edition of our Partner Spotlight, we highlight Arabella Golf Mallorca who operate: Golf Son Muntaner, Golf Son Vida & Golf Son Quint, in Mallorca.
Arabella Golf received a superb 4 awards at our recent Service Excellence Awards which included 3 flag awards (one for each facility) & Greenkeeper of the Year, Francisco Gavira.
By using our industry leading experience platform across all of its properties, Arabella Golf can review & compare their customer journeys at each venue. We asked Bernat Llobera (Area Director of Arabella Golf) his thoughts from working with 59club Europe South & the recent awards ceremony.
“We were the first course that signed with 59club in Continental Europe, and I think they deliver a service we all need for our facilities. We are in the hospitality business and 59club provides great tools to evaluate how you do it, and how you compare to other great venues and properties. This is why we work with 59club. It is the best tool to gain invaluable data of your operations and experiences from an external point of view”.
“Having received 4 awards is a great feeling. From one side, we received again the Gold Flag for Golf Son Muntaner, our flagship course which belongs to the European Tour Destinations network, and which hosted for its first time, a DP World Tour event last October. We received for the second time a Flag at Golf Son Vida, and a Bronze Flag in Son Quint for the first time. The fourth award was for our Head Greenkeeper, Paco Gavira. He is such a great professional that is more than well deserved. He received the Greenkeeper of The year award from the Spanish Association about 5 years ago, and now he has received this one. We are all proud of what Paco and his team are doing”.
Les membres représentent l’élément vital de nombreux clubs ; ne pas les convaincre peut s’avérer coûteux à court et à long terme. Mais pour maximiser les opportunités qui se présentent, il faut souvent que la personne compétente adopte les bonnes pratiques.
Or, l’un des aspects les plus négligés de la conversion d’un prospect se situe à la toute première étape : la réponse à l’appel. Tout d’abord, il est essentiel que la bonne personne soit disponible pour répondre à l’appel. Ceux qui hésitent sont déjà perdus, tout comme ceux qui ne sont pas là au tout début.
Demandez-vous combien d’opportunités sont perdues si le téléphone n’est pas décroché. Ou si le membre du personnel compétent est en vacances ou malade ? Lorsque l’on sait que nos testeurs mystères n’ont réussi à parler à la bonne personne que dans 58 % des cas lors de la première tentative d’appel – selon le score du secteur de 59club – on commence à comprendre le nombre d’opportunités perdues.
En effet, deux fois sur cinq, un membre potentiel s’adresse à la mauvaise personne, ce qui nécessite un second appel. Pire encore, que se passe-t-il si le prospect appelle un concurrent en attendant votre rappel, et que ce dernier soit tellement efficace qu’il s’inscrit !
L’un des aspects les plus importants de l’appel initial est l’art d’établir une relation avec l’appelant. Cette technique vient naturellement à l’esprit d’un membre du personnel motivé, mais elle est perdue lorsque ce n’est pas la bonne personne qui tente de répondre à une demande de renseignements.
Un membre du personnel motivé tentera d’établir une relation ; il demandera au prospect de lui parler de son passé de golfeur, de la fréquence à laquelle il joue, de l’endroit où il joue et de son handicap, autant d’éléments de conversation simples. Pourtant, l’industrie n’obtient que 28% du résultat, alors que les clubs les plus performants obtiennent une bien meilleure compréhension de leurs prospects, puisqu’ils en obtiennent 77%.
En demandant ce qui a motivé la demande, vous obtiendrez probablement d’autres informations précieuses. Il se peut, par exemple, que la personne soit membre d’un autre club et qu’elle ne soit pas satisfaite de l’état du terrain ou du manque d’investissements, ce qui permet au membre du personnel de répondre par des arguments positifs concernant l’excellent état du terrain et les nombreux investissements récents et futurs. L’objectif est d’amener l’interlocuteur à un résultat positif, à la fois maintenant et plus tard dans le processus de vente, lorsqu’il visitera le club.
Il existe d’innombrables raisons pour lesquelles quelqu’un passe un premier appel ; les employés qui ne s’y intéressent pas auront plus de mal à persuader le prospect de signer le contrat. Les clubs les plus performants l’ont bien compris et, à chaque fois, ils établissent ce qui a motivé la demande d’adhésion ; l’industrie pose la question dans 70 % des cas.
En outre, le fait d’établir les principales demandes d’adhésion de l’appelant – le golf de compétition, l’aspect social, le divertissement des clients, la rencontre de nouvelles personnes, etc. – conduit à d’autres opportunités qui se rapportent à leurs besoins, avec l’intention de les enthousiasmer à l’idée d’une adhésion plus tard dans l’appel. Là encore, le score du podium reflète le succès de l’opération avec 86%, alors que la moyenne de l’industrie chute à 44%.
En effet, si l’on considère les trois derniers points ensemble, il est clair que, dans l’ensemble de l’industrie, nous ne parvenons pas à établir l’historique de l’appelant et ses besoins en matière d’adhésion une fois sur deux.
Une autre question essentielle est de savoir si l’appelant contacte également d’autres clubs pour la même demande. Avec une analyse « SWOT » pertinente de votre concurrence, votre personnel est dans une position idéale pour souligner vos forces par rapport aux faiblesses de vos rivaux, sans qu’il soit nécessaire de les critiquer ouvertement.
Cependant, l’importance de cette approche semble échapper à de nombreux clubs, qui n’obtiennent qu’un score de 50 % sur le marché et, plus décevant encore, une note globale de 14 % dans l’ensemble de l’industrie.
En utilisant toutes les informations personnelles recueillies, vous êtes maintenant en mesure de faire une promotion ” liée ” aux services des membres, aux installations du club et aux USP(Unique Selling Proposition), car comment peut-on enthousiasmer l’appelant autrement ? Pourtant, malgré l’importance évidente de cette action, l’industrie n’obtient qu’une note de 55 %, et le podium n’est pas beaucoup plus élevé avec 72 % lorsqu’on analyse leur promotion.
Maintenant que le prospect est enthousiaste à l’idée d’adhérer à un club, il faut l’encourager à visiter le club afin de voir les installations et de discuter plus en détail des avantages offerts aux membres.
Dans les prochains numéros, nous verrons comment structurer le rendez-vous de vente de l’adhésion.
Si vous souhaitez examiner de plus près le processus de vente de membres, visitez la plateforme de formation 59club Mentor pour combler les lacunes de votre processus de vente de membres.
Members are the life-blood of many clubs; failure to convert them can prove expensive in both the short and long-term. But maximizing the opportunities which present themselves often comes down to having the correct person adopting the correct policies.
Yet one of the most overlooked aspects of converting a prospect comes at that very first stage: the answering of the call. Firstly, it’s essential that the correct person is available to answer the call. Those who hesitate are lost, and so are those who are not there in the first place.
Ask yourself how many opportunities are lost if the phone goes unanswered? Or if the correct staff member is on holiday or sick? So, when you consider that on only 58% of occasions did our mystery testers get to speak to the correct person on the first attempt of calling – according to the 59club industry score – we begin to appreciate how many opportunities may be lost.
That’s effectively twice in every five calls a prospective member speaks to the wrong person, necessitating a call-back. Worse still, what if the prospect calls a competitor while waiting for your return call, and they went on to impress them so much that they signed up!?
One of the most important aspects of the initial enquiry call is the art of building a rapport with the caller. This comes naturally to an engaging staff member, but this technique is lost when the wrong person tries to deal with an enquiry.
An engaging staff member will attempt to build a rapport; asking the prospect about their golfing background, how often they play, where, and what is their handicap, all simple conversation pieces. Yet the industry are only getting 28% of the picture, while the best-performing clubs glean a much better understanding of their prospects, as they achieve 77%.
Asking what has prompted the enquiry is likely to provide you with further valuable information. They may, for example, be a member elsewhere and be unsatisfied with the condition of the course, or a lack of investment, allowing the staff member to respond with positives about the excellent course condition and raft of recent and future investments. This is designed to edge the caller towards a positive outcome, both now and then later in the sales process when they visit the club.
There are countless reasons why somebody will make the initial call; employees who fail to delve into them will find it harder to persuade the prospect to put pen to paper. The podium performers have realised this and without fail, they established what prompted the membership enquiry every single time; the industry asked the question 70% of the time.
Furthermore, establishing the caller’s primary requirements for a membership – competitive golf, the social aspect, entertaining clients, meet new people etc – leads to other opportunities that will relate to their needs, with the intention of exciting them at the thought of a membership later in the call. Again, the podium score reflects the success therein with 86%, while the industry average drops to 44%.
Effectively, taking the last three areas together, it’s clear that industry-wide we’re failing to establish the caller’s history and membership needs on every other occasion.
A further vital question is required to establish whether the caller is also contacting other clubs with the same enquiry. With relevant SWOT analysis of your competition, your staff are in an ideal position to stress your strengths over your rivals’ weaknesses, without the need to openly criticise them.
However, the importance of this approach seems to be lost on many clubs; with a podium score of just 50% and, even more disappointingly, an overall industry rating of just 14%.
Using all of the personal information gleaned, you are now in a position to make a ‘related’ promotion of the member services, club facilities and USPs, for how else is one to excite the caller? Yet, despite the obvious importance of this action, the industry comes in with a rating of just 55%, and the podium not much higher at 72% when analysing their promotion.
Now that the prospect is excited at the thought of membership, the emphasis is to encourage the individual to visit the club in order to view the facilities and discuss member benefits further.
In future issues, we will look at how the membership sales appointment should be structured.
If you would like to take a closer look at the membership sales process, visit the 59club Mentor education platform to fill any shortcomings in your member sales enquiry process.
In this edition of our Partner Spotlight, we highlight Quinta do Lago who successfully secured another Gold Flag from our recent Service Excellence Awards.
Quinta do Lago intelligently collects a wealth of data from across the resort by reviewing their customer journey including Golf, Hotel, Retail, F&B, Sports Facilities and Guest Services.
By analysing the entire journey in incredible detail, this helps teams across the resort to deliver world-class experiences consistently. We asked Luis Filipe (Corporate & Leisure Relations Director) his thoughts from working with 59club Europe South.
“At QDL we are obsessed about service and to keep improving the guest experience on the Resort.
Therefore, it is a great honor to receive this award from our partner 59club, who help us to identify areas where we can improve and to work on. We are excited to continue to work with 59club throughout 2023 and beyond.”
Quinta do Lago is nestled within the Algarve and the privacy and security of the Ria Formosa nature reserve. The resort is proud of world-class golf courses, superb restaurants, a premier sports hub, boutique hotel & an unforgettable golden sand beach.
In our continuing Partner Spotlight, Club de Golf Alcanada recently secured another Gold Flag from our Service Excellence Awards which is now their fourth in a row and an exceptional achievement.
Alcanada Golf Club proactively utilizes the in-depth data from our Golf Visitor & bespoke dining experience tools to help provide unforgettable experiences across the property. We asked Kristoff Both (Director of Club de Golf Alcanada) what it means to work with 59club Europe South.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve in every department, whether that’s in our sustainability initiatives, the quality of the golf course, or perhaps most importantly our customer service and the experience we offer to our members and guests.
After first being awarded by the 59Club in 2015, I am very proud that Alcanada has reached a level where we have secured Gold Flag Designations every year since 2020. With lots of exciting plans in place this year, we’re confident of keeping that run going in 2023”
Camiral Golf & Wellness successfully gained a prestigious Gold Flag at our recent Service Excellence Awards, not only this but Marta Castells was crowned F&B Manager of the year. Camiral uses the in depth data provided from the Golf, Hotel & F&B journey as well as the sales enquiry calls to enhance their experiences, we asked David Ashington (Director of Golf) to share his thoughts on working with 59club Europe South.
“I have been working with 59club across three properties over many years, all of different dimensions, needs and requirements. At each venue we have found a wide range of extremely qualitive points of use and quite often more than 59club actually announce as their main purpose
Firstly, having so much data to analyse at your starting point and then measuring your quest for change allows you to detail and study your strengths and weaknesses of the customer journey and most importantly in the eyes of an independent client. With so many customer check points along the journey this ensures, as a leader, you are focused in the right areas for improving. The support of having the 59club team visit you on property to then demonstrate and quantify this to your teams is invaluable and quite often enlightens the teams to areas they might not see as overly important, in equal measure it allows you to praise certain areas that they are improving in their performance levels.
Secondly, I find it invaluable to spend time on the visit to allow myself and my senior staff to brainstorm ideas and processes you might wish to implement. Given that 59club evaluate a huge number of properties worldwide they can often assist with support or valid points of view towards operating procedures that are successful (or not) which in turn can add justification to your decision making or systematic processes.
Overall, I am absolutely delighted to have been working in close capacity with 59club and can only highly recommend that other fellow Managers and Directors take serious consideration towards utilizing the benefits that 59club can offer to your venue”
Many of the UK and Europe’s leading Venues, Teams and Individuals were in attendance as 59club recognised those who delivered the very best service to their Members and Guests during 2022 at their Annual celebration of Service Excellence, which this year took place at The Hilton, St George’s Park on Thursday 2nd of March.
Delegates enjoyed educational seminars during the day, which included Olympic Gold Medal winner and now Head of Performance for the League Managers Association, Tim Foster MBE; Bestselling author of “The Habit Mechanic” and founder of Tougher Minds Consultancy, Dr Jon Finn; and former Manchester United Captain and Premier League winner, Steve Bruce.
As day moved to evening; host for the evening, seasoned presenter, Vernon Kay opened the glittering awards ceremony that has long been regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the golf & hospitality industry, since 59club’s honours list began some 13 years ago.
The event recognises the finest customer service providers for having achieved the highest standards of excellence across 2022. 59club’s accolades are determined by scores collected from their impartial mystery shopping audits, which evaluate the experience afforded to guests, club members and prospective members, in accordance with 59club’s objective benchmarking criteria.
On the night, 59club saw their UK & Southern European teams present 38 individual & team awards spanning 18 categories, recognising ‘service excellence’ across all areas of the businesses; sales, service, operations, retail, spa, golf course, food & beverage and management. With 59club continuing to reflect the very best performances, regardless of a venue’s size, scale or profile, by segmenting several individual accolades into 3 categories, based on a venue’s average green fee rate.
Of this year’s awards, Will Hewitt, General Manager of 59club UK, commented; “With a growth of over 20% in the number of venues taking our services, an award nomination this year represented an outstanding achievement across a number of hugely competitive categories.
59club awards are based on an objective analysis of the service provided at a venue, therefore recognising the venues, teams and individuals who truly do deliver world class service on a consistent basis”.
The Grove and Belvoir Park Golf Club collected the highest prized awards of the evening – Ultimate Golf Resort and Ultimate Members’ Club respectively. Both venues also achieved multiple individual and team successes; with Brad Gould and his team at The Grove collecting the enviable Golf Manager and Golf Operations Team of the Year titles (>£130 green fee category); with Alice Kozlowski adding the Leading Individual Golf Sales Performance award to The Grove’s trophy cabinet.
Belvoir Park’s celebrations continued long into the night with both Aaron Small and Stuart McDonald having been crowned Greenkeeper and F&B Manager of the Year, before rounding off the evening with the forementioned Ultimate Members’ Club Designation.
Another club seeing multiple successes was Long Ashton, who scooped Golf Manager of the Year for departing GM, Gareth Morgan; F&B Manager of the Year for a 4th consecutive year for Glenn McNaughton; Golf Operations Team of the Year; and also a coveted Gold Flag Designation. In addition to this they also claimed the Ultimate Service Excellence Award for their fantastic efforts in utilising survey data to enhance their service offering.
Both Finca Cortesin and Branston Golf Club received a double dose of crystalware after Rocio Sanchez was crowned 59club Europe South’s Golf Manager of the year; and their Golf Operations Department claimed the Team of the Year accolade. Meanwhile Branston celebrated with a my59 Service Excellence Award; and a second victory after claiming Leisure Membership Sales Team of the year.
The Awards became a landmark moment for Matt Aplin, Golf Course Manager at Goring and Streatley, who has now retained the title of Greenkeeper of the Year for an incredible 5th consecutive year – an outstanding achievement given the quality of those competing in this category.
Alcanada, Camiral Golf & Wellness and Golf Son Muntaner were flying the flag for Spain, having each secured Gold Flag Designations. Marta Castells (Camiral) claimed victory in the Food & Beverage Category, while Paco Gavira (Son Muntaner) was crowned the regions Greenkeeper of the Year.
In Portugal, Quinta do Lago continue to lead the way by also securing a coveted Gold Flag, and in Italy, Royal Park I Roveri celebrated with a Silver Flag, and a again as Fabio Vido claimed Retail Manager of the Year.
Lee Mathew Waggott, General Manager59club Europe South said; “Celebrating success is a key pillar of what we believe in and promote within 59club. Our venues across Europe South not only continue to deliver memorable experiences but are always striving to continue to develop their journeys by searching for those extra 1%’s day in and day out.
“In an extremely competitive landscape to receive a nomination and claim an award is a wonderful achievement, and the ability to share this recognition with individuals and teams across the property is incredibly important. We are extremely excited about the season ahead and welcoming even more forward-thinking & progressive properties into our Awards next year.”
Celebrations continued into the night, as 59club’s Industry Benchmark of excellence, it’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag Designations, were announced. These highly prized accolades recognise member clubs’ and resorts that provide excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy, as well as having achieved the required standard of customer service throughout 2022.
This year, 59club presented 28 ‘Gold Flags’. The deserving winners were: Belvoir Park Golf Club; Camiral Golf & Wellness; Celtic Manor Resort; Club de Golf Alcanada; Delta Hotels by Marriott, Forest of Arden Country Club; Dunbar Golf Club; Edgbaston Golf Club; Finca Cortesin; Foxhills Club & Resort; Frilford Heath Golf Club; Gleneagles; Golf at Goodwood; Golf Son Muntaner; Gullane Golf Club; Hanbury Manor, Marriott Hotel & Country Club; Harpenden Golf Club; JCB Golf & Country Club; Long Ashton Golf Club; Mount Juliet Estate; Panmure Golf Club; Quinta do Lago; Rockliffe Hall; Royal Dublin Golf Club; Royal Dornoch Golf Club; The Belfry Hotel & Resort; The Grove; The London Club and The Mere Golf Resort & Spa.
17 ‘Silver Flags’ went to; Barnham Broom; Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Branston Golf & Country Club; Carton House; Cameron House; Clevedon Golf Club; Infinitum; Ladybank Golf Club; La Moye Golf Club; North Foreland Golf Club; QHotels Collection, Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; QHotels Collection, Belton Woods Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Royal Park I Roveri; Slieve Russell; St Mellion; The Kendleshire and West Herts Golf Club.
And a further 15 “Bronze Flag” Awards were presented to; Conwy Golf Club; Delta Hotels by Marriott, Worsley Park Country Club; Golf Son Quint; Golf Son Vida; Goring & Streatley Golf Club; Hickleton Golf Club; Newport Golf Club; Pula Golf Resort; Teignmouth Golf Club; The Astbury; The Bristol Golf Club; The Vale Resort; Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club; Woodsome Hall Golf Club and Wychwood Park.
Gold Flag Designations 2023: Belvoir Park Golf Club; Camiral Golf & Wellness; Celtic Manor Resort; Club de Golf Alcanada; Delta Hotels by Marriott, Forest of Arden Country Club; Dunbar Golf Club; Edgbaston Golf Club; Finca Cortesin; Foxhills Club & Resort; Frilford Heath Golf Club; Gleneagles; Golf at Goodwood; Golf Son Muntaner; Gullane Golf Club; Hanbury Manor, Marriott Hotel & Country Club; Harpenden Golf Club; JCB Golf & Country Club; Long Ashton Golf Club; Mount Juliet Estate; Panmure Golf Club; Quinta do Lago; Rockliffe Hall; Royal Dublin Golf Club; Royal Dornoch Golf Club; The Belfry Hotel & Resort; The Grove; The London Club and The Mere Golf Resort & Spa.
Silver Flag Designations 2023: Barnham Broom; Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Branston Golf & Country Club; Carton House; Cameron House; Clevedon Golf Club; Infinitum; Ladybank Golf Club; La Moye Golf Club; North Foreland Golf Club; QHotels Collection, Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; QHotels Collection, Belton Woods Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Royal Park I Roveri; Slieve Russell; St Mellion; The Kendleshire and West Herts Golf Club.
Bronze Flag Designations 2023: Conwy Golf Club; Delta Hotels by Marriott, Worsley Park Country Club; Golf Son Quint; Golf Son Vida; Goring & Streatley Golf Club; Hickleton Golf Club; Newport Golf Club; Pula Golf Resort; Teignmouth Golf Club; The Astbury; The Bristol Golf Club; The Vale Resort; Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club; Woodsome Hall Golf Club and Wychwood Park.
Golf Manager of the Year (59club UK)
Brad Gould (The Grove) Over £131 Green-Fee
Sean Graham (Foxhills Club & Resort) £61-£130 Green-Fee
Gareth Morgan (Long Ashton GC) Under £61 Green-Fee
Golf Manager of the Year (59club Europe South)
Rocio Sanchez (Finca Cortesin)
Food & Beverage Manager of the Year (59club UK)
Jacques Hobson (The Belfry Hotel & Resort) Over £131 Green-Fee
Stuart McDonald (Belvoir Park GC) £61-£130 Green-Fee
Glenn McNaughton (Long Ashton GC) Under £61 Green-Fee
Food & Beverage Manager of the Year (59club Europe South)
Marta Castells (Camiral Golf & Wellness)
Golf Retail Manager of the Year (59club UK)
Russell McIntyre (Gullane GC) Over £131 Green-Fee
Andrew Crerar (Panmure GC) £61-£130 Green-Fee
Ryan Crowley (Clevedon GC) Under £61 Green-Fee
Golf Retail Manager of the Year (59club Europe South)
Fabio Vido (Royal Park Roveri)
Greenkeeper of the Year (59club UK)
Scott Fenwick (Gleneagles) Over £131 Green-Fee
Aaron Small (Belvoir Park GC) £61-£130 Green-Fee
Matt Aplin (Goring & Streatley GC) Under £61 Green-Fee
Greenkeeper of the Year(59club Europe South)
Paco Gavira (Son Muntaner)
Golf Operations Team of the Year (59club UK)
The Grove (Over £131 Green-Fee)
Delta Hotels Forest of Arden Country Club (Arden Course) (£61-£130 Green-Fee)
Long Ashton GC (Under £61 Green-Fee)
Golf Operations Team of the Year (59club Europe South)
Finca Cortesin
my59 Service Excellence: Stoke by Nayland; Celtic Manor Resort; Branston Golf & Country Club; Edgbaston Golf Club; Radyr Golf Club; Farleigh Golf Club; The Vale Resort; Rockliffe Hall
my59 Ultimate Service Excellence
Long Ashton GC
Leading Individual Golf Sales Performance
Alice Kozlowski (The Grove)
Leading Individual Golf Membership Sales Performance
Philomena Wilkinson (Delta Hotels Forest of Arden Country Club)
Golf Membership Sales Team of the Year
The Mere Golf Resort & Spa
Leading Individual Leisure Membership Sales Performance
James Flesher (Dunston Hall – Q Hotels Collection)
Leisure Membership Sales Team of the Year
Branston Golf & Country Club
Leading Spa Experience Performance
Rockliffe Hall
Leading Individual Corporate Golf Day Sales Performance
Leading Golf & Hospitality properties from across Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and the UK, have been shortlisted ahead of 59club’s Annual Service Excellence Awards Ceremony, which comes to Hilton St. Georges Park on the 2nd of March 2023.
59club’s prestigious accolades, recognise those outstanding Venues, Teams and Individuals within the global golf & hospitality industry who consistently deliver outstanding customer experiences for their members and guests.
Qualification is unbiased; and determined by scores achieved through a detailed and objective mystery shopping program, which measures the experience afforded to members, visitors and prospective members spanning Golf, Leisure, Spa and F&B operations.
A number of the finest Golf Resorts & Member Clubs in the UK & Europe receive multiple nominations this year; and leading the stakes is four-time Ryder Cup host; The Belfry with nominations realized across seven award categories.
Camiral Golf & Wellness – voted the number #1 golf resort in Spain, join 2010 Ryder Cup host; Celtic Manor Resort, Delta Hotels – Forest of Arden and The Grove as they each receive five nominations across multiple service excellence award categories.
Hot on their heels with four nominations are; Long Ashton and The Vale, both regulars in the 59club winners arena, and Quinta do Lago – also no stranger to the 59club spotlight having impressively scooped four of the main award titles in the ceremony just 12 months ago. They are all followed closely by Branston Golf and Country Club who uphold three nominations.
A newcomer to the 59club community having started their journey with the customer service specialists back in 2022; is Finca Cortesin, host of the 2023 Solheim Cup who find themselves in the running for two accolades.
With Belvoir Park, Bristol Golf Club, Clevedon, Foxhills and Ryder Cup giant Gleneagles – who famously claimed 59club’s highest accolade of Ultimate Resort in 2022 – also in contention for two accolades.
Gullane, Harpenden, JCB, Panmure, The Mere and Royal Park I Roveri – another previous winner having seen Riccardo Russo crowned European Greenkeeper of the Year – also feature double nominations.
Others hoping to receive a prestigious Service Excellence Award include a selection of 2022’s 59club Gold Flag bearing properties; Alcanada, Son Muntaner, Hanbury Manor and Mount Juliet Estate, who each feature in the Golf Retail, Greenkeeper, Golf Membership Sales and Golf Manager of the year nominations respectively.
Finally, the nominations listing see’s Barnham Broom, Carton House, Delta Hotels Worsley Park Country Club, Dunston Hall, Eden Hall, Fornby Hall, Goring & Streatley, Hoar Cross Hall, North Foreland, Oulton Hall, Rockliffe Hall, Slieve Russell, St Mellion, The Astbury, The Kendleshire, West Herts, Woodsome Hall and Wychwood Park all in contention for a service excellence award.
Looking ahead to the Service Excellence Awards, and the first for Lee Mathew Waggott, 59club Europe South’s new General Manager said: “We are extremely excited that this year’s Service Excellence Awards are now just around the corner. This day allows us to celebrate and recognize venues and teams delivering great experiences from across the continent. Additionally, with colleagues attending from properties across Europe, it gives property leaders a unique networking opportunity.”
59CLUB EUROPE SOUTH ‘SERVICE EXCELLENCE’ AWARD NOMINATIONS (in alphabetical order):
Food & Beverage Manager of the Year:
Marta Castells (Camiral Golf & Wellness); Attilio Girello (Royal Park Roveri); David Maderia (Quinta do Lago)
59club, the industry leading Customer Service Analysts and Training Provider has today announced its expansion into the Nordic regions of Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden & Denmark, bringing their wealth of Mystery Shopper Audits, Satisfaction Surveys and Employee Training Programs – created specifically for the golf & hospitality industry – to the fore.
Impressive expansion plans have already seen local 59club divisions established, currently supporting hundreds of golf clubs, resorts and management groups within the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and most recently Australia & New Zealand. It was only a matter of time before the global leaders firmed up their support in the Nordic regions, as they work tirelessly to help clubs shape and develop their sales & customer service cultures.
After a long-standing engagement between 59club HQ and The Scandinavian Golf Club, alongside additional partnerships with European Tour Destinations within the Nordic regions; 59club are delighted at the prospect of having feet on the ground to further support these venues, and attract many more just like them who share the same focus of elevating customer service levels, with the desired effect of driving retention, revenues, and profits.
The new opening welcomes Sebastian Czyz Bendsen, as 59club Nordic’s Sales Manager.
Having graduated from Kent State University, OH, USA with a BA in Finance and a MA in Sport and Recreational Management, and after a well-spent career in golf – most recently in his home Country working with the Danish Golf Union – Sebastian joins 59club with a wealth of attributes and a self-confessed love of educating and guiding leaders towards innovative ideas.
Many would say he’s the perfect fit, offering industry experience and driven by his passion and excitement for connecting Golf Club’s within the Nordic regions, with the resource and global formula to excel their customer experience, and to create an even better community for their members & guests.
Of the announcement, Simon Wordsworth, 59club CEO said “Sebastian is a real go-getter, and well versed in the role that Customer Service plays in growing the game of golf and keeping players enthused and loyal to the sport. And now as he joins 59club, he’s ready to take the support and intel he can offer to clubs a leap further. Sebastian appreciates the complexities of club cultures and has worked with similar principals when supporting the US collaborations with the PGA of America, ClubCorp (now Invited), the TPC Network and Kemper Sports. All private golf corporations, and all searching for means to optimize their business, as well as recent initiatives delivered by the Golf Union.
“We are all excited about the impact that 59club will make in the region, our global benchmarking data is second to none, and as always, we are spurred on by the rewards our clients enjoy, as we deliver the roadmap to measure, train, support and reward the individuals, teams, managers and groups we work with to perfect the art of delivering Customer Service & Sales Excellence – we can’t wait to get started!”
Opening offers are now being promoted, all clubs interested in becoming the first to sample 59club’s industry leading Mystery Shopping Services, Satisfaction Surveys and Training Tools are invited to reach out to Sebastian@59club.com to sign up for a demo and to unlock their FREE trial.
59club, the industry’s leading Customer Service Management Specialist, has today announced that Lee Mathew Waggott will continue 59club’s growth across the South of Europe, supporting golf and leisure clubs, hotels, restaurants, and spa destinations to drive customer service & sales performance across their respective properties.
With nearly 15 years industry experience gained during time with Yas Links Abu Dhabi and European Tour Destination, The London Club; Lee is well suited to the role, and is no stranger to the 59club model either.
Under 59clubs direction, Lee played an instrumental role in developing the customer journey at Yas Links, realised at the 2022 MEA Service Excellence Awards, as the property scooped four gongs which included Golf Agronomy Team of the Year, Golf Operations Team of the Year, a Gold Flag Designation, and the leading award of the year; 59club MEA’s Ultimate Resort of the Year. All at a time when Yas Links hosted the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championships.
Lee went as far to say “Having used and experienced what 59club can do first hand as a customer makes me extremely excited to start my new role within Europe South. To be able to explore different visions, and support venues in the region following our Measure, Train, Support, Reward mantra, I strongly believe 2023 and beyond can truly be history making for all types of properties across the continent”.
Simon Wordsworth, CEO of 59club added; “We are all delighted to see Lee join 59club’s expanding network, representing clubs across Spain, Portugal, Italy & Greece.
“We have been fortunate to work with some incredible managers in the region over the years and have some of the finest properties in continental Europe within our portfolio. Many of whom have been with 59club from the very beginning of our overseas expansion. It was their willingness to work with the 59club brand, that led to our globalisation, and ultimately the formation of ‘local’ 59club divisions, serving its immediate community.
“That expansion from our headquarters in the UK led to openings across Europe, the USA, Canada, Asia, Middle East, Africa; and most recently within Australia & New Zealand, and we are delighted to strengthen our support in Europe South as we welcome Lee to the family.”
With leading venues such as Finca Cortesin, PGA Catalunya, Son Muntaner and Alcanada in Spain, as well as Quinta do Lago in Portugal and Marco Simone in Italy all engaged with 59club Europe South, Lee will continue to support the regions current roster of mystery shopping audits and customer satisfaction surveys, whilst introducing education pathways, networking opportunities and new innovations to Club Managers.
Those interested in a proven strategy to measure, train, support and reward staff performance to elevate the overall customer experience and operational outcomes, are urged to visit www.59clubeurope.com or reach out to Lee Mathew Waggott lee@59club.com for more information.
The industry’s best performing properties and leaders were announced as 59club unveiled their Eminent Collection – signifying the benchmark of excellence within the Global Golf & Hospitality landscape.
An exclusive event hosted aboard the Sunborn London; a floating super-yacht hotel in Royal Victoria Dock, marked the special occasion for those having achieved the highest long-serving standards of customer service excellence. With a previous soiree delivered days before at one of Dubai’s leading restaurants; Carine at Emirates, as 59club’s first inductees were welcomed.
Simon Wordsworth CEO of 59club said; “having amassed over 12 years of non-subjective performance data spanning all aspects of customer service, 59club has an unparalleled vision over those within the Golf & Hospitality Business who have proven their excellence, time after time, year after year. In honour of those years of dedication, the Eminent Collection was born to represent an international benchmark of excellence, which recognises the finest individuals & properties who are leading the industry in the customer experience realms. It is the only badge of honour that is an unbiased testament to having created a customer-centric culture, that puts the customer and their needs first, whilst regularly seeking objective affirmation that those needs are exceeded”.
Eligibility into the Collectionis based solely on achievements across the 59club Service Excellence Awards, with individual and team accolades, along with property flag designations, all contributing towards the Eminent Benchmark of Excellence; measuring performances over a minimum of 5 years.
Simon added “There is no debate to be had, you are either in or not, if in it is crystal clear why, if out then likewise you know what you must do. There is no self-assessment, no bias, no cloudy subjective entries – if you are in the Eminent Collection, you are there because you put yourself, your team, your venue up for independent non-subjective scrutiny of your customer service performance. The venues and individuals are proven to be amongst the best operators in the business – that is what the Eminent Collection is there to show. That is exactly why a brand like Club Car, who are all about customer experience and vehicles of the highest quality has chosen to support us in highlighting these achievements.”
Twelve Properties from within 59club’s international network achieved the Benchmark of Excellence. Four were from the UAE, one from Europe and seven from the UK.
2022’s induction roll also included twenty-two individuals. Three are from the UAE, one from the USA, one from Europe, and seventeen from the UK.
The Belfry Hotel & Resort The Celtic Manor Resort Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Emirates Golf Club Forest of Arden Foxhills Club & Resort Gleneagles Golf Son Muntaner The Grove Rockliffe Hall Trump International Golf Club Dubai Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Andrew Whitelaw GM/COO, Aronimink Golf Club Anna Darnell Resort Director, The Grove Barney Coleman Club Manager, Emirates Golf Club Bernat Llobera Area Golf Director, Arabella Golf Mallorca Chris May CEO Dubai Golf Gary Silcock General Manager, Murrayshall Stuart Collier Director of Golf, Stoke Park
Brad Gould Director of Golf, The Grove Chris Reeve Director of Golf, The Belfry Fraser Liston Director of Golf, Forest of Arden Sean Graham Head of Golf Operations, Foxhills Stephen Hindle Golf Manager, Worsley Park Stephen Hubner Club Manager, Jumeirah Golf Estates
Angus Macleod Director of Golf Courses & Estates, The Belfry Craig Haldane Golf Courses Manager, Gleneagles Jim Mckenzie MBE Director of Golf Courses & Estates, Celtic Manor Jonathan Wyer Golf Course Manager, Rockliffe Hall Phillip Chiverton Golf Course & Estates Manager, The Grove Rob Rowson Golf Course Estate Manager, Forest of Arden
Jacques Hobson Food & Beverage Outlets Manager, The Belfry
Simon Howell Golf Operations Manager, Forest of Arden Tom Hughes Head of Golf Retail & Operations, The Belfry
Trump International Golf Club, Dubai affords an exquisite championship links-style golf course, world-class golf, leisure & retail facilities, and the finest dining experience complete with the promise to exceed all members and guest expectations.
We caught up with the Director of Golf Operations at Trump International Golf Club, Phil Waine to discuss how the stunning property located in the heart of the DAMAC Hills ensures its promise of ‘excellence’ is realised.
Utilizing the feedback from 59club’s Mystery Shopper feedback over a 5-year period has enabled us to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the business at all touch points of the golfer’s experience. From here, we have been able to conduct our internal training around the areas of opportunity that have been collectively flagged within the audits. For example, upsell training in the retail department combined with product knowledge seminars and utilizing our preferred vendors such as Taylormade to conduct additional training.
We were also able to highlight potential staff shortages within certain areas of the operation and used this indicator to schedule staff amendments and instigate additional recruitment. Using the Mystery Shopper feedback, we can highlight and justify to our ownership the areas of recruitment required to ensure the Trump brand standards are provided on a consistent basis, and to also benchmark our experience against other leading golf facilities.
In addition, 59club’s mystery shopper feedback has been utilized for supporting justification around staff recognition awards such as employee of the month/quarter/year, combined with annual performance reviews.
We deliver our annual membership survey with 59club and without doubt it’s the most important satisfaction survey that we conduct each year at the facility. We deliver the survey in May each year and it is active for around a 3–4-week period. We feel it is important to provide members with a constructive communication platform to express their opinion on the membership experience at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai, and to highlight the strengths and areas of opportunity from their own personal standpoint. Members can also remain anonymous when conducting the survey which allows them to feel comfortable when expressing certain views.
Each year we have received excellent feedback and there is always a new concept or idea that appears within the comments that we have implemented into the membership experience. This can range from a new competition event/schedule, tee sheet format, additional practice facilities on the TrackMan Driving Range, golf course upgrades, menu item/pricing amendments within the restaurant outlets etc.
Once the survey is closed, the results are distributed to the membership via a newsletter communication with the summer (June – August) action plan attached. Since we launched the membership survey in 2019, we have seen an increase in overall membership satisfaction each year, with 2022 being our record satisfaction score.
On the back of the 2022 Member Survey action plan, we have outlined further facility enhancements and renovation projects for 2023 to ensure we can continue the member satisfaction trend into next year. These enhancements will not only benefit members but also visitor golfers and non-golfers from the surrounding community. In addition, we also deliver a daily guest survey, which is sent to each non-member just 24 hours after their round of golf. On completion, each participant will receive a personalized response from the golf team within 24 hours of receiving their survey response. This is an opportunity to address any concerns from the golfer, and to potentially encourage repeat play by applying a Promo Code for the next visit.
The daily visitor survey provides additional data obtained from the mystery shopper and member survey to again benchmark the golfing experience we are delivering to all non-members. We have applied incentives for guests to complete the survey to ensure we maintain a healthy capture % rate throughout the year.
In addition to the staff training, we align all satisfaction survey scores to individual and departmental annual KPI’s and include these within the annual business plan at the start of the year. All survey scores are reviewed monthly and benchmarked against the budget, prior year, and industry averages. They are included within all owner and management reports.
The action plans and training implemented on the back of the satisfaction scores from members, guests and mystery shoppers has been supported with positive trends on commercial performance year on year. We have seen growth in areas such as merchandise spend per round, membership and green fee in all non-member round segments. In addition, the Golf Club has received prestigious global accolades within the golfing industry in recent years and continues to be nominated in 2022. We feel the service provided by 59club has been a huge support mechanism to help us achieve these goals.
The 59club service excellence awards are recognition that the club is delivering the Trump brand standards to members and guests throughout the year. Working within golf facilities in the Middle East with demanding commercial targets, it is important to ensure service standards are not compromised when achieving these objectives.
The current Director of Golf role involves a lot of administration tasks and attending meetings throughout the week. Therefore, there is a limited amount of time where I can personally oversee all touch points of the operation firsthand. We operate a floodlight facility on the Par 3 Course which means we have tee times starting from 6am in the morning until 9pm in the evening with over 70 thousand rounds of golf accommodated during the year. The 59club software we implement at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai basically provides the team and I external feedback on the golf experience we delivery on a daily basis throughout the year. The information received can be measured and allows us to make key strategy decisions based on factual data received from all golf round segments.
To anyone not working with 59club, I would have to question how they are auditing their member and guest experience, and what information they are using to make key operational strategy decisions to help them advance and deliver excellence in a competitive marketplace.
59club are industry leaders in Customer Experience Management, with a wealth of ground-breaking Mystery Shopper Audits, Customer Satisfaction Surveys, and Employee Training Programs. They support many of the greatest names in the Golf, Leisure, Spa, F&B and Hotel Industries, to elevate Sales Performance and the Customer Experience across their respective client properties.
Stoke by Nayland is one of the busiest 36-hole venues in the UK with a significant membership who like to play a lot of golf.
Managing the differing needs of members, hotel residents and pay-and-play golfers represents a challenge, but also being just one moving part in a significant resort business means I have to coordinate the activities of the various elements of my own department – booking, retail, starters and marshals, greenkeeping and academy – as well as managing a relationship with key partners such as membership committees and other hotel departments, such as rooms and F&B.
I’ve worked with 59club for around 11 years – the last three here at Stoke by Nayland. Of all the many benefits we’ve enjoyed from working with 59club, I would say the most significant – and something that helps us grow as a golf club – is the ability to benchmark against other venues.
For example, how do you know that what you’re doing is any good, in comparison to other properties? The beauty of 59club is that it gives us the ability to choose a cluster of venues that are very similar to us and our operation and to see how they perform as a collective; and with that peripheral view ultimately, we’re able to benchmark ourselves in terms of where we lie in the market.
And that mystery shopper intel isn’t limited to those competitor properties either; we also benefit from insight into 59club’s industry benchmark defined by the 3 best performing venues, which is always slightly higher than the actual industry average data. So, we’re comparing ourselves constantly not only to our immediate competition but also with a range of properties, which really helps us.
I have an excellent relationship with 59club and we speak regularly, whether it is to discuss ideas related to the club, or to discuss challenges. We also use the data we receive as part of our internal induction process and ongoing staff training. We have monthly team debriefs where we use that data as the key training issue or the tool to highlight the training need.
If, let’s say, our mystery audit comes back and it appears that a retail member of staff wasn’t particularly clued up on an item of clothing they were trying to sell, that indicates, clearly, a requirement for further training for the team. Pretty much every month we’ll highlight the big downfall, for want of a better word, within any audit and we focus our training on that area over the next few weeks.
Again, the ability to benchmark our member and guest survey data against similar facilities, is absolutely vital for us. An example is where I ask the members to survey the bunkers – and we score six out of 10. To the untrained eye that score may look pretty poor, but what 59club can do for us, in terms of the survey platform, is telling us the average score that club members across the industry have rated their bunkers, and a lot of the time that industry data is not as high as you’d imagine.
In a perfect world you’re aiming for a 10 out of 10 but the ability to know that some of the better courses may only be scoring 8.8, for example, is a good tool for us to be able to manage what we’re trying to achieve. Six no longer looks as low as it might have done previously.
The benefits to staff training and planning are also manifold. It could be somebody in the halfway hut, who hasn’t greeted a guest in a particularly great manner, or the example of the retail staff. We go through a series of meet and greets and building relationships with people.
We sit down at the start of the year and one of the big things we do is we review the mission statement we have with the golf club. The mission statement doesn’t necessarily change much, year to year, but some of the measurements we use to ensure we’re on track do change.
In the last couple of years, we’ve set benchmarks in terms of the member satisfaction scores generated from our 59club surveys and a guest satisfaction score from our mystery shopper audits, and, additionally, one of the measurements we aim for has been the 59club silver flag award, which are presented to the venues that not only achieve the required standard of service as part of the mystery test audit criteria, but also provide excellent facilities for customers to enjoy… It plays quite a big role in the bigger picture.
We didn’t get to win the silver flag award we covet, so that’s something we’re aiming for this year, but we have seen multiple success at the awards based on our appetite for gathering feedback from members and guests and the effective management of the survey data we received. We won an ultimate service excellence award in 2019, being one of only two venues recognised at that standard, and again in 2020 we retained that premium title, and also in 2021, we were honoured with a service excellence award in the same category.
From a personal perspective the most important and valuable element 59club delivers for me, is the data; collecting data, helping make sense of the feedback and being able to action any kind of changes accordingly, because of what our actual customers and a panel of mystery shoppers are telling us. Ultimately, it’s a really objective measure of the performance of the golf business.
Furthermore, every year we run the members’ survey and, as a result of that, we identify the three or four lowest scoring areas, and we implement changes based on the feedback. The changes we’ve made in the past are ongoing, and we will address any further necessary changes when we complete this year’s member survey.
We deliver pretty much the same survey, annually – albeit we break it down into three different parts: you and your membership; the course and its facilities; and staff. So, we can track progress that way.
In 2020 we used the survey platform more frequently for really nuanced stuff. For example, when coronavirus hit, we surveyed the membership on its preferred choice of touch-free hole inserts and, from the golf-club perspective, it’s really factual. It’s not my decision to use option A, for example, it’s the decision of the membership, because they’ve voted on it. I’ve found it’s far easier to justify a decision with a set of data to support you.
Without doubt, if we weren’t working with 59club we’d have a really subjective view of the golf club’s performance. I would only have opinions to judge my business on, rather than truly objective measurements.
If you look at the real top-quality venues in the UK, there’s a very high possibility those venues are working with 59club and what that says to me is that 59club gives you a really good, stable platform upon which you can build your business, whether that be a service or a product.
There’s a very experienced team of people inside 59club, and, ultimately, if you follow the guidance of these guys you’re not going to go far wrong.
Knowing that, I don’t understand why clubs in our sector wouldn’t work with 59club, to be frank. It’s a tool that offers so much in terms of looking at the broader picture, as well as somebody who wants to look at minute details in terms of, for example, selling golf shirts.
It’s a no-brainer for me. I’ve worked with 59club for years and I will continue to work with them wherever I go in the future. It’s incredible value for money.
59club, empresa líder en análisis de ventas y servicio al cliente, ha
anunciado hoy la expansión de sus operaciones globales a Canadá.
La nueva apertura apunta a una gran oportunidad de mejora en el mercado
canadiense del golf y la hostelería ya que las herramientas de gestión del
rendimiento e información global exclusivas de 59club ya están disponibles para
las empresas de la región.
59club ha impulsado una revolución de datos dentro de la industria, ganando
fama mundial por sus concienzudas
encuestas de satisfacción del cliente, auditorías de “compra misteriosa”
y formaciones de los empleados. Su experiencia y conocimiento de la industria
sobre el desempeño de las ventas globales y los estándares de servicio al
cliente están bien avalados, ya que muchos de los nombres más importantes en la
industria de golf dan crédito a 59club por el éxito de sus propiedades,
trabajando con ellos para medir, capacitar, apoyar y reconocer a su fuerza
laboral mientras logran la excelencia en ventas y servicio al cliente, al mismo
tiempo que elevan la adquisición y la satisfacción de clientes y las ganancias
operativas.
Con sede en el Reino Unido y firmemente establecida en los sectores de golf,
hoteles, ocio, spa y restauración, la empresa 59club ya cuenta con siete
divisiones en los EE. UU., MEA (Medio
Oriente y África), Asia, dos en Europa y
ahora también en Canadá.
Entre sus clientes figuran nombres como TPC Sawgrass, Bobby Jones Links,
Emirates Golf Club – Dubai, Thai Country Club, The Belfry Hotel & Resort,
Gleneagles, Le Golf National y Marco Simone, por nombrar solo algunos, ya que
cuentan con cientos de propiedades repartidas entre sus diferentes regiones.
Cuando se trata de impulsar las ventas y la excelencia en el servicio al
cliente, 59club se enorgullece de trabajar con lugares de todos los tamaños y
perfiles, apoyando a la administración del club para brindar una experiencia de
servicio sin precedentes y, al mismo tiempo, generar ingresos y ganancias.
El líder detrás de 59club Canadá es el propietario de la empresa “Club
Study” y miembro de la PGA, Ryan Tracy. Según Simon Wordsworth, fundador de
59club, “Ryan será un gran embajador de nuestra marca, y todos estamos
emocionados de comenzar a trabajar con él y sus clientes existentes a medida
que presentamos nuestros productos y servicios a la comunidad empresarial de
hostelería en Canadá. Somos líderes en la ‘excelencia en el servicio’ y, con
esta nueva división, el golf como entidad global sólo puede volverse más
grande, mejor y más fuerte, con servicios mejorados y mayores experiencias
adaptadas a los entusiastas del golf y la hospitalidad más exigentes, diseñadas
a partir de información y experiencia en vivo ”.
Tracy añade: “He tenido la suerte de servir a la industria del golf en
Canadá durante los últimos 20 años, y específicamente con Club Study los
últimos dos años proporcionando datos operativos personalizados para la gestión
de clubes. Cuando un cliente mutuo me presentó a Simon, las conversaciones
sobre nuestra pasión común y,
posteriormente, las similitudes entre las dos entidades hicieron que la
decisión de trabajar juntos fuera una progresión natural. Inmediatamente me di
cuenta de que la información que crea 59club ayudará a los operadores en
Canadá, y estoy emocionado de llevar estos recursos al mercado”.
Y ahora que Club Study forma parte del arsenal de 59club, la pareja puede
brindar aún más información sobre la industria, ya que las encuestas quincenales
nacionales que anteriormente conectaban a los gerentes de clubes en Canadá y
EE. UU., ahora están disponibles para toda la red global de 59club.
Para obtener más información dirígete a 59clubcanada.com.
59club, the industry leading sales & customer service analyst, has today announced its global operations are expanding into Canada.
The new opening signals great opportunities
for the Canadian golf & hospitality market, as 59club’s signature performance
management tools and global intel are now made available to businesses within
the region.
59club has driven a
data revolution within the industry, and are famed for
their insightful customer satisfaction surveys, mystery shopping audits and employee
education pathways. Their expertise and industry insight into global sales
performance and customer service standards are well documented, and many of the
greatest names in the club industry credit 59club for their properties success,
working with them to measure, train, support and recognize their workforce as
they achieve sales and customer service excellence, while elevating customer
acquisition, satisfaction and profits.
Headquartered in the UK
and firmly established in golf, hotels, leisure, spa and restaurants, 59club
now has seven divisions across the USA, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia,
two in Europe, with the latest opening in Canada.
With customers who include the likes of TPC Sawgrass, Bobby Jones Links, Emirates Golf Club – Dubai, Thai Country Club, The Belfry Hotel & Resort, Gleneagles, Le Golf National and Marco Simone to name just a few, alongside hundreds of other properties. When it comes to driving sales and customer service excellence, 59club are proud to work with venues of all size and profile, supporting club management to deliver unprecedented service experience whilst simultaneously driving revenues and profits.
And the
front man behind 59club Canada is Club Study owner and PGA member Ryan Tracy. Commenting
of the new opening, Simon Wordsworth Founder of 59club said; “Ryan will be a
great ambassador for our brand, and we are all excited to begin working with
him and his existing clients as we introduce our products and services to the
wider hospitality business community across Canada. We champion ‘service
excellence’, and with this new division, golf as a global entity only serves to
become bigger, better and stronger, with enhanced services and greater
experiences tailored to the discerning golf & hospitality enthusiast,
engineered from real live intel and expertise”.
Tracy added; “I have been fortunate
to serve the golf industry in Canada for the last 20 years, specifically with
Club Study providing customized pools of operational data in club management
over the last two years. When a mutual client made
an introduction to Simon, conversations over our shared passions and
subsequently the similarities between the two entities made the decision for us
to work together a natural progression. I realized immediately that the insight
that 59club creates will help operators in Canada, and I am excited to bring
these resources to market”.
And now as Club Study falls within the 59club armory, the pair can deliver even more industry insight as the bi-weekly national surveys, which had previously been connecting Club Managers in Canada & US, are now made available to the entire 59club global network.
‘Identificando las fortalezas de INFINITUM con 59club’, por Agustín García Pascual
Nos asociamos con 59club hace dos años y hemos cosechado los beneficios desde entonces.
El ejercicio del mystery shopper es una forma fantástica y auténtica de revisar el nivel de experiencia que brindamos a cada huésped. Cada visita que hemos recibido nos ha ayudado a identificar dónde necesitamos pequeños ajustes para mejorar.
Una oportunidad importante que identificó el ejercicio es cómo podemos llevar adelante nuestra mejor experiencia de huéspedes en su clase, de modo que, desde el primer punto de contacto con el resort, incluso antes de reservar, establezcamos el estándar para una experiencia de viaje perfecta que invita a los huéspedes a abrazar su mentalidad vacacional incluso antes de poner un pie en el resort.
Entendemos que nuestros huéspedes buscan la mejor experiencia y eso comienza desde el primer contacto que tienen con la marca INFINITUM. Para nuestro equipo, este compromiso inicial suele ser a través de una llamada telefónica o a través de nuestros canales digitales y, en última instancia, marca la pauta para todo el recorrido del huésped.
Sin duda, nuestro trabajo con 59club, nos ha permitido comprender mejor esta experiencia inicial y cómo podemos usarla para elevar todo el viaje del huésped y asegurarnos de brindar excelencia en cada oportunidad.
Y continuaremos trabajando en los elementos del negocio destacados por los datos de 59club. En el corazón de una experiencia del huésped de clase mundial está el equipo, y estamos comprometidos a garantizar que nuestros profesionales dedicados en todo el resort estén completamente equipados para brindar esta inspiradora experiencia donde sea que nuestros huéspedes entren en contacto con nuestra marca.
Nos enorgullecemos de la experiencia general de nuestros huéspedes, brindada a través del amplio conocimiento y la dedicación de todo nuestro equipo, pero siempre estamos buscando formas de mejorar y ahí es donde trabajar con 59club ha sido realmente beneficioso.
Por lo tanto, continuaremos apoyando a nuestro personal con planes de capacitación innovadores y líderes en la industria que incorporan la guía experta de 59club para asegurarnos de permanecer a la vanguardia de la experiencia de los huéspedes a medida que continuamos evolucionando y esforzándonos por crecer en todo el resort.
Esa relación con 59club nos ha permitido identificar las muchas fortalezas del resort y cómo podemos usarlas como una oportunidad para ir más allá de nuestra oferta actual.
Esto beneficia al resort de dos maneras: en primer lugar, ayuda a reforzar la experiencia de nuestros huéspedes, que permanece al frente de cada decisión en INFINITUM; y, al desarrollar nuestras fortalezas, podemos generar oportunidades de crecimiento y ventas adicionales, que nos complace decir que ya han generado valor para el resort.
No veo ninguna razón por la que instalaciones como la nuestra no deban funcionar con 59club. Debido a que siempre estamos abiertos a comprender cómo podemos mejorar nuestro producto para brindar a todos nuestros huéspedes un servicio líder, nuestro trabajo con 59club ha creado un espacio honesto para reflexionar sobre las experiencias de nuestros huéspedes.
Animaría a otros a buscar estos comentarios con una mente abierta cuando se trata de encontrar nuevas formas de mejorar.
Agustín García Pascual es director general de negocio de INFINITUM.
Agustin Garcia is chief business officer at Infinitum (formerly known as Lumine), in Tarragona, on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. It offers exclusive seafront homes, three golf courses, and top-quality facilities and services
We partnered with 59club 2 years ago and have been reaping the benefits ever since.
The ‘mystery shopper’ exercise is a fantastic, authentic way to review the standard of experience we deliver to every guest. Each visit we’ve received has helped us to identify where we need small tweaks to improve.
One important opportunity the exercise identified, is how we can bring forward our best-in-class guest experience, so that, from the resort’s very first touchpoint, even before booking, we set the standard for a seamless travel experience that invites guests to embrace their holiday mentality before they even set foot in the resort.
We understand our guests are seeking the very best experience, and that begins from the first contact they have with the INFINITUM brand. For our team, this initial engagement is often via a phone call or through our digital channels, and, ultimately, sets the tone for the entire guest journey.
Undoubtedly, our work with 59club has allowed us to better understand this initial experience and how we can use it to elevate the entire guest journey to ensure we deliver excellence at every opportunity.
And we will continue to work on elements of the business highlighted by 59club’s data. At the heart of a world-class guest experience is the team, and we are committed to ensuring our dedicated professionals across the resort are fully equipped to deliver this inspired experience wherever our guests come into contact with our brand.
We pride ourselves on our overall guest experience, delivered through our entire team’s extensive knowledge and dedication, but we are always looking for ways to improve and that is where working with 59club has been really beneficial.
We will, therefore, continue to support our staff with innovative, industry-leading training plans incorporating 59club’s expert guidance, to ensure we remain at the forefront of guest experience, as we continue to evolve and strive for growth throughout the resort.
That relationship with 59club has allowed us to identify the many strengths of the resort and how we can use them as an opportunity to go above and beyond our current offering.
This benefits the resort in two ways: firstly, it helps to elevate the experience of our guests, which remains at the forefront of every decision at INFINITUM; and, through building on our strengths, we can generate upselling and growth opportunities, which we are pleased to say have already driven value for the resort.
I see no reason why facilities like ours should not work with 59club. Because we’re always open to understanding how we can better improve our product to provide all our guests with leading service, our work with 59club has created an honest space to reflect on our guest experiences.
I would encourage others to search out such feedback with an open mind when it comes to finding new ways to improve.
L’événement a débuté à 17
heures par la conférence annuelle sur la qualité devant un auditoire de 70
personnes représentants toute la filière du golf.
Patrick SCICARD -Président de
Lenôtre pendant 17 ans, Paul ARMITAGE – Directeur des Opérations d’Open Golf
Club,
Denis FABRE – Directeur Général
de Kalika Conseil, Vincent PARIS – Directeur Général du Golf du Médoc Resort, tous
nous ont livré quelques clés ; fruits de leur pratique au service de
l’excellence et de l’expérience client.
A 19h30, un cocktail a permis
aux acteurs de la filière du golf de poursuivre les échanges avant le dîner de
la Cérémonie des Trophées de l’Excellence.
Les nominés pour les titres d’
“Excellence” de service sont déterminés grâce aux notes recueillies
par un ensemble de clients mystères, qui utilisent les critères d’évaluation
uniques et objectifs de 59club. Les notes permettant de se qualifier pour ces
récompenses, reconnus dans le monde du golf, comprennent une série de contrôles
portant sur les niveaux de service de la structure, les performances de vente,
l’attitude du personnel, les processus internes et les normes des installations.
Au cours de la soirée, les
établissements ont été également récompensés pour l’utilisation des outils
d’enquêtes sur la plate-forme my59. Cet outil d’analyse permet d’enrichir
l’expérience des membres et des clients.
Liste complète des lauréats des Trophées de l’Excellence :
Prix de la performance pour l’Accueil des Clients
Golf d’Hardelot
Prix de l’expérience Proshop
Golf de Sainte Maxime
Prix de la meilleure expérience au restaurant
Golf de Saint Laurent
Prix de la meilleure équipe de vente
Golf de Dinard
Prix de l’expérience de Services sur le parcours
Golf du Touquet
Prix de la meilleure Equipe terrain (3 trophées selon le tarif moyen greenfee)
Golf de Barbaroux
Golf de Nîmes
Golf de Savenay
Prix de la Performance enquêtes clients my59
Golf National
Prix de la progression dans l’expérience client
Golf du Touquet
Prix de la Visite globale de l’année (3 trophées selon le tarif moyen greenfee)
Golf du Touquet
Golf de Saint Laurent
Golf de Mazieres en Gatine
Prix spécial de la régularité
Golf National
Le lendemain matin, jeudi 10 mars, une trentaine de participants se sont retrouvés pour le 59Club Trophy, compétition amicale de golf en scramble à 4, sur le golf International de Roissy. Tous les joueurs ont pu apprécier la qualité des installations.
From L-R: Pablo Guerrero Jaureguizar of Infinitum Golf, Luis Filipe from Quinta do Lago, Francisco Ruíz from Golf Son Muntaner, Marco Aquilino & Riccardo Russo of Royal Park I Roveri.
A welcome
return to a “Live Event”, saw the very best Venues, Teams and Individuals from
across the UK, Ireland and Europe South assemble at The Belfry Hotel and Resort
on March 3rd 2022, ahead of 59club’s annual Service Excellence
Awards.
Festivities
began with a full day’s education provided by Gregg Patterson of Tribal Magic, and
Lora Cavan, having flown in from the US and Canada respectively. And as night fell, aspirations of being recognised
with a 59club Service Excellence Award grew, as the curtains opened on the
ceremony that has long been regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the golf &
hospitality industries, since the 59club’s honours list began some 12 years ago.
The 2-day
event, a pinnacle fixture in the golf business realms recognises the finest
customer service providers for having achieved the highest standards of
excellence in 2021. 59club’s
illustrious accolades are determined by scores collected from their impartial
mystery shopping audits, which evaluate the experience afforded to visiting
golfers and prospective members, in accordance with 59club’s objective
benchmarking criteria.
On the night, 59club
UK and Europe South presented awards across 29 categories, recognising ‘service
excellence’ across all areas of the businesses – sales, service, operations,
retail, spa, golf course, food & beverage, and management. With 59club
continuing to reflect the very best performances, regardless of a venue’s size,
scale, or profile.
The Awards was a great showcase for Quinta do Lago, after they claimed 3 of the 5 Awards presented for the Europe South region, including European Golf Operations Team of the Year. Luis Filipe, Corporate & Leisure Relationships Manager at Quinta do Lago, commented:
“Quinta do Lago has a long-term commitment to delivering the best possible customer experience across all our golf and lifestyle facilities to our residents, members and guests, and receiving this award is deserved recognition for the hard work our all staff, especially in the difficult circumstances of the last two years. This year, Quinta do Lago marks its 50th anniversary and its semi-centennial year of unique history, so we are very proud to see how Quinta do Lago has become a truly timeless destination in which residents and guests can enjoy a clean and secure environment.”
For two of our most
recent client venues there were also celebrations on the night; Infinitum Golf saw
Vicky Farriol recognised as European Food & Beverage Manager of the Year,
while Riccardo Russo of Royal Park I Roveri was present to receive his European
Greenkeeper of the Year award.
Of this year’s
awards, James Beesley, Regional Director of 59club Europe South, commented;
“It
was an honour to recognise and celebrate our leading service providers in
person this year. Even more so to share the stage with our sister company,
59club UK, who laid the foundations for this annual celebration. It’s been an
incredible pleasure to see our regional venues, who came on board in the last
18 months, presented with their awards amongst some of the UK’s golf legacy
venues.
59club
Europe South and our client venues share our passion for delivering the very
best customer experiences, and this evening’s celebrations have certainly done
all the nominees and winners justice!”
Will Hewitt, General
Manager of 59club UK, commented:
“Golf
has been incredibly fortunate to benefit from a significant surge in demand, and
it is extremely encouraging that more venues than ever before are choosing to work
with 59club to focus on their service offering and sales levels whilst working
to engage and keep this new audience. 59club’s focus will remain the provision
of objective and accurate performance data, providing greater market insights
and a supportive network of likeminded professionals which will further aide
performance enhancement”.
Celebrations continued into the night, as 59club’s
industry benchmark of excellence, its Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag
Designations, were announced. These highly prized accolades recognise member
clubs and resorts that provide excellent facilities for golfers to
enjoy, as well as having achieved the required standard of customer service throughout
2021.
This year, 59club Europe South presented 2 “Gold Flags”. The deserving winners were Club de Golf Alcanada and Son Muntaner Golf, ‘flying the flag’ for the island of Mallorca.
3 “Silver Flags” went to Quinta do Lago (IT), Infinitum Golf (ES), Royal Park I Roveri (member club, IT), worthy representatives from across all 3 active countries under the Europe South regional division.
59club ‘Service Excellence’ Award Winners
2021/22:
Gold Flag Designations: Club de Golf Alcanada & Son Muntaner (both Mallorca, ES)
Silver Flag Designations: Quinta do Lago (PT), Infinitum Golf (ES) &
Royal Park I Roveri – Member’s Club (IT)
European Golf Manager of the Year: Brian Evans (Quinta do Lago, PT)
European Greenkeeper of the Year: Riccardo Russo (Royal Park I Roveri, IT)
European Food and Beverage Manager of the Year: Vicky Farriol (Infinitum Golf, ES)
European Golf Retail Manager of the Year: Carla Bica (Quinta do Lago, PT)
European Golf Operations Team of the Year: Quinta do Lago (PT)
59club’s performance management tools have proved hugely
beneficial for clubs across the globe – but now clubs can go one better in
their efforts to streamline operations management and evaluate and advance member
experience; by utilising the new mytell App.
This multi-functioning App captures live performance data submitted
by the management team, employees and club members, supporting the venue to make
informed decisions to elevate standards, satisfaction levels, retention, and
profitability.
The management team through their use of the App can log
observations during their daily departmental evaluations, both on and off the
golf course.
With technology and convenience at the forefront of
development, managers store data within measurable pre-set categories – spanning
golf course & practice area presentation, maintenance & amenities,
retail & front of house management and employee behaviour and well-being –
meaning paperwork, email trails, group chats and the constant transferring of
images becomes a thing of the past.
Complete with the ability to share live performance reviews
with the team, set targets, track accountability, and monitor progress over
time, the App fulfils every need.
A number of UK industry professionals supported the development of the new App, and they were all quick to praise 59club for the benefit the App would bring to the industry, as well as to them personally.
One of those individuals was General Manager of Teignmouth Golf Club, Martin Hucklesby who said;
“Managing a golf club, in my view, is like any other service industry; it should be driven by its standards. The vastly different areas of expertise required to be able to measure, manage & record ‘a score’ to these standards has always been something that as a General Manager I have done via a spreadsheet as I have walked through the club & course. Now with myTell, and using technology I am able to do this via an App. It is brilliant, highly recommended and is on the front page of my phone!”
And it’s not just management who stand to benefit; the App also controls member feedback across golf, health & recreation when it comes to the club’s culture & community, the facilities & member services, its food and beverage outlets, and a huge part of ‘club life’, its people.
Whether a club chooses to invite all club members, or they
prefer to limit its users exclusively to those within the management team/board/committee
or perhaps they want to go one further and create an engineered focus group; this
clever little App will store and channel feedback along with supplementary
ratings, comments & images to the relevant department.
59club Director and the technical brain behind the App’s content and development, Mark Reed, said:
“But it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution: each venue
can create its own bespoke, white-labelled experience, ensuring it retains
control over which elements of the business its users can submit data around.
And the App also contains the facility to create and customise subsidiary outlets,
if, for example, the property has more than one golf course, fitness studio, or
restaurant.
“From a member’s perspective it gives them an
unprecedented opportunity to give praise where it’s due and highlight where
they feel they are not getting value for money. The mutual benefits are
numerous”.
The easily navigable App – available on both Android and iOS
platforms – tracks trends, monitors patterns of performance, whilst generating
statistics for periodic reviews. With feedback received within a secure
dashboard, away from the public eye and with total confidentiality.
For further information on the myTell App, or any area of 59club’s industry-leading service, please contact your regional 59club manager.
Nous sommes
très heureux de vous confirmer l’organisation de la cérémonie des trophées
de l’excellence 59Club au Golf International de Roissy, les 9 et 10
Mars 2022.
Programme du
9 mars :
– conférence
annuelle autour de la qualité et de l’excellence client avec l’intervention de
4 professionnels,
– palmarès
et remise des trophées 59Club aux meilleurs sites lors de la
cérémonie inaugurale des trophées de l’Excellence 59Club et du dîner
de gala.
Programme du
10 mars :
– A partir de 8h30, 59club Trophy, compétition en scramble à 4 avec tous les acteurs de la filière du golf.
Nous espérons
que vous serez en mesure de vous joindre à nous pour l’événement, alors que
nous honorons les meilleurs équipes et établissements de France qui
ont offert les plus belles expériences clients en 2021, selon les audits
des clients mystères de 59Club.
Vous pouvez vous inscrire en cliquant ici. Pour toutes informations complémentaires vous pouvez contacter Colin Bosio, colin@59club.com ou au 0782103118.
Nous sommes
impatients de célébrer l’excellence des ventes et des services avec vous !
Le siège social de 59club est ravi d’annoncer son engagement visant à devenir neutre en carbone d’ici la fin 2022, et sa division du Royaume-Uni se joint à cette promesse 8 ans plus tôt que prévu.
Alors que le spécialiste, leader de la gestion de la performance, continue d’étendre ses activités dans le monde entier, un objectif mondial de neutralité carbone avait été initialement fixé dans tous les territoires d’ici la fin de 2030, mais 59club UK et son siège mondial ont avancé leur plan de 8 ans.
Le directeur général de 59club UK, Will
Hewitt, décrit cet engagement comme :« Essentiel, si nous
voulons atteindre notre objectif d’être un employeur responsable. Nous pourrions attendre, ce serait facile à
faire et avec beaucoup moins de coûts pour l’entreprise, mais nous pensons
qu’il faut agir maintenant, et nous y sommes prêts.
« Nous avons examiné toutes les activité et dépenses que notre entreprise engage, depuis nos visites mystères, nos services de formation, nos cérémonies de remise de prix, jusqu’aux serveurs qui hébergent nos logiciels et la puissance utilisée pour les taches de nos employés.
« Nous sommes convaincus qu’au Royaume-Uni, nous pouvons atteindre
l’objectif d’éradiquer notre empreinte carbone au cours des 12 prochains mois.
En outre, nous voulons aller plus loin et nous prendrons également en compte
les activités extra-professionnelles de nos collaborateurs à chaque fois que
cela sera possible
« Dans le cadre de nos
engagements, nous développerons également un projet de plantation d’arbres au
Royaume-Uni, en partenariat avec nos clients, afin de compenser tous les
domaines de notre activité (qui font pencher la balance)».
59club a 6
divisions territoriales à travers le monde : Royaume-Uni et Irlande, Asie,
États-Unis, Moyen-Orient et Afrique, Europe de l’Ouest et Europe du Sud, avec
deux nouvelles ouvertures prévues pour 2022 au Canada et en Australie. Nous
formulons l’espoir que les autres bureaux seront également en mesure
d’accélérer leurs plans de neutralité, en mettant l’accent sur les nouvelles
divisions pour le Canada et l’Australie afin d’ouvrir dans une position neutre
en carbone dès le premier jour.
Simon Wordsworth, PDG de 59club, ajoute : « Nous sommes depuis longtemps considérés comme un leader de l’industrie qui défend le service à la clientèle et conduit nos sites affiliés à offrir les meilleures expériences client. Maintenant nous aimerions nous appuyer sur cette position de confiance et l’utiliser pour le plus grand bien, avec l’espoir que d’autres suivront nos traces.
« L’attitude à l’égard du
changement climatique est très différente d’une région à l’autre, et nous
devons respecter ces différences culturelles, tout en ne perdant pas de vue que
nous avons le devoir de préserver la planète pour les générations futures.
Travailler ensemble pour changer les comportements est la seule vraie façon
d’aller de l’avant, et pour ceux qui ont la chance d’être dans des postes de
responsabilité, c’est bien à nous de créer l’environnement pour changer les
attitudes plus rapidement, 59club le fait.Ces actions représentent des coûts
importants, cet argument est souvent utilisé pour repousser l’échéance. Nous
croyons fermement que les entreprises devraient agir maintenant, utiliser une
chaîne d’approvisionnement « verte » – nous le ferons et cela semble être une
opportunité et non un coût à moyen terme.»
Le projet est dirigé par le directeur du
59club, Andy Etherington, qui a déjà apporté de nombreux changements pour le
travail et le style de vie dans l’entreprise au cours des 2 dernières années,
notamment des changements alimentaires, une utilisation accrue d’aliments
d’origine locale, le recyclage, le compostage et l’utilisation d’énergie
renouvelable. Au début de l’année, 59club a choisi Kinsey pour fournir des
uniformes dans le monde entier par le biais de sa nouvelle marque, BRK, qui est
composée de « matériaux de source 100% renouvelables ». La dernière
initiative verra Etherington effectuer le passage de tous les véhicules de société
au Royaume-Uni à des modèles électriques.
59club partagera ses
informations et les moments marquants de son parcours vers sa « mise au
vert » sur le site Web et via les plateformes de médias sociaux.
La cérémonie virtuelle a été organisée par le présentateur et diffuseur Dan Walker et récompense les sites d’Europe, du Royaume Uni et d’Irlande pour leur qualité de service.
13
clubs ont reçu la plus haute distinction, les désignations convoitées
« drapeau or » de 59club.
De
plus, ils ont été rejoints sur le podium virtuel par huit lauréats d’argent et
huit de bronze, illustrant que malgré tout ce qui a tourmenté l’industrie
britannique et européenne du golf depuis le début de 2020, de nombreux clubs
refusent de laisser tomber leurs normes de qualité.
Les
désignations reconnaissent les sites commerciaux et les clubs à membres qui ont
atteint le niveau requis de service à la clientèle, tel que déterminé par les
audits de visite mystère impartiaux de 59club, ainsi qu’une reconnaissance
supplémentaire pour avoir fourni les meilleures installations et services pour
les golfeurs.
Les qualifications des employés, les distinctions des restaurants, la communication avec les membres et l’accréditation environnementale ne sont que quelques-uns des facteurs déterminants supplémentaires dans les critères de qualification du Golf Flag. Toutes nos félicitations à tous nos sites méritants portant le Golf Flag, nous espérons que vous apprécierez la présentation et que vous entrerez dans l’esprit des remises de prix, rappelez-vous que vous êtes un phare pour la prospérité future de l’industrie du golf et de l’hospitalité.
Et enfin, nous sommes ravis de confirmer que les préparatifs sont en cours et que les régions 59club seront invités à participer à la première « cérémonie mondiale de remise des prix d’excellence du service et de l’hospitalité » qui aura lieu en 2022-2023.…
A cerimónia virtual, organizada pelo apresentador e locutor Dan Walker, que reconhece clubes de golfe em toda a Europa, Reino Unido e Irlanda, pela sua qualidade de serviço
13 clubes receberam a’Gold Flag Designations’. Juntaram-se,
também, ao pódio virtual, 8 ‘Silver
Flags’ e, 8 prémios na categoria
‘Bronze Flag’, provando que, apesar dos problemas que a industria do golfe, no Reino Unido e Europa,
desde o início de 2020, tem sofrido, muitos clubes recusam-se a baixar os
padrões do seu serviço.
Foram homenageados resorts e clubes privados que alcançaram o
padrão exigido de atendimento ao cliente, determinado por auditorias imparciais
de cliente mistério do 59club, juntamente com o reconhecimento adicional de fornecerem as
melhores instalações e serviços para os golfistas desfrutarem.
Qualificações dos colaboradores, elogios aos restaurantes, comunicação aos membros, e acreditação ambiental, são alguns dos fatores
determinantes adicionais dos critérios de qualificação para os ‘Golf Flag Awards’.
Muitos parabéns a todos os merecidos campos de
golfe que receberam a “Golf Flag’. Esperamos
que tenha gostado da apresentação e, ao testemunhar como os clubes celebraram a
sua conquista, lembre-se que faz parte da prosperidade do golfe e da indústria
hoteleira.
E, finalmente, estamos contentes de anunciar que está em curso a preparação para a cerimónia dos ‘‘World hospitality service excellence awards – 2022-23’ onde todos os clubes do 59club estão convidados a competir.
La ceremonia virtual presentada por el locutor de radio y presentador, Dan Walker, que reconoce los clubes en Europa, Reino Unido e Irlanda por la calidad de su servicio al cliente
13 clubes han recibido el honor más
alto de todos, las “59club Gold Flag Designations”.
Además, se les unieron en el podio
virtual ocho ganadores de premios de plata y ocho de bronce, que muestra que a
pesar de todo lo que ha afectado a la industria de golf en el Reino Unido y
Europa desde principios de 2020, muchos clubes se niegan a permitir que bajen sus
estándares.
Las nominaciones reconocen a los
resorts y clubes privados que han logrado el estándar exigido de servicio al
cliente, determinado por las auditorías imparciales de 59club Mystery
Shopping, junto con el reconocimiento adicional por haber proporcionado las
mejores instalaciones y servicios a los golfistas.
Las calificaciones de los empleados,
los elogios de los restaurantes, la comunicación a los miembros y la acreditación
ambiental son solo algunos de los factores determinantes adicionales dentro de
los criterios de calificación de la ‘Golf Flag’.
Enhorabuena a todas nuestras
propiedades ‘Golf Flag’, confiamos en que disfrute de la presentación y, al
entrar en el espíritu de los premios, recuerde que usted es un faro de luz para
la futura prosperidad de las industrias de golf y hostelería.
Y finalmente, es
nuestro placer confirmar que nos estamos preparando para un evento que verá a
todos los territorios 59club competir en la ceremonia inaugural de los ‘World
Hospitality Service Excellence Awards’ que se celebrarán en 2022-23 …
The 59club Golf Flag virtual ceremony hosted by presenter and broadcaster Dan Walker, which recognises venues across Europe, UK & Ireland for their service quality
13 clubs received the highest accolade of all, 59club’s coveted ‘Gold Flag’ designations.
What’s more, they were
joined on the virtual podium by eight silver and eight bronze award winners,
illustrating that despite everything that has plagued the UK & European
golf industry since early 2020, many clubs refuse to allow their standards to
drop.
The designations
recognise commercial venues and member clubs that have achieved the
required standard of customer service, as determined by 59club’s impartial mystery
shopping audits, along with additional recognition for having provided the very
finest facilities and services for golfers to enjoy.
Employee
qualifications, restaurant accolades, member communication, and
environmental accreditation, are just some of the additional determining
factors within the qualifying golf flag criteria.
Huge congratulations to
all of our deserving Golf Flag bearing properties, we trust you enjoy the
presentation and as you enter into the spirit of the awards, please be reminded
that you are a beacon of light to the future prosperity of the golf &
hospitality industry.
And finally, we are
delighted to confirm that preparation is under way that will see all 59club
territories invited to compete in the inaugural ‘World hospitality service
excellence awards ceremony’ taking place in 2022-23…
Tom Rourke is general manager of Troon Golf’s The Els Club, in Dubai. Here he explains how working with 59club has achieved an unprecedented level of membership at the facility and why he regards 59club as an essential service provider, both now and in the future.
Although I had worked with 59club previously, I hadn’t utilised the membership sales experience audit as I was previously based at a daily fee only facility. Upon joining The Els Club and better understanding the membership structure, I thought the best thing to do would be to have 59club involved with some membership enquiries and mystery shops – to go through that experience to see where enhancements could be made to improve the conversion of our prospective member show rounds.
I met with 59club MEA director Mark Bull who discussed the expectations, the history of the previous membership enquiries from past mystery shoppers at The Els Club, the benchmarking process, audit criteria, and the recommendations to get the most success out of a potential new member or membership enquiry.
Subsequently, I sat down with our membership manager, Thomas Nicolson, and gathered his feedback before we instigated the first membership related mystery shopper enquiry. After receiving the initial audit report, Thomas and I analysed the feedback and established there were quite a few areas where improvements could be made.
Thomas is a great member of the team and together we very constructively worked our way through the audit feedback; with Mark Bull on hand to provide his insightful recommendations on further measures to advance.
Thomas took all of the data and feedback within the audit on board, and, worked to improve the membership enquiry process, and the following month, achieved a near perfect show round appointment mystery audit. The process has transformed our membership sales procedures, and, after receiving this great feedback, we started to look at the membership offering and made some additional adjustments.
And it’s really paid dividends. Thomas did a fantastic job: in December we had around 30 new members sign up; in January we had 40 new members; and, in February, another 15 – so it’s been a huge success. Since working with 59club, we’ve had more new members sign up at The Els Club than ever before.
It illustrates that by reviewing the customer journey and the show-round experience, utilising the 59club tools, and doing a refresher of all the Troon Golf operational standards as well, makes a massive difference, even at an incredible property such as The Els Club. We’re delighted with the results.
With 59club, the attention to detail from the tester is incredible and, when you’re able to review recordings of the telephone call, when you’re able to analyse the sales techniques demonstrated, and in other audits the upselling measurements in the golf shop, the photographs and the reports from the agronomy perspective as well, it is hugely valuable detail.
There was already an agreement in place with 59club when I arrived at The Els Club, but I would be looking to work with them at any facility that I would go to within Troon Golf. It’s an absolute no brainer – the costs you’re looking at for 59club, the detail and information you’re going to receive, and the improvements you can make, mean you’re going to get back that investment 10-fold, with all the enhancements you’re able to identify and implement.
As a new general manager or department head, there’s great value in reviewing the previous 59club mystery shops, so you start to understand the operation with a different set of eyes. And then to be able to meet with 59club and engage with them and understand what’s happened previously, the feedback that was given, and whether any adjustments were made, is a big help.
I’m also a believer in the integrity test side of the business, especially on the driving range or areas where, maybe, there’s fewer associates, or they’re further away from the main hub of the clubhouse. It’s fundamental for department heads and the GM to study these mystery shops and integrity checks, just to have some eyes on those areas from an experience side and a security perspective.
To be engaged with 59club to monitor your business, make improvements, and for it to complement Troon Golf, is for me, just the minimum standard. After the first couple of mystery visits and the results of the integrity tests, associates begin to see things differently and take call handling, sales processes, and cash handling more seriously.
It’s really been an eye opener for the team – you always get a few shocks, speedbumps and hiccups along the way, but you start to make improvements and the revenues will start increasing. Certainly, using 59club services will only increase revenues, whether that be on membership, green fees, retail, or on the driving range. To receive that detailed feedback helps enormously.
There is such incredible value in the level of detail in the reports, it’s a set of independent eyes, seeing it through the eyes of the guest, which is so incredibly valuable. Nine times out of 10, you are going to see an increase in revenue, and that is an absolute no brainer.
The wider business goal for The Els Club is to become more of a country club and engage with the local community. The Els Club will always be, fundamentally, built on an incredible golf course – Ernie Els did a fantastic job with the design.
But we’re currently underway with the construction of two padel tennis courts, a spa, ladies hair salon and a gents’ barber shop, and, because 59club does not just specialise in golf, we will also be engaging with 59club in these areas of the business.
59club is very much across the whole area of hospitality and the business – which Troon Golf also specialises in – and it will further enhance the guest and member experience, help drive revenues and give the general manager, and his decision makers, and department heads the information they need at their fingertips.
As the flagship facility, all the fantastic standards we have within Troon Golf are at the very highest level at The Els Club. But, with 59club – whether it be SOPs, training, uniform standards, or something else – we’re just going to get additional feedback, which will only further enhance what Troon Golf has in place and ensure it is followed, consistently. We’re already at such a high standard, but it will give more information, data and feedback – and it’s always great to receive.
We can also utilise other platforms within 59club that might not be on the guest side of things, such as associate training. There’s always something, for example, upselling, that you can never improve enough. If you want to improve the engagement with the guest, improve product knowledge, and the way that information is delivered, 59club is a great partner to guide you through that process and deliver training sessions. Department heads at Troon Golf always do an incredible job, but it’s additional support, and that goes a long way.
Having a 59club division ‘on the ground’ here in the region has made a big difference. I was very fortunate, previously, to do my PGA training with (59club CEO) Simon Wordsworth, and have worked closely with both Mark Reed, Matt Roberts and Andrew Etherington, so I know it’s an incredible team; but, having Neal Graham and Mark Bull on the ground here, is a great addition to the club. They are on hand with recommendations, training, or support, and will pop over at any time.
You don’t ever feel with 59club – unlike some – as if you’re on ‘the meter’; you know you’re calling them over to have a coffee, catch up and go through some feedback. You feel they are a pure partner and that they simply want to enhance the guest journey, and the operation, and genuinely care about The Els Club as a business. Both Mark and Neal have great experience in the region and it just further complements the club.
I feel the 59club team understood our goals from the start; the key part for us is we are all about membership – so we want to hit our full membership cap of 200 members which we’re now very close to achieving. They understood that, and, also, the history of The Els Club: that the number one focus is golf. They looked at how they can assist us and give recommendations, improve that mystery shop and guest journey, so that we could attract more members. Then we looked at the F&B experience, the upselling in the golf shop, the engagement during the experience with the guests, the experience on the golf course – every part of the business. But, number one, was membership and, then, the driving range, just looking to make sure policies and procedures were being followed.
It’s an absolute pleasure to be associated with and work alongside 59club and I’m sure the relationship and support will continue to enhance and complement The Els Club and Troon Golf’s operating and hospitality standards.
This year we were delighted to receive two 59club Service Excellence Awards, in both Golf Retail Team of the Year, and, The Els Club was awarded the highest honour, the Gold Flag Designation, which is credit to the hard work and high standards we all work to achieve.
I do genuinely respect and value what 59club offers and to see it branching out now all around the world, is wonderful. It’s something golf never had previously, and I just hope everyone else values it as much as we do, and doesn’t see it as an expense line. Properties need to see their products and services as something that provides tangible value; with 59club your guaranteed to improve the overall experience, and ultimately that will make a difference to your profits.
Mark Chapleski de Troon Golf & Mark Bull de 59club MEA
Troon International, una sociedad de Troon, la empresa más grande del mundo en la dirección de golf ha elegido a 59club como proveedor de los productos y servicios de gestión de rendimientos para todos los clubs en la red Troon International.
Troon International tiene su sede corporativa en Dubái y trabaja con los clientes en Europa, el Oriente Medio, Asia y Australia.
Mark Chapleski, presidente de Troon International, explica: “Troon International reconoce los beneficios que 59club ofrece a los clubs dentro de su red. Los directores y gerentes de golf han adoptado las auditorías externas y utilizan los comentarios para mejorar la experiencia del cliente, desarrollar asociados, mejorar el desempeño financiero y proporcionar datos valiosos para establecer objetivos y metas a largo plazo.
“Este servicio aumentado nos permite a todas nuestras
propiedades – fuera de las Américas – utilizar la amplia cartera de productos
de 59club, si lo desean.”
Estos clubs ya están utilizando la extensiva gama de productos de Compras Anónimas de 59club, incluso ‘La Experiencia de Visitante Golfista’; ‘Solicitudes de Membresía de Golf’; ‘Solicitudes de Grupos Golfistas’ y las auditorías estructurales de integridad. También han adoptado la plataforma my59 Encuestas para medir la experiencia de sus clientes y los servicios de fitting personalizados. 59club proporciona formaciones presenciales para los empleados, respaldadas por el recién lanzamiento de la plataforma virtual de formaciones ‘My59 Mentor’.
El director de 59club MEA, Mark Bull, dice: “Nos complace
extender nuestra relación con Troon International de forma global. Aunque no
sea obligatorio, este permite acceso a la cartera completa de productos 59club si
los gerentes y directores de golf deciden hacer uso de ellos.
Los clubes de Troon International que quieren aprovechar de esta oportunidad recibirán cuatro auditorías de compra anónima al año, enfocadas en las experiencias de sus visitantes, así como sus socios. Beneficiarán del servicio y soporte adicionales facilitados por su división regional de 59club en la nueva plataforma virtual de formaciones, MyMentor.
Esta colaboración hace que los clubs de Troon International sean eligibles para participar en los Premios de Excelencia en el Servicio de 59club, que se considera como los ‘Óscar’ del mundo de golf. Con estos premios, 59club reconoce a los individuos, los equipos, los clubs y los grupos de dirección que entregan las mejores experiencias a sus socios y visitantes.”
Philippe Pilato has worked at Ryder Cup venue Le Golf National for more than 26 years and now holds the position of general manager. He outlines how 59club helped elevate the facility to a top service provider and explains how its processes can help French golf in general.
We have been with 59club since 2016, just two years before the Ryder Cup, and, at that time, we were not able to provide a good service to the visitor, in particular, to international clients. Working with 59club helps us improve our services and the quality of our services.
In 2015 and 16 we were only used to working with French visitors and members. Two years out from the Ryder Cup we started working with foreign visitors and it was clear we needed to improve the quality of our service. We needed independent analysis of our strong and weak points, which is important for both the manager and the team.
We use 59club’s visitor-experience analysis and the my59 customer survey tool, as we needed to know better the needs and wishes of our clients.
We have many different clients at Le Golf National – we have subscribers, we have players who play one or two times a week, visitors from abroad including a lot from the USA, corporate customers and day guests – and, at the beginning, we didn’t know what they needed or expected when they played here.
We segment by type of customer with the survey tool and it’s very interesting and beneficial to receive the varied feedback it gives us.
When we started with 59club, in 2016, our initial results weren’t particularly good – we’d been geared up primarily for domestic visitors until that point. When we started receiving the results of the visits we shared the information with the whole team – the greenkeepers, the welcome desk, in the back office – which was hugely beneficial and we also started staff training with 59club.
We focused on our strong points, which we knew – the golf courses and the pro shop – and the weak areas, such as the service. We’re in France and it’s very expensive to have a lot of employees. We can’t have the same number of employees on the service side of the business as our contemporaries abroad. We needed to be very strong when the customer arrives in the pro shop because this is the first contact they get with a Le Golf National employee.
Across the five years of testing we’ve seen around a 50 per cent improvement in our mark for the ‘meet and greet’ part of the test, and this comes because, thanks to 59club, we trained our staff to be focused solely on the client. Previously, employees were only focused on themselves; we showed them that the most important person at Le Golf National is not them, but the client in front of them.
We did that a lot; it remains a job we do every day as a matter of course and this is why we have improved substantially since 2016. We are much more focused on the golfers, what they expect, and why they’ve chosen to come to Le Golf National. That simple thing – and the way we were able to do it – is the reason our scores are now so much better.
We’ve also tried to be better before and after the arrival of the client. We achieved more consistency with reservations and written confirmation, and things we did not do before partnering with 59club.
We tried to train all the team to adopt a 360-degree vision – the only job on the front desk is not just to offer a smile and to welcome the golfer, you need to be focused on every point: the car park, the driving range, on the first tee, and so on.
I think encouraging staff to think outside of their own sphere and look at the bigger picture has been instrumental in our overall improvement. Indeed, overall, I believe our average rating is among the best in France. The benchmark 59club offers is showing this with our above-70 per cent averages.
We still have a lot to do when it comes to on-course service because, as I explained, we do not have a lot of people in the marshalling team, the buggy bar, the starter, or speaking to the players on the course and asking if they need anything, for example. This area, admittedly, we can still improve upon and we will improve this aspect of the customer experience. I’m not saying we will be perfect but it will be a better experience – nobody’s perfect.
Much of this can be put down to the expense of employing people in France – as I have already mentioned – but the client expects a certain level, with a starter and a marshal, and somebody to take their golf clubs for them at the end of a round. We do have wonderful employees, really, because on some days we may have 200 people on the golf course and it’s very tough for them with so much to cover, yet our customer satisfaction figures remain good.
I would have no hesitation in recommending the services of 59club because it helps professionalise the service one offers to golfers. I think we need this is France. I recently visited a golf club with three of my colleagues from Le Golf National and was astonished that of the three people at the reception desk, not one looked up and said ‘Hello’ or welcomed us in any way. And that’s the simplest thing to do anywhere in the world.
In France we need to continue to professionalise our service teams because this is often the case at golf clubs in the country. We receive a lot of feedback from visitors to Le Golf National, and, because of 59club and what it does for us, they’re saying the services and quality of service here is one of the best they’ve experienced in France.
The problem is not the people, it is a management issue. The team needs to know what it has to do and, I believe, in France, they’re not sure what they should be doing, and that comes from the management. People come in, they take the credit card and take 50€ and send them out to the course and the job is done. But there’s so much more to it than that – or there should be. Sadly, in France, people on the front desk are not sure of what they need to do, so there is much training to be done across the industry.
Working with 59club has helped me, personally, to concentrate on the right things and I think that would help many general managers in France. I think it’s a ‘magic’ tool and has helped elevate Le Golf National to where it is now.
For those wanting a proven strategy to retrain and upskill their workforce, measure in-house standards, elevate customer acquisition, satisfaction, and profits, there has never been a better time to engage with 59club.
Kirstoff Both en los premios 59club 2021 Iqda-drcha: Dan Walker (presentador BBC), Kristoff Both (Alcanada), Mark Reed (Director 59club) & Simon Wordsworth (CEO 59club)
Kristoff
Both, el director del Club de Golf Alcanada, en la isla de Mallorca, cuenta
todo sobre su tiempo trabajando con 59club, el éxito que ha tenido y los múltiples
galardones de servicio al cliente celebrados durante sus siete años de
compromiso.
Todos pensamos,
como directores de golf, que conocemos nuestro producto; que no necesitamos que
nadie de fuera nos diga si el césped es verde o no, porque jugamos al golf y la
mayor parte lo vemos desde fuera.
Pero hay ciertos
procedimientos con los que, sentado en su oficina, no siempre se familiariza,
que podrían ser los diferentes puntos de contacto: el restaurante, la tienda
profesional, el caddymaster o el buggy bar, donde necesitamos saber sobre el
amabilidad y profesionalidad del personal.
Entonces, para
nosotros, las auditorías de mistery shopping de 59club son realmente
productivas, ¡además me sacan de la línea de fuego! No soy yo quien le dice a
alguien ‘no creo que estés haciendo esto o aquello’, es alguien independiente y
está ahí en blanco y negro.
Una o dos veces
al año, también recibimos una formación presencial con un miembro del equipo de
59club cuya experiencia en la industria habla por sí misma, por lo que también
es muy convincente y constructivo para el equipo aquí. Tienes un profesional ayudándolos
que ha estado allí e implementó esa práctica en la industria.
La mayoría de la
formación o la educación superior que recibimos aquí en España no son
específicos al golf, pero están dirigidas al servicio al cliente en general. Tener
a alguien que hable sobre las habilidades de ventas, la gestión del tee time y
la experiencia general del cliente en el golf lo hace más entretenido, práctico
y relevante para el equipo.
Como
consecuencia, el equipo es más consciente de cosas como la venta adicional y la
venta cruzada y, aunque estamos lejos de estar al 100%, es un recordatorio
constante de que tenemos que hacer estas cosas, y tenemos que hacerlos mejor.
La herramienta de
comparación, donde podemos medir nuestros niveles de servicio y aptitud de ventas
frente a nuestros competidores, es muy útil y esclarecedora. No es una carrera,
pero es beneficioso poder demostrar y preguntar ‘¿Por qué otros se están
desempeñando mucho mejor?; ¿Qué están haciendo diferente? ¿O qué están
ofreciendo que es diferente o se percibe como mejor? Aprender de los demás es
otra forma en que podemos progresar como equipo y como club.
Creo que el mayor
cambio que hemos implementado desde que trabajamos con 59club está en nuestro
procedimiento de reserva, que ahora es mucho más profesional.
Cuando observa
los resultados de las auditorías de mistery shopping junto con algunos
de los otros lugares, debe tenerse en cuenta que algunos lugares tienen
personal dedicado simplemente a tomar reservas, por lo que tienen
procedimientos diferentes a los del personal aquí que atiende a otras llamadas
por teléfono y trata con los clientes en la tienda. Pero nuestras prácticas y confirmaciones
en escrita ahora son más completas en relación con la información que
contienen.
También creo que
ha habido una mejora notable con los caddymasters en la forma en que
interactúan con los clientes. De hecho, todo lo relacionado con los puntos de
contacto con el cliente ha evolucionado a lo largo de los años que llevamos
trabajando con 59club, y los resultados de las auditorías han sido
fundamentales en esa evolución.
Tengo muchas
ganas de trabajar en colaboración con la nueva división 59club Europe South,
encabezada por James Beesley. Me complació saber que proporcionarán
documentación traducida al español para el mercado español. Poder darle a mi
equipo acceso al sistema, en lugar de tener que traducir todo, lo hará mucho
más fácil.
Para el personal
que no tiene la capacidad de leer inglés, sería muy ventajoso y beneficioso
para Alcanada en su conjunto, tener todo en español. Y me imagino que eso
también se aplica a los clubes en el resto del país, para poder trabajar en su
lengua materna.
La historia de
nuestra relación con 59club habla por sí: llevamos siete años trabajando con
59club y estamos muy contentos. Son muy profesionales y muy útiles en todos los
aspectos. Y solo hay que mirar la gama de productos que siguen introduciendo
para ver que no es una empresa que se quede parada. Ellos están progresando y,
como su cliente, nosotros también podemos avanzar.
Los premios a la
excelencia en el servicio comenzaron como un pequeño extra, pero a medida que
más clientes se vuelven elegibles y 59club se vuelve más internacional, los
premios se convertirán rápidamente en los ‘Oscar’ del golf en Europa; tal como
se han considerado en el Reino Unido desde hace algún tiempo.
Siempre es bueno
recibir reconocimiento por el arduo trabajo que ha realizado, por lo que
apreciamos los premios 59club. También hay un elemento de competencia entre
colegas en otros lugares que se conocen desde hace tiempo, por lo que se suma
al atractivo.
Es alentador para
el personal ser honrado con un premio: Alcanada es actualmente un destino con
bandera oro de 59club, el galardón más alto disponible para el desempeño de un
lugar. Es un gran logro que se nos mencione al mismo tiempo que los lugares que
se consideran los mejores del juego.
He estado en el sector
durante unos 20 años, y en mi 18.º año en Alcanada, lo que es muy importante
para mí es no quedarme quieto, y los productos de 59club me ayudan a estar
alerta y al tanto de lo que sucede y está disponible en la industria.
Tenemos que
seguir buscando formas de mejorar y cambiar las cosas, y 59club me ayuda a
hacerlo. Me anima a mirar por los rincones y no hacer las cosas como siempre se
han hecho.
Si tuviera que
resumir 59club en una palabra, sería “progresivo”: siempre está
progresando y superando los límites, y eso, a su vez, empuja a sus clientes a
lograr más, lo que beneficia a toda la industria del golf.
Anexo: Un año después de trabajar con 59club,
Alcanada recibió una bandera de plata en reconocimiento a su excelencia en el
servicio y, posteriormente, ha sido reconocida todos los años desde entonces,
culminando con una designación Gold Flag.
Para
aquellos que desean una estrategia comprobada para volver a capacitar y mejorar
las habilidades de su fuerza laboral, medir los estándares internos, elevar la
adquisición de clientes, la satisfacción y las ganancias, nunca ha habido un
mejor momento para comprometerse con 59club.
Kristoff Both at the 2021 Service Excellence Awards From L-R: Dan Walker (BBC Presenter), Kristoff Both (General Manager CdG Alcanada), Mark Reed (Director 59club), & Simon Wordsworth (CEO 59club)
Kristoff Both, the director of Club de Golf Alcanada, on the holiday
island of Mallorca, tells all about his time working with 59club, the success it
has borne, and the many customer-service accolades celebrated during their seven-year
engagement.
We all think, as golf managers, that we know our product;
that we don’t need anybody from the outside to tell us if the grass is green or
not, because we play golf and we see most of it from the outside.
But there are certain procedures that, sitting in your
office, you don’t always get to grips with – that might be the different
touchpoints: the restaurant, the pro shop, the caddymaster or the halfway
house, where we need to know about the friendliness and professionalism of the
staff.
So, for us, 59club’s mystery shopping audits are really
productive – plus it takes me out of the line of fire! It’s not me who is
saying to somebody ‘I don’t think you’re doing this or that’, it’s somebody
independent and it’s there in black and white in front of them.
Once or twice a year, we also receive an on-site teaching
seminar with a member of the 59club team whose experience in the industry
speaks for itself, so it’s also very convincing and constructive for the team
here. You have a professional helping them who’s been there and implemented that
practice in the industry.
Most of the seminars or further education we can get here in
Spain are not specific to golf, it’s for customer service in general. But to
have somebody talking about retail skills, tee-time management and the overall customer
experience in golf makes it more entertaining, hands-on, and relevant to the
team.
As a consequence, the team is more conscious of things like
upselling and cross-selling, and, while we’re some way from being on it 100 per
cent, it’s a constant reminder that we have to do these things, and we have to
do them better.
The comparison tool, where we can measure our service levels
and sales aptitude against our competitors, is very useful and insightful. It’s
not a race, but it’s beneficial to be able to demonstrate and ask ‘Why others are
performing so much better?; what are they doing differently? Or what are they
offering that is different or perceived to be better?’ Learning from others is
another way we can progress as a team and as a facility.
I believe the biggest change we have implemented since
working with 59club is in our booking procedure, which is now far more
professional.
When you look at the results of the mystery shopper audits alongside
some of the other venues, it has to be borne in mind that some venues have
staff dedicated to simply taking bookings, so they have different procedures to
the staff here who are answering other telephone calls and dealing with
customers in the shop. But our written confirmations and practices are now more
thorough in terms of the information within.
I also believe there’s been a noticeable improvement with the
caddymasters in the way they interact with customers. Indeed, everything around
the customer touchpoints has evolved down the years we have been working with 59club,
and the results from the audits have been instrumental in that evolution.
I’m looking forward to working closely with the new southern Europe
59club division, headed by James Beesley. I was pleased to learn that they will
be providing documentation translated into Spanish, for the Spanish market. To be
able to give my team access to the system, instead of me having to translate
everything, will make it a lot easier.
For the staff who do not have the ability to read English it
would be hugely advantageous, and beneficial for Alcanada as a whole, to have
everything in Spanish. And I imagine that goes for clubs in all other
countries, too, to be able to work in their native tongue.
The history of our relationship with 59club speaks for itself
– we have been working with 59club for seven years and we’re very happy.
They’re very professional and very helpful in all aspects. And you only have to
look at the range of products they continue to introduce to see that it’s not a
company that is standing still. They’re progressing and, as their client, we
can progress too.
The service excellence awards began as a nice little extra,
but as more and more clients become eligible and, as 59club becomes more international,
the awards will quickly become the ‘Oscars’ of golf in Europe; just as they have
been regarded in the UK for some time now.
It’s always nice to receive recognition for the hard work you
have done, so we do appreciate the 59club awards. There’s also an element of
competition between colleagues at other venues who’ve known each other for some
time, so that adds to the allure.
It’s encouraging for the staff to be honoured with an award –
Alcanada is currently a 59club gold-flag destination, the highest accolade
available for a venue’s performance. It’s a great achievement for us to be
mentioned in the same breath as venues which are regarded as at the top of the
game.
I’ve been in the business for some 20 years, and in my 18th
year at Alcanada, so it’s very important for me not to be standing still, and
products from 59club help me stay alert and abreast of what’s happening and
available in the industry.
We need to continue looking for ways to improve and change
things, and 59club helps me to do that. It encourages me to look around corners
and not to do things the same way they’ve always been done.
If I had to sum up 59club in one word, it would be
‘progressive’: it’s always progressing and pushing the boundaries, and that, in
turn, pushes its clients to achieve more, which is of benefit to the whole golf
industry.
Addendum: One year after working with 59club,
Alcanada received a silver flag in recognition for its service excellence, and
has, subsequently, been recognised every year since, culminating with a Gold
Flag designation.
For those wanting a proven strategy to retrain and upskill their workforce, measure in-house standards, elevate customer acquisition, satisfaction, and profits, there has never been a better time to engage with 59club.
59club, the leading sales & service analysts and training provider, have today announced its exciting new personal development program, ‘Succession’. www.succession.digital
The initiative is open to all managers, their deputies, and other rising stars within their business, whether they work with 59club or not. It is designed to support you to reach your full potential within your current role, whilst expanding learning opportunities, career progression and personal growth. What’s more, annual membership is priced at just £59 per annum per person. The key contract holder at any 59club client venue will receive access to Succession at no cost throughout 2021. 59club CEO Simon Wordsworth said; “59club’s mantra is to ‘Measure-Train-Support’, and Succession delivers on the latter two core elements. By making it affordable and open to all managers/prospective managers, it allows us to engage with the forward thinkers in our industry, people that want to learn and improve”.
Taking on many forms, in its simplest guise Succession contains 3 core elements; ‘In the ether’ acts as a hub that connects individuals with the goal of developing fresh ideas and new perceptions. Learning is supported by an extensive library furnished with video, audio, and documents, plus access to online monthly panels and live webinars hosted by experts from differing industries. These learning vehicles centred around relevant topic matter, are designed to expand an individual’s performance and their ability to make an impact. 59club has worked with a number of contributors to develop unique e-learning courses that are creative, interactive, and truly relevant to either the manager or the team under them. This area of the platform will grow significantly over the coming months.
To give a flavour of what’s to come; a small soft launch pre-Christmas saw a number of 59club associates join England Manager, Gareth Southgate as he led a seminar around ‘leadership styles & changing cultures’. An earlier panel were also invited to join Harry Redknapp as he discussed his 34 years experiences managing at all levels of professional football, with Succession aiming to take much of its inspiration from other sports & leading individuals from outside the world of golf. When Succession launches on Monday, January 18th, it will host a really insightful piece based on “leading teams” with England Cricket Captain, Joe Root just before he flew to Sri Lanka.
Succession’s second element ‘On the road’; will include a number of live events throughout the year. The first ‘learn and play’ event, subject to COVID-19 measures being relaxed will be hosted in April, at England’s National Football Training Centre, St George’s Park, conceived around a morning of education of the highest quality, a tour of the venue, and in the afternoon, a walking football tournament with training from LMA ambassador managers.
Finally, but by no means least, the ‘On the course’ activities will see business leaders and golf loving sports personalities quizzed around their life lessons & achievements, in a regular spot called ‘Buggy Banter’ and ‘Mower Mayhem’ – supported by 59club partners; Club Car and Toro of course!!
Wordsworth added; “Succession aims to build upon the talents and qualifications that managers already possess, by providing a vault of additional information, learning resources and unique opportunities to further enhance those prerequisite skills.
“We’re looking to expand the horizons of those in managerial positions, assisting them to thrive within their existing role, whilst supporting them and their deputies to succeed throughout their chosen career paths.
“We have built Succession with your time in mind, so you consume it at your pace, when and wherever you wish. One of the best examples of this ‘time focus’ is the ‘tombola’ carousel where each week managers will be able to access a 30-minute staff training session of bitesize learning. As a manger, you want to learn and should do, but you simply have no time – Succession will help.
“We’re not going to sit there and teach you how to analyse a P&L or complete a VAT return, we’ll leave that to other bodies. Succession is here to top up, add the finishing touches to you as an individual”.
Succession is a credit to the collaboration between 59club and its long-term major partners Club Car, Golf Genius and Toro, plus 3dIFS and CGI Insurance. For more information either visit www.succession.digital or reach out to your regional 59club Manager today.
59club, el analista de ventas y servicios y proveedor de formaciones, ha anunciado hoy su nuevo y emocionante programa de desarrollo personal; ‘Succession’.
La iniciativa está abierta a todos los gerentes, sus delegados y otras estrellas emergentes dentro de su negocio, independientemente de si trabajan con 59club o no. Está diseñado para ayudarte a alcanzar tu máximo potencial dentro de tu puesto actual, mientras amplía las oportunidades de aprendizaje, la progresión profesional y el crecimiento personal. Además, la membresía anual tiene un precio de solo € 59 por persona al año. El principal titular en los lugares con un contrato 59club recibirá acceso a Succession sin costo durante 2021.
El CEO de 59club, Simon Wordsworth, dijo; “El mantra de 59club es ‘Medir-Forma-Apoyar’, y Succession cumple con los dos últimos elementos fundamentales. Al hacerlo asequible y abierto a todos los gerentes / posibles gerentes, nos permite involucrarnos con los más avanzados pensadores de nuestra industria, personas que quieren aprender y mejorar”.
Aunque adopta varias formas, en su forma más simple, Succession contiene 3 elementos centrales; “En el éter” actúa como un eje que conecta a las personas con el objetivo de desarrollar nuevas ideas y nuevas percepciones. El aprendizaje está respaldado por una extensa biblioteca equipada con video, audio y documentos, además de acceso a paneles mensuales en línea y seminarios web en vivo organizados por expertos de diferentes industrias. Estos vehículos de aprendizaje centrados en un tema relevante, están diseñados para expandir el desempeño del individuo y su capacidad para generar un impacto. 59club ha trabajado con varios contribuyentes para desarrollar cursos de aprendizaje electrónico únicos que sean creativos, interactivos y verdaderamente relevantes para el gerente o el equipo a su cargo. Esta área de la plataforma crecerá significativamente en los próximos meses.
Para dar una idea de lo que está por venir; En un primer lanzamiento previo a la Navidad, varios socios de 59club acompañaban al gerente de fútbol de Inglaterra, Gareth Southgate, mientras dirigía un seminario sobre “estilos de liderazgo y cambio de culturas”. También se invitó a un panel anterior a unirse a Harry Redknapp mientras hablaba de sus 34 años de experiencia de gestión en todos los niveles del fútbol profesional, con la idea de que Succession se inspire en otros deportes e individuos clave de fuera del mundo del golf. Cuando Succession se lance el lunes 18 de enero, incluirá un artículo perspicaz sobre los “equipos líderes” protagonizado por el capitán de cricket de Inglaterra, Joe Root, justo antes de su vuelo a Sri Lanka.
El segundo elemento de Succession “En el Camino”; incluirá una serie de eventos en vivo durante todo el año. El primer evento de ‘aprender y jugar’, sujeto a la relajación de las medidas de COVID-19, se llevará a cabo en abril, en el Centro Nacional de Entrenamiento de Fútbol de Inglaterra, St George’s Park. Se trata de una mañana de capacitación de la más alta calidad, un recorrido por el lugar y, por la tarde, un torneo de fútbol con entrenamiento de los gerentes embajadores de la LMA.
Por último, y no menos importante, en ‘En el Campo’ hablamos con los amantes del golf entre los líderes empresariales y personalidades deportivas sobre las lecciones y los logros de sus vidas, en la sección de ‘Buggy Banter’ y ‘Mower Mayhem’ – apoyado por nuestros socios 59club: Club Car y Toro por supuesto !!
Wordsworth añadió; “Succession tiene como objetivo aprovechar los talentos y las calificaciones que los gerentes ya poseen, proporcionando un repositorio de información adicional, recursos de aprendizaje y oportunidades únicas para mejorar aún más esas habilidades prerrequisito.
“Buscamos ampliar los horizontes de quienes ocupan puestos gerenciales, ayudándoles a prosperar dentro de su función actual, mientras les apoyamos a ellos y a sus adjuntos para que tengan éxito en las trayectorias profesionales que elijan.
“Hemos creado a Succession pensando en tu tiempo, para que lo consumas a tu ritmo, cuando y donde quieras. Uno de los mejores ejemplos de este “enfoque en el tiempo” es el carrusel de la “tómbola” en el que cada semana los gerentes podrán acceder a una sesión de capacitación del personal de 30 minutos. Como gerente, deseas aprender y debes hacerlo, pero no dispones del tiempo: Succession te ayudará.
“No nos vamos a sentar ahí y enseñarle cómo analizar la cuenta de resultados o rellenar una declaración de renta; eso lo dejaremos a otras entidades. Succession existe para aumentar el valor personal, para darte los toques finales como individuo”.
Succession es mérito a la colaboración entre 59club y sus principales socios a largo plazo: Club Car, Golf Genius & Toro, más 3dIFS y CGI Seguros. Para más información, visite www.succession.digital o póngase en contacto con su representate de zona hoy.
O 59club, líder no sector de formação e analise do serviço de atendimento ao cliente e vendas, anunciou hoje a sua expansão, no Sul da Europa, com uma equipa regional de apoio a clubes de golfe e lazer, hotéis, restaurantes e destinos de spa, para impulsionar o atendimento ao cliente e o desempenho de vendas nas diferentes áreas do seu negócio.
A nova divisão é liderada por James Beesley, cuja experiência de trabalho, no Monte Rei Golf & Country Club (Portugal) e, actualmente na Finca Cortesin Hotel & Golf Resort (Espanha), dois resorts de luxo e referencia da Europa, reforçará ainda mais a posição do 59club na riqueza de hotspots de golfe em Espanha, Portugal, Itália e Grécia.
A sua formação em Business, Marketing & Sports Management, como membro da PGA e Club Managers Association of Europe e, experiência enquanto cliente do 59club nos resorts por onde trabalhou, irão certamente beneficiar as diferentes empresas da região.
Comentando sobre o seu novo empreendimento, James disse; “Como cliente do 59club, experimentei em primeira mão os benefícios dos seus produtos e serviços, aplicando as suas análises à tomada de decisões e testemunhando a melhoria tanto nos resultados operacionais como financeiros! Estou entusiasmado por poder assumir este papel adicional e estou ansioso por trabalhar em conjunto com a nossa equipa regional, cujo conhecimento e experiência local proporcionarão um serviço dedicado e personalizado aos nossos actuais e futuros clientes!“
Com clientes, com os quais mantêm relações prósperas de longa data, como a PGA Catalunya (Barcelona), Finca Cortesin (Marbella), Quinta do Lago (Algarve) e Verdura Resort (Sicília), conhecidos entre os 20 melhores Resorts da Europa continental, o 59club certamente irá contribuir para a melhoria dos padrões locais, à medida que mais empresas são atraídas pela apelativa vantagem de uma maior satisfação e aquisição de clientes e aumento de receitas e lucros, descrito por muitos como o efeito ’59’.
Cliente de longa data do 59clube, Julián Romaguera, Diretor Geral de Los Naranjos disse; “Fomos recomendados para o 59club pelo La Manga Club, durante o PGA show e, 30 minutos depois da nossa reunião tínhamos assinado como clientes. Para mim, era importante ter uma ferramenta externa para identificar os nossos pontos fortes e fracos e, embora possamos ter a perceção de que se é bom em alguma coisa, esta ferramenta contribui para mantermos os pés assentes no chão e saber exatamente onde temos de nos focar, quais são as urgências e o que precisa ser prioritário. O 59club tem de ser partilhado entre o pessoal e a administração ao mesmo tempo, de modo a que todos estejam envolvidos e dedicados a trabalhar em conjunto para promover os elevados níveis de serviço que estamos empenhados em alcançar. Estamos a usar as ferramentas para nos tornarmos mais orientados para a hospitalidade, afastando-nos apenas do golfe e, assim, introduzir um serviço mais personalizado. O 59club permite compreender como os outros funcionam, comparar e usar o seu desempenho de vendas e serviços contra eles.”
Simon Wordsworth 59club CEO disse; “Estamos muito entusiasmados por trabalhar com o James na expansão do 59clube pelo Sul da Europa. Estes são tempos difíceis, mas, independentemente disso, os estabelecimentos que oferecem a melhor experiência de serviço em todo o golfe e hospitalidade irão sempre estar em vantagem. O James e a sua equipa são o ajuste perfeito para ajudar os estabelecimentos que se esforçam por progredir, à medida que trazem as nossas ferramentas de gestão de desempenho e serviços de formação de colaboradores, para um mercado mais vasto“.
Os interessados numa estratégia comprovada para medir, analisar e elevar o desempenho do pessoal, a experiência geral do cliente e, consequentemente, os resultados operacionais, estão convidados a visitar a nossa pagina www.59clubeurope.com ou para mais informações james@59club.com.
Para mais informação, contacte:
Marielle Meulenberg (Regional Sales Manager) marielle@59club.com
James Beesley, Director General de 59Club Europe South
59club, el Analista de Ventas y Servicio al Cliente y Proveedor de Capacitación líder del sector, hoy ha anunciado un crecimiento adicional en el sur de Europa con la formación de un equipo dedicado regional que apoya a los clubes de golf y de ocio, hoteles, restaurantes y destinos de spa para impulsar el servicio al cliente y el desempeño comercial en sus respectivas propiedades
La nueva división está dirigida por James Beesley, cuya experiencia previa en Monte Rei Golf & Country Club (Portugal) y en su puesto actual en Finca Cortesin Hotel & Golf Resort (España), dos de los principales resorts de lujo de Europa, reforzarán la posición de 59club dentro de la amplia selección de destinos golf en España, Portugal, Italia y Grecia.
James posee una formación académica en Negocios, Marketing y Gestión Deportiva, y es miembro de la PGA y de la Asociación de Gerentes de Clubes de Europa. Los lugares de la región también se beneficiarán de la experiencia práctica de James, habiendo aumentado el desempeño comercial y los estándares de servicio al cliente como usuario del 59club en varios lugares.
Al comentar sobre su nuevo emprendimiento, James dijo: “Como cliente de 59club, he experimentado de primera mano los increíbles percepciones y beneficios de sus productos y servicios, aplicando los análisis a la toma de decisiones y siendo testigo de la mejora tanto en los resultados operativos como en los financieros. ¡Estoy encantado de poder asumir este rol adicional y espero trabajar junto con nuestro equipo regional, cuyo conocimiento y experiencia locales brindarán un servicio dedicado y personalizado a nuestros clientes actuales y futuros!”
Con lugares líderes tales como PGA Catalunya (Barcelona), Finca Cortesin (Marbella), Quinta do Lago (Algarve), y Verdura Resort (Sicilia) – todos nombrados entre los 20 principales centros turísticos de Europa continental – disfrutando de relaciones prósperas con 59club desde hace mucho tiempo, los estándares locales se elevarán a medida que más propiedades se sienten atraídas por la ventaja seductora de una mayor adquisición y satisfacción del cliente y mayores ingresos y ganancias, descrito por muchos como el ‘efecto 59club’.
Julián Romaguera, director general de Los Naranjos y cliente de 59club desde hace mucho tiempo, dijo: “Fuimos remitidos al 59club por La Manga Club durante el show de la PGA, y a los 30 minutos de nuestra reunión nos habíamos inscrito. Para mí, era importante tener una herramienta externa para identificar nuestras fortalezas y debilidades, y aunque puede tener la percepción de que es bueno en algo, esta herramienta mantiene los pies en el suelo y le permite saber exactamente en qué tiene que concentrarse, cuáles son las urgencias y qué se debe priorizar. 59club debe ser compartido entre el personal y por la dirección al mismo tiempo, para que todos estén involucrados y dedicados a trabajar juntos para avanzar en los altos niveles de servicio que estamos comprometidos a lograr.Estamos utilizando las herramientas para orientarnos más hacia la hospitalidad, alejándonos del énfasis en golf, para introducir un servicio más personalizado. 59club le permite comprender cómo trabajan los demás, y puede comparar su desempeño de ventas y servicio con ellos.”
Simon Wordsworth, director general de 59club, dijo sobre el anuncio: “Estamos muy ilusionados de trabajar con James en la expansión de 59club en el sur de Europa.Estos son tiempos difíciles; no obstante, aquellos lugares que ofrecen la mejor experiencia de servicio en golf y hotelería siempre ganarán. James y el equipo son la opción perfecta para ayudar a los lugares que se esfuerzan por avanzar mientras llevan nuestras herramientas de gestión del rendimiento y los servicios de formación de empleados a un mercado más amplio.”
Aquellos interesados en una estrategia probada que mide, analiza y aumenta el desempeño del personal, la experiencia general del cliente y, en consecuencia, los resultados operativos, deben visitar www.59clubeurope.com o comunicarse con james@59club.com para obtener más información.
Para información a la prensa, póngase en contacto con: Marielle Meulenberg, Director Comercial Regional – marielle@59club.com
59club, leader de
l’industrie de l’analyse du service client et fournisseur de formation, a lancé
trois modèles d’enquêtes sur les ressources humaines qui traitent de la mesure
de l’expérience des nouveaux employés, de la satisfaction générale des employés
et d’une enquête de départ des employés.
Quand il s’agit de
clients, les sondages de satisfaction ont été un élément essentiel de la
mission de 59club visant à promouvoir l’expérience des membres et des clients
dans notre secteur. Si la réalité est que « des employés heureux sont des
clients satisfaits », il est grand temps que nous accordions également la
priorité au bien-être des employés. Comme le disait J. Willard Marriott, « Prenez
bien soin de vos employés, ils prendront bien soin de vos clients et les
clients reviendront ».
Les nouveaux modèles de
sondages peuvent être utilisés pour quantifier les niveaux de bien-être,
d’engagement et de satisfaction des employés. L’équipe de management sera
également en mesure d’identifier ce qui motive les individus et comment ils
peuvent soutenir la formation continue de leurs employés dans le cadre de leur
rôle actuel, en apportant également clarté et vision sur la progression de
carrière personnelle.
Les modèles de satisfaction
des employés sont disponibles dès maintenant et « gratuitement » pour tous les
détenteurs de licence my59 Survey, ainsi qu’une multitude de modèles de
satisfaction des membres et des clients Golf & Loisirs.
Les modèles de questions sont immédiatement
disponibles pour tous en anglais et seront bientôt déployés en d’autres langues
dans tous les territoires de 59club. Pour vous renseigner sur l’adhésion My59
Survey, veuillez visiter www.59clubeurope.com .
Le logiciel peut être adapté et moulé pour
s’adapter à chaque personnel de lieux différents, ce qui signifie que
l’industrie peut désormais obtenir des données de ressources humaines
précieuses à l’intérieur de ses quatre murs, avec la possibilité de faire des
comparaisons directes avec l’industrie pour surveiller et améliorer
l’expérience de ses employés.
Simon Wordsworth, PDG et fondateur de 59club,
a déclaré : « Votre personnel est votre principal atout, s’il est formé,
autorisé à se développer et à progresser, il n’y a que des avantages pour
l’entreprise, des économies de coûts et sans aucun doute des revenus plus
élevés et des clients fidèles. En tant qu’entreprise, nous avons toujours été
impliqués dans la mesure de la performance du personnel et dans la fourniture
de solutions de formation pour remédier à ces faiblesses, ce nouveau
développement permet d’évaluer et d’améliorer les performances des employés,
des managers et des employeurs. »
« Dans ce climat actuel,
avec tant d’insécurité, le personnel « hors de leur poste habituel » et
assumant des rôles nouveaux et multiples, nous devons nous assurer de remonter
le moral et de donner la priorité à la satisfaction des employés. En tant
qu’entreprise et industrie, nous serons en mesure de récolter et de retenir les
talents pour mieux servir nos clients et stimuler le facteur de plaisir dans le
jeu que nous aimons tous.
« Si vous avez accès à my59mentor, notre
plate-forme de formation virtuelle en ligne, alors que les besoins du secteur
commencent à évoluer en raison des données, nous et nos partenaires pourrons
travailler ensemble pour renforcer notre offre pour éduquer votre équipe in
situ ».
Pour discuter des besoins de
votre entreprise et de la façon dont 59club peut vous aider à atteindre
l’excellence du service en utilisant une variété d’enquêtes de satisfaction,
d’audits mystères, d’outils de comparaison financière et de programmes de
formation des employés ; contactez votre responsable régional 59club – et
faites un changement positif dès aujourd’hui pour réaliser votre plus grand
potentiel.
59club, el Analista de
Servicio al Cliente y Proveedor de Capacitación líder del sector, ha lanzado
tres plantillas de Encuesta de Recursos Humanos que abordan todos los aspectos
de la lista de empleo, incluso la medición de la Experiencia del Nuevo
Empleado, la Satisfacción General del Empleado y una Encuesta de Salida del
Empleado.
Cuando se trata de los
clientes, las encuestas de satisfacción desempeñan un papel fundamental a la
misión de 59club de impulsar la experiencia de los miembros e invitados en toda
nuestra industria. Si es verdad que “empleados felices es igual a clientes
felices”, ya es hora de dar
prioridad al bienestar de los empleados. Como dijo el famoso J. Willard
Marriott: “Cuide bien a sus empleados, ellos atenderán bien a sus clientes, y los
clientes volverán”.
Las nuevas plantillas de
encuestas se pueden utilizar para cuantificar los niveles de bienestar personal,
compromiso laboral y satisfacción profesional de los empleados. Permiten
también al equipo directivo de identificar lo que motiva a las personas y cómo
la dirección puede apoyar el desarrollo continuo de sus empleados dentro de su
función actual, proporcionando también claridad y visión en la progresión de su
carrera personal.
Las Plantillas de
Satisfacción del Empleado ya están disponibles y “gratuitas” para todos
los titulares de licencias my59 Survey, junto con una gran cantidad de
Plantillas de Satisfacción del Miembro e Invitado de Golf & Hotelería.
Las plantillas de versión
inglés están disponibles inmediatamente y en breve se pondrán en marcha en todos
los idiomas de nuestros territorios 59club. Para solicitar información sobre la
Licencia de Encuestas my59, visite www.59clubeurope.com.
El software
inteligente se puede ajustar y moldear para adaptarse al carácter de las distintas
propiedades, lo que significa que el sector puede obtener valiosa información
de Recursos Humanos desde dentro de sus cuatro paredes, con la capacidad de
realizar comparaciones directas en el sector para controlar y mejorar la
experiencia de sus empleados.
Simon Wordsworth,
director general y fundador de 59club, dijo: “Su personal es su activo
principal, si se les fomenta, se les permite desarrollar y avanzar, no hay nada
más que aspectos positivos para el negocio: ahorros de costos y, sin duda,
mayores ingresos y clientes habituales. Como empresa, siempre hemos estado involucrados
en medir el desempeño del personal y brindar soluciones de capacitación para
remediar los puntos débiles; este nuevo desarrollo permite evaluar y mejorar el
desempeño del empleado, del gerente y de los empleadores.
“En el clima
actual, con tanta inseguridad, con personal ‘fuera de posición’ y la necesidad
de emprender funciones nuevas y múltiples, debemos asegurarnos de elevar la
moral y priorizar la satisfacción de los empleados. Como negocio e industria,
seremos capaces de capturar y retener el talento para ofrecer un mejor servicio
a nuestros clientes e impulsar el disfrute del juego que todos apreciamos.
“Si tiene acceso a
my59 Mentor, nuestra plataforma de formación virtual, a medida que las
necesidades de la industria evolucionen como resultado de los datos, nosotros y
nuestros socios podremos trabajar juntos para fortalecer nuestra oferta de
educar a su equipo in situ.”
Para hablar de sus
necesidades comerciales y cómo 59club le puede ayudar a lograr la excelencia en
el servicio utilizando una variedad de Encuestas de Satisfacción, Auditorías de
Compra Misteriosa, Herramientas de Comparación Financiera y Programas de
Capacitación para los Empleados, comuníquese con su agente regional de 59club y
haga hoy mismo un cambio positivo para realizar todo su potencial.
59club, the industry leading Customer Service Analyst and Training
Provider has launched three Human Resource Survey templates that address all
areas of the employment roster, from measuring the New Employee
Experience, general Employee Satisfaction, plus an Employee Exit Survey.
When it comes to customers; satisfaction surveys have been a vital
part of 59club’s mission to drive the member and guest experience across our
industry. If the reality is that ‘happy employees equals happy customers,’ then
it’s high time we also prioritise employee well-being. As J. Willard Marriott famously said,“Take good care of your employees, and they’ll take good
care of your customers, and the customers will come back”.
The new survey templates can be used to quantify employee wellbeing,
engagement & satisfaction levels. The
venues management team will also be able to identify what motivates individuals
and how they can support their employees continued growth within their existing
role, also providing clarity and vision over personal career progression.
The Employee Satisfaction Templates are available
right now and ‘free to use’ for all my59 Survey licence holders, alongside
a wealth of Golf & Hospitality Member & Guest Satisfaction Templates.
The question templates are available to all in English immediately and will be rolled out in other languages across all 59club territories shortly. To enquire about owning a my59 Survey Licence, please visit www.59clubeurope.com.
The intelligent software can be adapted and moulded
to suit every differing properties persona, meaning that the industry can now
gain valuable Human Resource data from inside their own four walls, complete with
the ability to make direct industry comparisons to monitor and advance their
employee experience.
Simon Wordsworth, 59club CEO and Founder said;
“Your staff are your number one asset, if they are nurtured, allowed to
develop and progress, there are nothing but positives for the business, cost
savings throughout and without doubt greater revenues and repeat clients. As a
business we have always been involved with measuring staff performance and
providing training solutions to remedy those weaknesses, this new development
allows the employee, manager, and the employers performances to be evaluated
and improved.
“In this current climate, with so much insecurity, staff “out of
position” and undertaking new and multiple roles, we need to ensure that we
boost morale and prioritise employee satisfaction.
As a business and industry, we will be able to harvest and retain talent to
better service our customers and drive the enjoyment factor within the game we
all love.
“If you have access to my59mentor, our online virtual training
platform, as the industry’s needs start to evolve as a result of the data, we
and our partners will be able to work together to strengthen our offering to educate
your team in situ”.
To discuss your business needs and how 59club can assist
you to achieve Service Excellence utilising a variety of Satisfaction Surveys,
Mystery Shopping Audits, Financial Comparison Tools & Employee Training
Programs; contact
your local 59club Area Manager – and make a positive change today to realise
your greatest potential.
O 59clube, líder na indústria de analise de serviço ao cliente e formação lançou três modelos de Pesquisa de Recursos Humanos que abordam todas as áreas da lista de emprego, desde a avaliação da Nova Experiência dos Colaboradores, Satisfação Geral dos Colaboradores, a um Inquérito de Saída de Funcionários.
Quando se trata de clientes; os inquéritos de satisfação têm sido uma parte vital da missão do 59club para impulsionar a experiência dos membros e dos clientes em toda a nossa indústria. Se a realidade é que “empregados felizes são iguais a clientes felizes”, então é tempo de também darmos prioridade ao bem-estar dos colaboradores. Como J. Willard Marriott disse notoriamente: “Cuide bem dos seus empregados, e eles cuidarão bem dos seus clientes, e os clientes voltarão”.
Os novos questionários podem ser usados para quantificar o bem-estar dos colaboradores, os níveis de envolvimento e satisfação. A equipa de gestão dos clubes também será capaz de identificar o que motiva os indivíduos e como podem apoiar o crescimento dos seus colaboradores dentro de cada função, proporcionando também clareza e visão sobre a progressão na carreira pessoal.
Os questionários de Satisfação dos Colaboradores estão disponíveis neste momento e gratuitos a todos os detentores de licenças my59 Survey, tal como os questionários Satisfação de Membros e Clientes, Golfe e Hospitalidade.
Os modelos de perguntas estão de momento disponíveis para todos em inglês e em breve estarão também disponíveis nas línguas dos territórios do 59Club. Para mais informações acerca de como obter a licença do my59 questionários, visite www.59club.com.
O software pode ser adaptado e moldado de acordo com todas as necessidades de cada usuário, o que significa que a indústria pode agora obter dados valiosos de Recursos Humanos de dentro das suas próprias quatro paredes, e com capacidade de fazer comparações directas entre campos para monitorizar e promover a experiência do colaborador.
Simon Wordsworth, CEO e Fundador do 59Club disse: “A sua equipa é o seu activo número um, se for alimentado, autorizado a desenvolver-se e progredir,não há nada além de positivos para o negócio, redução de custos em tudo e sem dúvida maiores receitas e clientes repetidos. Como negócio, sempre estivemos envolvidos naavaliação do desempenho do pessoal e na disponibilização de soluções de formação para corrigir algumas deficiências.Este novo desenvolvimento permite que o desempenhodoscolaboradorese gestoressejam avaliados emelhorados.
“Neste clima actual, com tanta insegurança, com staff “fora de posição” e a assumir novas e múltiplas funções, é necessário garantir que aumentamos a moral e priorizamos asatisfação dos colaboradores. Como negócio e indústria, seremos capazes de obtermelhores resultados e reter talentopara melhor atender os nossos clientes e impulsionar o factor de prazer dentro do jogo que todos gostamos.
“Se tiver acesso ao my59mentor, a nossa plataforma deformação virtualonline,à medida queasnecessidadesdaindústriacomeçama evoluircomoresultado dos dados,nós e os nossos parceiros poderemos trabalhar em conjunto para fortalecer a nossa oferta de formaçãoàsua equipa insitu“.
Para discutir as necessidades do seu negócio e como o 59club pode ajudá-lo a alcançar a ExcellenceService, utilizando uma variedade de Questionários de Satisfação, visitas cliente mistério, Ferramentas de Comparação Financeira e Programas de Formação de Colaboradores; entre em contacto com o Manager do 59club da sua área e faça uma mudança positiva hoje que pode aumentar o seu potencial.
Paul Armitage, new COO of Open Golf Club and managing partner for 59club Western Europe & North Africa
Golf Business News Interview with Paul Armitage, a partner in 59club Europe West and North Africa, covering France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Morocco and Tunisia and recently appointed COO of Open Golf Club
GB Paul,
your new roles must involve you in a lot of travelling. How are you coping in
the COVID-19 crisis?
PA Well,
we can still travel around in France, which is most important for the new job
because we have got golf courses dotted around all over the country.
GBN How
many courses are in the group?
PA Owned
and operated there are 11 – one of them is in Belgium and ten are in France –
and then we run a ‘marketing network’ in addition. Golf courses have been
brought in under the banner of Open Golf Club and we actively promote them in
exhibitions and IGTM. There are about 40 at the moment, all over Europe.
GBN You
previously spent six years as Managing Director at Le Golf National, host of
The Ryder Cup Matches in 2018. You must look back on that period with enormous
pride and satisfaction because it all went so well.
PA Yes,
and that’s one of the reasons why it’s time to move on. When I was first
employed back in 2014 I was handed a lot of missions and all those boxes have
been ticked. I could have chosen to run all the day-to-day operations at the
Club but I’m the sort of person that needs a challenge. I like to be able
to change things. That doesn’t mean I need full autonomy so I can do what I
want – no – but I like to have an objective and to go through it from A-Z,
changing things on my way to succeed.
GBN Who
has been appointed as your successor?
PA When
I announced my resignation, which was in December last year, I wrote a letter
to my boss suggesting that he should give my deputy manager a chance. Philippe
Pilato has been at Le Golf National for 25 years, almost since the day it
opened.
He
was a golf pro and he looked after the Academy. I thought we’ve got ‘a hidden
gem’ here because we needed to implement customer service and a lot of tender
loving care to put into what we were going to serve out to customers in the
immediate future.
We
were going to raise the bar, raise the prices and bring in a new experience. To
get that to a successful end you need somebody who’s got a lot of empathy and
love.
I
said to Philippe look I think you are going to have to change jobs. He looked a
bit down, thinking oh I’m going to get the sack here and I said no, no, you’re
going to have to go home and think about this but I would like to identify a
director of customer service for Le Golf National. Why do I want one? Because
the Club needed someone who every day gets up and thinks about how they can
give a wow or a great experience to customers. There was nobody in particular
on the staff who was doing that.
He
came back a few days later and said yes, let’s do it.
So
that’s where he came from and he’s been a very, very, extremely good customer
service manager. Then last year I took him up to Director of Operations – golf
operations – and now he is GM!
GBN What
have been the benefits to Le Golf National from hosting The Ryder Cup? Is there
a payback for the huge investment of time, money and people?
PA There
has definitely been a pay-back especially in the case of Le Golf National.
First, the Ryder Cup obliged the French Golf Federation and Le Golf National to
change, to not consider itself as a local pay-and-play public golf course but
as a world class destination. I think we have created something there which is
unique as a model because it’s probably, even at 150 euros or 175 euros, the
cheapest round of Ryder Cup golf in the world. And it’s open. It’s not like
many major golf destinations where you have to be invited by a member or you
can’t get on. And the third thing is that we’ve got an extremely good standard
for those who come from those kind of places where they’ll not be too surprised
to come in and they’ll have customer service and a team, badged up and
welcoming, and bag-drops and buggies and everything you need at a
world-class major tournament destination.
So
I think that’s the major benefit. We have repositioned Le Golf National
completely keeping at the same time a local, regional and national customer
base happy.
GBN And
what about golf in France generally?
PA
I think that this year everybody is struggling to have a normal year. I think
COVID has knocked that on the head. There’s a lot of golf being played this
year but there’s not a lot of normal golf, if you know what I mean: people
travelling, playing in as many competitions as they have done in the past.
I
think that France is resisting well though – official golfer numbers are down
by around 3% this year.
The
Ryder Cup in France also delivered as far as the media is concerned. Although
we didn’t get live coverage on free to view terrestrial TV, we got a lot of
media coverage, much more than we would have got from a French Open, so golf
was definitely in the spotlight thanks to the event.
Now,
when you talk to anybody about golf in France, there is the demystifying
process which has been started so it looks and feels less elite. People in
France definitely identify themselves more easily with golf.
A
lot of people this September are coming into Open Golf Clubs for our ‘Golf
Discovery Days’. They started last weekend and participation and sales have
been quite good, in fact very, very encouraging for a COVID year when
everything is supposed to be doom and gloom.
GBN
And then golf is coming in the Paris Olympics in 2024?
PA
Yes. I actually think that the Olympics could do even more good for golf in
France.
We
will get public TV coverage because it’s public television which has the rights
to show the Olympics so there’s absolutely no reason why they should not put
golf on TV. It’s almost definite that France will have both boys and girls in
the Olympics. We probably won’t get a medal, but It won’t be like a Major
Championship, at least we’ll have participation. I mean this month in the US
Open there were four French players and I think that’s a record.
So
from a ticketing point of view there should be a younger public coming to the
Tournament because the ticket price will be very much accessible and it’s more
of a general public environment. So, I think that the Olympics could do even
more good for golf in France and is definitely great for French Golf 6 years
after the Ryder Cup.
GBN Right,
let’s talk about 59club because soon after you wrote your letter to your
colleagues at Le Golf National in December, you must have been making your
decision about getting involved with the 59club. We announced that in Golf
Business News back in February.
PA Yes,
indeed. I did everything the right order and there was absolutely no surprise
to anybody about 59club. It was all talked through with the Federation and the
staff and hopefully they will be using some of the 59club tools soon too. And
the same with Open Golf Club.
There
was absolutely no issue either with 59club because Open Golf Club will use the
tools and are interested in the success of 59club. My role at 59club is to set
up the business with Simon Wordsworth and our associate partner in France
called Sylvain Marcati who comes from customer service in another industry to
golf. I was determined to get this product on to the French market from 59club
which helped me hugely at Le Golf National from 2017 onwards to improve our
standards.
I
think we were capable of improving them ourselves but we weren’t capable of
benchmarking to know if we were doing enough and getting there quick enough and
moving things in the right direction and also the training aspect of 59club,
the tool is very powerful. I wanted the French market to benefit from the
wealth of products which only Le Golf National and another golf club called
Terre Blanche were using. Now we’ve got nearly 30 golf courses working on it
already.
If
golf in France wants to survive we have to stop, and this is important to say,
we have to stop playing just the price game. We have to stop just using price
as the way of satisfying the customer and getting new customers through the
doors.
We
have to use the service quality aspect to get results as well and get the
prices up because golf has an insatiable thirst for investment in machinery and
staffing. It costs a lot of money to run a golf course. So yes, if we all get
on the bandwagon of customer service and improving our standards then there’s
no way a customer can say, why did you put the price of the green fee up by a
pound or two?
And
that’s why I brought it in. So we’ve gone through quite a few weeks of
translating it. COVID came along and to be honest it’s put us back half a year
or a year on our business plans but I’m not bothered because it actually came
at a perfect time to get it just right. So we have spent ‘lockdown’ getting the
tools translated correctly into French and now German. They will be going into
other languages soon.
GBN
Yes, because you’re involved in other countries too, aren’t you? Not just
France?
PA Yes.
We have created a company which will look after all of Western Europe apart
from Spain and Portugal. We also have Morocco and Tunisia. We’ve got France,
Germany, Austria, Holland, and Benelux so we’ve got a lot on our plate. A lot
of it is taking shape right now and we are even looking at other European
markets as we speak.
GBN Your
objective to move away from concentrating on price, has that gone a long way?
PA
There were a lot of golf courses just communicating price and not service or
standards. Online prices were going, and in fact are still going, way too low
because if you start with a rack rate of £40 for a green fee and then you offer
50% off that price; or you are in a network and you’re offering 50% off
with a loyalty card then there’s not much left for the operator after
commissions and you’re paying VAT. There’s probably only £15 a round left for
you.
Out
of that you’ve got to cut the grass, you’ve got to pay the staff to smile and
you’ve got to get them in on a Sunday, which can be costly and difficult to
recruit in France, etc., etc.
We
should train up every single general manager in France, England, wherever about
yield management. There’s no shame in saying we don’t know how to do it. Why
would you sell a green fee on a Sunday morning for 15 euros? Well some people
are doing it because they think that it’s the right thing to do. They think
that if they don’t do it they won’t have a customer.
Well
that’s not yield management, that’s shooting yourself in the foot. So, yes, I’m
heavily into the business of helping managers to increase their customer
satisfaction and their customer service which automatically, according to the
lessons learned from Le Golf National, will turn into turnover.
People
will come back. Repeat play thanks to quality is a reality. Customer service
will do that once people have had a chance to compare. Word of mouth is still
your best advertisement!
So
all of that has gone through my thought process over the years. I have
moved away slightly from discounts without thought process. Which doesn’t mean
that I don’t do it at all, but I have really professionalised my attitude
towards yield management. I still do reductions, but I want to do them when I
have a good chance of increasing my revenues! Not lowering them!
GBN What
is the impact of COVID on golf in France?
PA
We’re pretty much back to what I would say is going to be normal as far as
golfing is concerned.
GBN
Normal or better than normal? There’s been a lot of talk about an increase in
rounds played during July and August.
PA Oh
yes, in terms of business July and August have been record months. They have
been record months on a few Open Golf courses.
GBN
Just a few moments left so can we talk about The Open Golf Club specifically?
That’s the most recent announcement we’ve had about your career to date. You
have been appointed as COO, I believe.
PA
Open Golf Club is highly respected company here in France. They have been under
the radar for quite a while. It’s a family business which today is still
family-owned. Laurent Boissonas has taken up the reins. He wants to try and
keep the spirit of a family company, but he definitely wants to modernise
process and operations.
We
have some wonderful facilities. They are premium places like Le Touquet with
the hotels and 45 beautiful holes and then 30 minutes up the road is Hardelot,
which is a European Tour qualifying stage venue – although not this year
because there won’t be any, thanks to COVID, but next year I guess. Hardelot
has 36 magnificent holes, very, very well-known to the Brits but not so
well-known to the French.
Then
we’ve got a van Hagge like Le Golf National at Seignosse, which is a
magnificent golf course just north of Biarritz. In the mountains behind Cannes
we have two golf courses and then around Marseille we have three and then in
Paris we have two.
So
we’ve got some wonderful sites. These golf courses are not desperate for
investment either because the family have always kept high capex levels on the
courses and they are pristine but we need to look at positioning the chain even
more in the higher end of the golf market, making sure people know who we are
and what we are about.
There’s
a definite objective to do more customer service, modernising our approach by
using modern tools such as online booking services. We also run all of the
restaurants and hotels and we have a strategy there with some out of the box
thinking.
So
we will be coming up with new concepts in 2021, bringing in new lifestyle
concepts.
The
9 hole concepts and the 6 hole concepts, they have a reason to be – there’s no
doubt about it – but it’s still a lot about having a day out with friends or
corporate friends. but you may need to do a couple of hours of work or an hour
of work and deal with your emails before you go for the beer after a day of
golf or after breakfast. We’re looking at that kind of aspect.
So
yes there is lots of work to be done at the golf courses we own and then the
other part of my job with Laurent is we’re going to kick off some new business
revenue flows and we’re also going to be looking at good opportunities to grow.
GBN
Within France or beyond?
PA I
think we would look beyond but not too far.
GBN
You are a very busy man, Paul.
PA I
just love it and my family know it. I just love to be thinking and creating. I
like to get into the office early and jot things down. It gives me a couple of
hours before everyone else comes in just to formalise ideas. It’s exciting
working on new concepts and when I’m happy at work I also perform better at home.
GBN
That’s great Paul, thank you very much. Is there anything else that you would
like to tell our readers?
PA Yes.
Stay safe during the COVID crisis but come over to France as soon as it’s over
and play some golf!
Paul Armitage, le nouveau directeur général de l’Open Golf Club et partenaire du 59club Europe occidentale et Afrique du Nord
GBN Interview de Paul Armitage, partenaire du
59club Europe West and North Africa, couvrant la France, la Belgique, la
Hollande, la Suisse, l’Allemagne, l’Autriche, le Maroc et la Tunisie et
récemment nommé COO de l’Open Golf Club.
GB : Paul,
vos nouveaux rôles doivent vous amener à voyager beaucoup. Comment faites-vous
face à la crise COVID-19 ?
PA : Eh bien,
nous pouvons toujours voyager en France, ce qui est très important pour notre
nouveau travail car nous avons des parcours de golf dans tout le pays.
GBN : Combien
y a-t-il de parcours dans le groupe ?
PA : Il y en
a onze en propriété et en exploitation, dont un en Belgique et dix en France,
et nous gérons en outre un “réseau de marketing”. Les parcours de
golf ont été réunis sous la bannière de Open Golf Club et nous en faisons une
promotion active dans les expositions et les IGTM. Il y en a une quarantaine
actuellement, dans toute l’Europe.
GBN : Vous
avez précédemment passé six ans en tant que directeur général du Golf National,
qui a accueilli les matchs de la Ryder Cup en 2018. Vous devez vous souvenir de
cette période avec une énorme fierté et satisfaction, car tout s’est si bien
passé.
PA : Oui, et
c’est l’une des raisons pour lesquelles il est temps de passer à autre chose. Lorsque
j’ai été embauché en 2014, on m’a confié de nombreuses missions et toutes ces
cases ont été cochées. J’aurais pu choisir de diriger toutes les opérations
quotidiennes du club, mais je suis le genre de personne qui a besoin d’un défi.
J’aime être capable de changer les choses. Cela ne veut pas dire que j’ai
besoin d’une autonomie totale pour faire ce que je veux – non – mais j’aime
avoir un objectif et le réaliser de A à Z, en changeant les choses vers la
réussite.
GBN : Qui a
été désigné comme votre successeur ?
PA : Lorsque
j’ai annoncé ma démission, en décembre de l’année dernière, j’ai écrit une
lettre à mon patron pour lui suggérer de donner une chance à mon directeur
adjoint. Philippe Pilato travaille au Golf National depuis 25 ans, presque
depuis le jour de son ouverture.
Il était un professionnel du golf et il
s’occupait de l’Académie. Je pensais que nous avions là un “joyau
caché”, car nous devions mettre en place un service à la clientèle et
apporter beaucoup de soin et d’amour à ce que nous allions servir aux clients
dans un avenir immédiat.
Nous allions relever la barre, augmenter les
prix et apporter une nouvelle expérience. Pour réussir cela, il faut quelqu’un
qui a beaucoup d’empathie et d’amour.
J’ai dit à Philippe : « je pense que vous
allez devoir changer d’emploi. » Il a baissé la tête, pensant qu’il allait
se faire virer et j’ai dit : « non, non, vous allez devoir rentrer
chez vous et réfléchir à tout cela mais je voudrais identifier un directeur du
service clientèle pour Le Golf National. Pourquoi est-ce que j’en veux un ?
Parce que le club avait besoin de quelqu’un qui, chaque jour, se lève et
réfléchit à la façon dont il peut donner un coup de foudre ou une expérience
formidable aux clients. Il n’y avait personne en particulier dans le personnel
qui faisait cela. »
Il est revenu quelques jours plus tard et a
dit oui, faisons-le.
C’est donc de là qu’il vient et il a été un
très, très, très bon directeur du service clientèle. Puis l’année dernière, je
l’ai fait passer au poste de directeur des opérations – opérations de golf – et
maintenant il est directeur général !
GBN : Quels ont été les avantages pour Le Golf
National d’accueillir la Ryder Cup ? Y a-t-il un retour sur l’énorme
investissement en temps, en argent et en personnel ?
PA : Il y a
certainement eu un retour sur investissement, en particulier dans le cas du
Golf National. Tout d’abord, la Ryder Cup a obligé la Fédération française de
golf et Le Golf National à changer, à ne plus se considérer comme un terrain de
golf public local payant mais comme une destination de classe mondiale. Je
pense que nous avons créé là quelque chose qui est unique comme modèle car
c’est probablement, même à 150 euros ou 175 euros, le parcours de golf le moins
cher du monde pour la Ryder Cup. Et c’est ouvert. Ce n’est pas comme dans
beaucoup de grandes destinations de golf où il faut être invité par un membre.
Et troisièmement, nous avons un très bon niveau pour ceux qui viennent de ce
genre d’endroits où ils ne seront pas trop surpris de venir et où ils auront un
service clientèle et une équipe, avec des badges et un accueil, un dépose sacs
et des buggies et tout ce dont vous avez besoin dans une destination de tournoi
majeur de classe mondiale.
Je pense donc que c’est là le principal
avantage. Nous avons repositionné Le Golf National en gardant une clientèle
locale, régionale et nationale entièrement satisfaite.
GBN : Et
qu’en est-il du golf en France en général ?
PA : Je pense que cette année, tout le monde a du
mal à avoir une année normale. Je pense que COVID a mis cela sur le tapis. Il y
a beaucoup de golf cette année, mais pas beaucoup de golf normal, si vous voyez
ce que je veux dire : des gens qui voyagent, qui participent à autant de
compétitions que par le passé.
Je pense que la France résiste bien cependant
– le nombre officiel de golfeurs a baissé d’environ 3 % cette année.
La Ryder Cup en France a également été très
bien accueillie par les médias. Bien que nous n’ayons pas bénéficié d’une
couverture en direct sur la télévision terrestre gratuite, nous avons bénéficié
d’une importante couverture médiatique, bien plus que ce que nous aurions pu
obtenir d’un Open de France, de sorte que le golf a été définitivement sous les
feux de la rampe grâce à cet événement.
Maintenant, quand vous parlez à quelqu’un du
golf en France, il y a le processus de démystification qui a été entamé pour
que le golf ait l’air et se sente moins élitaire. En France, les gens
s’identifient plus facilement au golf.
En septembre, beaucoup de gens se rendront
dans les clubs de golf ouverts pour nos “journées de découverte du
golf”. Elles ont commencé le week-end dernier et la participation et les
ventes ont été assez bonnes, en fait très, très encourageantes pour une année
COVID où tout est censé être morose.
GBN : Et puis le golf arrive aux Jeux olympiques de
Paris en 2024 ?
PA : Oui. Je
pense en fait que les Jeux olympiques pourraient faire encore plus de bien au
golf en France.
Nous aurons une couverture télévisuelle
publique parce que c’est la télévision publique qui a les droits de montrer les
Jeux Olympiques, donc il n’y a absolument aucune raison pour qu’ils ne mettent
pas le golf à la télévision. Il est presque certain que la France aura des
garçons et des filles aux Jeux olympiques. Nous n’aurons probablement pas de
médaille, mais ce ne sera pas comme un grand championnat, au moins nous y
participerons. Je veux dire que ce mois-ci, à l’US Open, il y avait quatre
joueurs français et je pense que c’est un record.
D’un point de vue billetterie, il devrait donc
y avoir un public plus jeune qui viendra au tournoi car le prix du billet sera
très accessible et c’est plutôt un environnement grand public. Je pense donc
que les Jeux olympiques pourraient faire encore plus de bien au golf en France
et qu’ils sont certainement une bonne chose pour le golf français six ans après
la Ryder Cup.
GBN : Bien, parlons du 59club car peu après avoir
écrit votre lettre à vos collègues du Golf National en décembre, vous avez dû
prendre votre décision de vous impliquer dans le 59club. Nous l’avons annoncé
dans le Golf Business News en février dernier.
PA : Oui, en
effet. J’ai tout fait dans le bon ordre et personne n’a été surpris par 59club.
Tout a été discuté avec la Fédération et le personnel et nous espérons qu’ils
utiliseront bientôt certains des outils de 59club. Il en va de même pour Open
Golf Club.
Il n’y a eu absolument aucun problème non plus
avec 59club car Open Golf Club utilisera les outils et s’intéresse au succès de
59club. Mon rôle chez 59club est de mettre en place l’entreprise avec Simon
Wordsworth et notre partenaire associé en France, Sylvain Marcati qui vient du
service client d’une autre industrie que le golf. J’étais déterminé à lancer ce
produit sur le marché français, qui m’a énormément aidé au Golf National à
partir de 2017 à améliorer nos normes.
Je pense que nous étions capables de les
améliorer nous-mêmes, mais nous n’étions pas capables de faire du benchmarking
pour savoir si nous en faisions assez et si nous y arrivions assez vite et si
nous faisions avancer les choses dans la bonne direction, et aussi l’aspect
formation de 59club, l’outil est très puissant. Je voulais que le marché
français bénéficie de la richesse des produits que seuls Le Golf National et un
autre club de golf appelé Terre Blanche utilisaient. Aujourd’hui, nous avons
déjà près de 30 terrains de golf qui y travaillent.
Si le golf en France veut survivre, nous
devons arrêter, et c’est important de le dire, nous devons arrêter de jouer
uniquement sur le jeu des prix. Nous devons cesser de nous servir du prix comme
d’un moyen de satisfaire le client et d’attirer de nouveaux clients.
Nous devons utiliser l’aspect qualité du
service pour obtenir des résultats et faire monter les prix, car le golf a une
soif insatiable d’investissements en machines et en personnel. L’exploitation
d’un terrain de golf coûte très cher. Donc oui, si nous nous mettons tous à la
page en matière de service à la clientèle et d’amélioration de nos normes, il
n’y aura aucune raison pour un client de dire, pourquoi avez-vous augmenté le
prix du green fee d’un euros ou deux ?
Et c’est pour cela que je l’ai introduit. Nous
avons donc passé plusieurs semaines à le traduire. Le COVID est arrivé et, pour
être honnête, il nous a permis de revenir six mois ou un an en arrière sur nos
plans d’affaires, mais cela ne me dérange pas parce qu’il est arrivé au moment
idéal pour le mettre au point. Nous avons donc passé un certain temps à faire
traduire correctement les outils en français et maintenant en allemand. Ils
seront bientôt disponibles dans d’autres langues.
GBN : Oui, parce que vous êtes aussi impliqué dans
d’autres pays, n’est-ce pas ? Pas seulement en France ?
PA : Oui. Nous avons créé une société qui
s’occupera de toute l’Europe occidentale, à l’exception de l’Espagne et du
Portugal. Nous avons aussi le Maroc et la Tunisie. Nous avons la France,
l’Allemagne, l’Autriche, la Hollande et le Benelux, donc nous avons beaucoup à
faire. Beaucoup de choses se dessinent en ce moment et nous sommes même en
train d’examiner d’autres marchés européens en ce moment même.
GBN : Votre objectif de ne plus vous concentrer sur
les prix, a-t-il fait du chemin ?
PA : Beaucoup
de terrains de golf se contentent de communiquer les prix et non les services
ou les normes. Les prix en ligne étaient, et sont toujours, beaucoup trop bas,
car si vous commencez avec un tarif à la carte de 40 € pour un green fee et que
vous offrez ensuite 50 % de réduction sur ce prix, ou si vous êtes dans un
réseau et que vous offrez 50 % de réduction avec une carte de fidélité, il ne
reste pas grand-chose pour l’opérateur après les commissions et vous payez la
TVA. Il ne vous reste probablement que 15 € par green fee.
De cela, vous devez couper l’herbe, vous devez
payer le personnel pour qu’il sourit et vous devez le faire travailler un
dimanche, ce qui peut être coûteux et difficile à recruter en France, etc.
Nous devrions former tous les directeurs
généraux en France, en Angleterre, partout où il est question de gestion du
rendement. Il n’y a pas de honte à dire que nous ne savons pas comment le
faire. Pourquoi vendre un green fee un dimanche matin pour 15 euros ? Eh bien,
certaines personnes le font parce qu’elles pensent que c’est la bonne chose à
faire. Ils pensent que s’ils ne le font pas, ils n’auront pas de client.
Ce n’est pas de la gestion de rendement, c’est
se tirer une balle dans le pied. Donc, oui, je suis très impliqué dans l’aide
aux managers pour augmenter la satisfaction de leurs clients et leur service
clientèle qui, selon les leçons tirées du Golf National, se transformera
automatiquement en chiffre d’affaires.
Les gens reviendront. La répétition du jeu
grâce à la qualité est une réalité. Le service clientèle le fera une fois que
les gens auront eu l’occasion de comparer. Le bouche à oreille reste notre
meilleure publicité !
Tout cela a donc fait l’objet de ma réflexion
au fil des ans. Je me suis légèrement
éloigné des rabais sans réflexion. Ce qui ne veut pas dire que je ne le fais
pas du tout, mais j’ai vraiment professionnalisé mon attitude vis-à-vis de la
gestion du rendement. Je fais toujours des réductions, mais je veux les faire
quand j’ai une bonne chance d’augmenter mes revenus ! Pas de réduction !
GBN : Quel est l’impact du COVID sur le golf en
France ?
PA : Nous sommes à peu près revenus à ce que est
normal en ce qui concerne le golf.
GBN : Normal ou meilleur que la normale ? On a
beaucoup parlé d’une augmentation du nombre de parties jouées en juillet et
août.
PA : Oh oui,
en termes d’activité, juillet et août ont été des mois records. Ils ont été des
mois records sur quelques terrains de golf ouverts.
GBN : Il ne reste que quelques instants, alors
pouvons-nous parler de Open Golf Club en particulier ? C’est l’annonce la plus
récente que nous ayons eue sur votre carrière à ce jour. Vous avez été nommé
directeur de l’exploitation, je crois.
PA : Open Golf Club est une entreprise très
respectée ici en France. Elle est restée sous le radar pendant un certain
temps. C’est une entreprise familiale qui, aujourd’hui encore, appartient à la
famille. Laurent Boissonnas a pris les rênes. Il veut essayer de conserver
l’esprit d’une entreprise familiale, mais il veut absolument moderniser les
processus et les opérations.
Nous disposons de magnifiques installations.
Ce sont des endroits de premier choix comme le Touquet avec ses hôtels et ses
45 magnifiques trous, et à 30 minutes de là se trouve Hardelot, qui est un lieu
de qualification pour le Tour européen – mais pas cette année car il n’y en
aura pas, à cause du COVID, mais l’année prochaine je suppose. Hardelot a 36
trous magnifiques, très, très connus des Britanniques mais pas autant des
Français.
Ensuite, nous avons un van Hagge comme Le Golf
National à Seignosse, qui est un magnifique terrain de golf juste au nord de
Biarritz. Dans les montagnes derrière Cannes, nous avons deux terrains de golf,
puis autour de Marseille, nous en avons trois et ensuite à Paris, nous en avons
deux.
Nous avons donc des sites merveilleux. Ces
terrains de golf ne sont pas non plus désespérés pour l’investissement car la
famille a toujours maintenu des niveaux d’investissement élevés sur les
parcours et ils sont vierges mais nous devons chercher à positionner la chaîne
encore plus dans le haut de gamme du marché du golf, en nous assurant que les
gens savent qui nous sommes et ce que nous sommes.
L’objectif est clairement de renforcer le
service à la clientèle et de moderniser notre approche en utilisant des outils
modernes tels que les services de réservation en ligne. Nous gérons également
tous les restaurants et les hôtels et nous avons une stratégie dans ce domaine,
avec des idées originales.
Nous proposerons donc de nouveaux concepts en
2021, en introduisant de nouveaux modes de vie.
Les concepts de 9 trous et de 6 trous ont leur
raison d’être – il n’y a aucun doute à ce sujet – mais il s’agit toujours de
passer une journée avec des amis ou des collègues de travail. Mais vous devrez
peut-être faire quelques heures de travail ou une heure de travail et vous
occuper de vos e-mails avant d’aller prendre une bière après une journée de
golf ou après le petit déjeuner. Nous nous penchons sur ce genre d’aspect.
Donc oui, il y a beaucoup de travail à faire
sur les terrains de golf que nous possédons et l’autre partie de mon travail
avec Laurent est de lancer de nouveaux flux de revenus commerciaux et nous
allons également chercher de bonnes opportunités de croissance.
GBN : En
France ou au-delà ?
PA : Je pense
que nous regarderons au-delà, mais pas trop loin.
GBN : Vous êtes un homme très occupé, Paul.
PA : J’adore ça et ma famille le sait. J’aime
penser et créer. J’aime aller tôt au bureau et prendre des notes. Cela me donne
quelques heures avant que tout le monde n’arrive, juste pour formaliser les
idées. C’est passionnant de travailler sur de nouveaux concepts et quand je
suis heureux au travail, je suis aussi plus heureux à la maison.
GBN : C’est super Paul, merci beaucoup. Y a-t-il
autre chose que vous aimeriez dire à nos lecteurs ?
PA : Oui.
Restez en sécurité pendant la crise du COVID, mais revenez en France dès que la
situation sera meilleure et jouez au golf !
59club the leading sales & service analysts and training provider, have today released my59 Mentor, their intelligent virtual learning experience, safeguarding clients triumphant return to golf.
The new virtual platform features 59club’s acclaimed sales & service training programs – from membership sales and retention strategies, to perfecting corporate sales enquiries and advancing the overall guest experience – across golf & hospitality.
Venues can take advantage of the virtual mentor experience to expand their existing knowledge, educate new staff, upskill relief staff and providing personal development pathways for all aspiring individuals. Additional white papers, videography and supplementary contributor content from the likes of the infamous Gregg Patterson, are also accessible within the platform, available now 24/7 at staff member’s convenience.
The platform also acts as the perfect vehicle for venues to store and communicate all in-house company policies and training manuals direct with their team, also providing the technology to build online training courses, verify learning outcomes and track liability acceptances within one user-friendly, easily accessible and white-labelled virtual platform.
Simon Wordsworth 59club CEO said: “We recognised the need for organisations to have control over their online learning experience, so we built a platform that our partners can manage without any knowledge of coding. My59 Mentor has been developed with simplicity in mind; its clean, intuitive design makes the platform a user-friendly experience for admins and students across all devices.
“During this difficult time, we understand the challenge of motivating staff and the need to enhance personal development, and for this reason education has to remain a priority. Our entire educational content is waiting to be discovered within the platform, what better way to engage staff and build momentum, ensuring they are on top of their game and raring to go.
“There isn’t a single golf club, restaurant or hospitality venue on the planet that will, in the short term, continue to operate as usual. Each club or venue will have acute and significant challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic – problems my59 Mentor can alleviate.”
Intelligent push notifications will link directly to a venue’s mystery shopping and survey performance data, directing the member of staff to the relevant lesson within the platform, as My59 Mentor instinctively acts to upskill staff and address any shortcomings.
Venues can build their own in-house digital education programmes and customise the appearance of the platform. Host staff handbooks and support files to communicate knowledge & company policy direct to the team, while collating all existing digital and paper content into one media library. The platform also provides an efficient way for managers to communicate with their staff around their initial COVID-19 policies and procedures, and phased protocol thereafter.
Within my59 Mentor there is an integrated ‘Quiz’ function which tests knowledge both before and after courses to evaluate progress. Upon completion, individuals can download certificates to authenticate their achievement. This process will naturally lend itself to organise and communicate new COVID-19 operating procedures efficiently, demonstrating that all staff members throughout the operation have read and gained a clear understanding of any new policies as they come into force.
59club, el proveedor líder de
formación y principales analistas de servicios y ventas, ha lanzado my59
Mentor, una experiencia inteligente de aprendizaje virtual, que salvaguarda el
regreso triunfal de los clientes al golf.
La nueva plataforma virtual
presenta los aclamados programas de formación de 59club dirigidos a las ventas
y el servicio – desde estrategias de ventas y retención de membresías hasta
perfeccionar las consultas de ventas corporativas y mejorar la experiencia
general del cliente – en golf y hospitalidad.
Los lugares pueden aprovechar de
la experiencia virtual del mentor para aumentar su conocimiento existente, educar
al nuevo personal, mejorar las capacidades del personal de ayuda y proporcionar
vías de desarrollo personal para todos los aspirantes. También se puede acceder
a documentos técnicos, videografía y contenido complementario de colaboradores
tal como el famoso Gregg Patterson, disponible ahora las 24 / 7, según la
conveniencia del personal.
La plataforma también es una
manera perfecta para que los lugares almacenen y comuniquen todas las políticas
internas de la empresa y los manuales de formación directamente, y proporciona
la tecnología para crear cursos de formación virtuales, verificar los
resultados del aprendizaje y realizar un seguimiento de las aceptaciones de
responsabilidad en una sola plataforma virtual de fácil acceso y etiqueta
blanca.
Simon Wordsworth, director
ejecutivo del 59club, dijo: “Reconocimos la necesidad de que las organizaciones
tengan control sobre su experiencia de aprendizaje en línea, por lo que creamos
una plataforma que nuestros socios pueden administrar sin ningún conocimiento
de codificación. My59 Mentor se ha desarrollado pensando en la sencillez; su
diseño limpio e intuitivo hace que la plataforma sea una experiencia fácil de
usar para administradores y estudiantes en todos los dispositivos.
“Durante este momento difícil, entendemos
el reto de motivar al personal y la necesidad de mejorar el desarrollo
personal, por lo que la educación debe seguir siendo una prioridad. Todo
nuestro contenido educativo está esperando ser descubierto dentro de la
plataforma. ¿Qué mejor manera de involucrar al personal y generar impulso,
asegurándose de que estén en la cima de la ola y con muchas ganas de comenzar?”
“No existe ni un club de golf,
restaurante o lugar de hospitalidad que, a corto plazo, sigue funcionando como
de costumbre. Cada club o lugar enfrentará retos agudos y significativos
derivados de la pandemia de COVID-19, problemas que my59 Mentor puede aliviar”.
Las notificaciones automáticas se
vincularán directamente a las compras misteriosas y a los datos de rendimiento
de la encuesta, dirigiendo el personal a la lección relevante dentro de la
plataforma, ya que My59 Mentor actúa instintivamente para mejorar las
habilidades del personal y mejorar cualquier deficiencia.
Los lugares pueden crear sus
propios programas internos de educación digital y personalizar la apariencia de
la plataforma. Guardar manuales y archivos de soporte para comunicar el
conocimiento y la política de la empresa directamente al equipo, al mismo
tiempo que recopila todo el contenido digital y en papel en una biblioteca
multimedia. La plataforma proporciona también una manera eficaz para que los
gerentes se comuniquen con el personal sobre las normas y los procedimientos de
COVID-19, y el protocolo por fases a partir de entonces.
Dentro de my59 Mentor hay una función de “Examen” integrada
que evalúa el conocimiento antes y después de hacer un curso para averiguar el
progreso del aprendizaje. Al finalizar un curso, el personal puede descargar un
certificado para autenticar sus estudios. Este proceso se prestará a la organización y la comunicación de los
nuevos procedimientos operativos de COVID-19 de manera eficaz, demostrando que
todos los miembros del personal han leído y adquirido una comprensión clara de
las nuevas políticas a medida que entran en vigencia.
59club, le principal fournisseur de formation
et d’analyse des ventes et des services, a publié aujourd’hui my59 Mentor, son
expérience d’apprentissage virtuel intelligent, qui permet aux personnels de
revenir triomphalement au golf.
La nouvelle plateforme virtuelle présente les
programmes de formation de vente et de service de 59club, qui ont été acclamés
par la presse, depuis les stratégies de vente et de fidélisation des membres
jusqu’au perfectionnement des demandes de renseignements sur les ventes aux
entreprises et à l’amélioration de l’expérience globale des clients, en passant
par le golf et l’hôtellerie.
Les sites peuvent profiter de l’expérience du
mentor virtuel pour élargir leurs connaissances existantes, former de nouveaux
employés, améliorer les compétences du personnel et offrir des parcours de
développement personnel à tous les aspirants. Des marques blanches
supplémentaires, des vidéos et du contenu supplémentaire provenant de
contributeurs comme le célèbre Gregg Patterson, sont également accessibles sur
la plateforme, disponible 24 heures sur 24 et 7 jours sur 7 à la convenance des
membres du personnel.
La plateforme est également le véhicule idéal
pour stocker et communiquer directement avec l’équipe toutes les politiques et
les manuels de formation internes à l’entreprise, en fournissant également la
technologie nécessaire pour créer des cours de formation en ligne, vérifier les
résultats de l’apprentissage et suivre les acceptations de responsabilité au
sein d’une plateforme virtuelle conviviale, facilement accessible et en marque
blanche.
Le PDG du 59club Simon Wordsworth a déclaré :
“Nous avons reconnu la nécessité pour les organisations de contrôler leur
expérience d’apprentissage en ligne, nous avons donc construit une plateforme
que nos partenaires peuvent gérer sans aucune connaissance en matière de
codage. My59 Mentor a été développé dans un souci de simplicité ; sa conception
propre et intuitive fait de la plateforme une expérience conviviale pour les
administrateurs et les étudiants, quel que soit le dispositif utilisé.
“En cette période difficile, nous
comprenons le défi que représente la motivation du personnel et la nécessité de
renforcer le développement personnel, et c’est pourquoi l’éducation doit rester
une priorité. L’ensemble de notre contenu éducatif attend d’être découvert sur
la plateforme, quel meilleur moyen de motiver le personnel et de lui donner un
élan, en s’assurant qu’il est au top de sa forme et prêt à partir.
“Il n’y a pas un seul club de golf,
restaurant ou lieu d’accueil sur la planète qui, à court terme, continuera à
fonctionner comme d’habitude. Chaque club ou établissement sera confronté à des
problèmes aigus et importants découlant de la pandémie de COVID-19 – problèmes
que my59 mentor peut atténuer”.
Les notifications intelligentes
“push” seront directement liées aux données de l’évaluation mystère
et de l’enquête de performance d’un lieu, orientant le membre du personnel vers
la leçon pertinente au sein de la plateforme, car My59 Mentor agit
instinctivement pour renforcer les compétences du personnel et remédier à toute
lacune.
Les sites peuvent créer leurs propres
programmes d’éducation numérique en interne et personnaliser l’apparence de la
plateforme. Héberger les manuels du personnel et les fichiers d’aide pour
communiquer les connaissances et la politique de l’entreprise directement à
l’équipe, tout en rassemblant tous les contenus numériques et papier existants
dans une médiathèque. La plateforme offre également un moyen efficace pour les
responsables de communiquer avec leur personnel au sujet de leurs politiques et
procédures COVID-19 initiales, et du protocole progressif par la suite.
Dans my59 Mentor, il y a une fonction intégrée
de “Quiz” qui teste les connaissances avant et après les cours pour
évaluer les progrès. Une fois le test terminé, les personnes peuvent
télécharger des certificats pour authentifier leur réussite. Ce processus se
prête naturellement à l’organisation et à la communication efficaces des
nouvelles procédures opérationnelles COVID-19, démontrant que tous les membres
du personnel ont lu et compris clairement les nouvelles politiques au fur et à
mesure de leur entrée en vigueur.
59club, los
analistas líderes de ventas y servicios y el principal proveedor de formación
del sector, siguen apoyando a los clubes de golf con un movimiento para
producir datos financieros comparables junto con sus famosas herramientas de
evaluación comparativa.
Simon
Wordsworth director de 59club dijo: “El lanzamiento de my59 Metrics estaba ya
previsto para la primavera. Hemos estado trabajando duro para proporcionar la
información que la industria había faltado sobre varios datos monetarios de
pérdida y ganancia. Los eventos recientes nos han empujado a adaptar esta
tecnología para proveer la retroalimentación adicional a los gerentes sobre los
efectos de COVID-19 en sus clubes en el primer trimestre, y posteriormente a lo
largo de 2020, brindando análisis a corto, medio y largo plazo.
“Estos son
datos en vivo que todos necesitan en este momento, no solo ahora en esta
crisis, sino para siempre. Queremos apoyar a la industria para que pueda tomar
las decisiones financieras correctas en el futuro, basadas en evidencia
estadística real del sector.
“Durante mucho tiempo, el golf ha
tenido pocos datos sobre los que tomar las decisiones, y sentimos que esto
tenía que cambiar. Producimos datos en vivo de servicio al cliente durante años
y ahora hemos desarrollado la inteligencia dentro de my59 Metrics para medir
las finanzas. La confidencialidad siempre ha encabezado nuestra lista de tareas
pendientes, cual ética nos pone en la posición perfecta para llegar a toda la
industria y a todas las diferentes partes interesadas para ofrecer un producto
que se necesita y se necesita ahora”.
My59 Metrics, es una plataforma
analítica que proporciona datos comparables sobre las tasas operativas de la
industria, como ganancias brutas, el volumen total de negocios, ingresos y atrición
de membresías, tasas de compra, niveles de existencias, promedio de ventas
mensuales, nóminas, niveles de personal y otras variables.
Todos los datos permanecen
anónimas salvo al titular único de la cuenta de su club. Tal como todos los
productos de 59club, las aplicaciones inteligentes contienen una gran cantidad
de filtros que generan datos comparables con lugares parecidos, lo que permite
a la administración del club tomar decisiones y hacer juicios astutos sobre su
operación financiera. Todos los lugares podrán filtrar los resultados por
estilo de negocio (privado, resort, etc.), por provincia / región, por tamaño
del lugar (número de hoyos) y por estilo de campo (zonas verdes, brezales,
etc.). La funcionalidad adicional está disponible dentro de una licencia prima.
Hace 12 años que 59club evalúa el
servicio al cliente, el rendimiento de ventas del personal y la gestión de
operaciones, proporcionando indicadores claves de rendimiento en golf y hospitalidad.
Ahora con el lanzamiento de my59 Metrics, completamos el círculo de datos,
ayudando a los clubes de golf a medir y fortalecer sus operaciones financieras.
Los gerentes, los proveedores de
la industria y las partes interesadas han participado en la configuración de la
primera versión de my59 Metrics, que incluye las principales medidas claves que
facilitarán la claridad sobre los ingresos, las partidas jugadas, los costes y
los márgenes. Los lanzamientos posteriores permitirán a los clubes de golf
profundizarse en esas ámbitos principales y comprender los costes de
mantenimiento, las ofertas de servicios profesionales y los salarios de los
clubes.
El primer lanzamiento tendrá
lugar el 8 de mayo para los clubes de Inglaterra, Irlanda del Norte, Escocia y
Gales, y se invitará a los gerentes a completar el my59 Metricsdataset antes de
los finales de mayo. Al completar los datos de 2019 al mismo tiempo, se dará
cuenta del efecto que COVID-19 ha tenido en su club y en el sector en general.
Los datos mensuales se
coordinarán a partir de entonces, generando datos comparables en toda la
industria. 59club también planea trabajar con otros proveedores de tecnología
para automatizar el proceso, con el ambicioso objetivo de que para los fines de
2020 el golf pueda tener datos EN VIVO. Para aprovechar de esta oportunidad y
tomar decisiones informadas sobre la mejor manera de capear el temporal y los
efectos financieros del COVID-19, visite www.59clubeurope.com
Los analistas de servicio al cliente y la empresa de evaluación comparativa
59club anunciaron hoy que proporcionarán herramientas de encuesta de COVID-19
para los empleados diseñadas específicamente para el golf y otros lugares de
hospitalidad, de forma gratuita en medio de la crisis actual. Las herramientas
de encuesta capturan los desafíos, las preocupaciones y las oportunidades
potenciales de los empleados, todo en una instantánea fácil de usar.
Esta adición se produce poco después de que
59club pusiera a disposición herramientas de encuesta equivalentes para
dirigirse a los clientes, miembros e invitados de los sectores del golf y la
hospitalidad. Estas ofertas complementarias permanecerán disponibles durante la
crisis actual.
“Muchos clubes se preguntan si es apropiado
encuestar a sus empleados durante este tiempo”, dijo Will Hewitt, gerente
general de 59club UK. “Las implicaciones a largo plazo de la mala gestión de
las necesidades de los empleados son insuperables, y hay datos disponibles que
muestran que los comentarios de los empleados y la comunicación directa no solo
son apropiados, sino necesarios durante esta crisis. Las empresas de alto
rendimiento buscan constantemente formas de mejorar ellas mismas y mejorar a
sus empleados”.
Las herramientas de encuesta propias de 59club
permiten a los gerentes identificar las necesidades tanto de los empleados como
de los clientes, fortalecer los niveles de retención y da una dirección clara
sobre cómo mejorar la experiencia general. El panel de control inteligente
analiza los datos de una manera clara y concisa y proporciona filtros
demográficos para segmentar aún más la información, creando una instantánea
completa, manejable e inmediata de las opiniones y actitudes de los usuarios.
Los gerentes y responsables pueden usar las
plantillas de preguntas COVID-19 para construir una encuesta personal, con la
libertad de incluir preguntas adicionales personalizadas dentro de una
plantilla, también tienen la posibilidad de construir una encuesta propia
utilizando el software para adaptarse mejor a sus propios necesidades y
objetivos.
“La retroalimentación efectiva, tanto positiva
como negativa, es un conocimiento crítico en cada momento, y puede ser más
importante ahora que nunca durante estos tiempos de cambio continuo” dijo
Hewitt.
“Los clubes de mejor rendimiento siguen siendo
los que tienen los mejores resultados porque buscan constantemente las formas
de hacer el mejor aún mejor. Los gerentes que piden comentarios a propósito
obtendrán un valioso conocimiento que puede abordar cualquier debilidad o
descuido dentro de su negocio. Con tanta incertidumbre, el personal y los
clientes necesitan ser nutridos ahora más que nunca, ese proceso comienza con
hacer las preguntas correctas, en el momento correcto”.
High-profile venues across the UK and Europe recognised for service excellencein glitzy ceremony at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club
The golf industry’s
very best clubs, resorts and individuals descended on The Forest of Arden
Marriott Hotel & Country Club, on Thursday March 12, 2020, with the hope of
claiming an industry ‘Oscar’ at 59club’s 10th annual Service
Excellence Awards.
A day
which started with a series of inspirational educational seminars, ended in a
glittering awards ceremony honouring the finest customer service providers for
having achieved the highest standards of excellence across 2019.
59club’s illustrious
accolades are determined by scores collected from their impartial mystery shopping
audits, which evaluate the experience afforded to visiting golfers and
prospective members, in accordance with 59club’s objective benchmarking
criteria. On the night, 59club presented 64 awards across 27 categories,
recognising ‘service excellence’ across all areas of the businesses – sales,
service, operations, retail, golf course, food & beverage and management.
With 59club continuing to reflect the very best performances, regardless of a
venue’s size, scale or profile, by segmenting several individual accolades based
on a venue’s average green fee rate, of either above or below £75 per person.
Stoke Park
and The Belfry Hotel & Resort picked up the highest prized awards of the
evening, The Ultimate Members’ Club,
and The Ultimate Golf Resort
respectively, withThe Belfry retaining their title for a
second consecutive year and Stoke Park having claimed The Ultimate accolade previously
in 2015.
Stuart
Collier, Stoke Park Director of Golf, said; “It’s
a huge honour for the entire team at Stoke Park to be awarded the prize of Ultimate
Members’ Club at this year’s 59club annual awards dinner. We have worked very
closely with 59club since 2011 and this has enabled us to review, develop and
improve the overall member and visitor experience at the club.
“At Stoke Park we are blessed to have world class
facilities but we feel the interaction with the staff is the most important
element of any visit and we rely on the 59club to provide us with real feedback
to monitor, manage and improve this”.
In addition
to being crowned The Ultimate Golf Resort, The Belfry’s celebrations continued,
as Chris
Reeve retained his Golf Manager of the Year title (>£75 category) with Jacques
Hobson crowned Food & Beverage Manager of the Year (> £75 category).
Upon collecting numerous awards personally and on behalf of The Belfry
Hotel and Resort, Chris Reeve, Director of Golf, said:“Having received
crowning glory from 59club once is truly an honour, to maintain the highest
prized accolade 2 years in a row across our entire operation amplifies the
teams solidarity for delivering the greatest experiences in golf, cementing our
position as Europe’s Ultimate Golf Resort.
“It was fantastic
to see Jacques Hobson crowned Food & Beverage Manager of the Year, and
retaining the Golf Manager of the Year title is a personal highlight in my
career – as we continue to deliver the unforgettable member and guest
experience that The Belfry is synonymous with, we all have a lot to celebrate”!
59club’s
Industry Benchmark of excellence, it’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag
Designations, are always a highlight of proceedings. These highly prized
accolades recognise member clubs’ and resorts that provide excellent facilities for
golfers to enjoy, as well as having achieved
the required standard of customer service throughout 2019.
This year, 59club presented 14 ‘Gold Flags’.
The deserving winners were: Celtic Manor Resort, Club de Golf
Alcanada, Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Foxhills Club
& Resort, Gleneagles, Golf Son Muntaner, Los Naranjos Golf Club, Monte Rei,
Mount Juliet Estate, Rockliffe Hall, Roehampton Club, Stoke Park, The Belfry
Hotel & Resort and The Grove.
The Foxhills Collection were left revelling on
the night having been awarded Golf Group of the year, with Foxhills Club &
Resort achieving Gold Flag status, Golf Operations Team of the Year (> £75 category), and Golf
Membership Sales Team of the Year. Further celebrations saw Sophie Whitmore honoured
for her Leading Individual Golf Membership Sales Performance, and Sean Graham
crowned Golf Retail Manager of the Year (>£75 category).
Marriott Golf also boasted numerous
successes on the night, with Forest of Arden seeing Fraser Liston crowned Golf
Manager of the Year (<£75 category), with 2 further team awards recognising
their Golf Operations and Golf Sales departments,
the latter having been retained for the 4th consecutive year, as
well as the venue retaining their Gold Flag status. Tudor Park provided more
reason to celebrate after Rachel Palmer was honoured for her Leading Individual
Group Golf Sales Performance. St Pierre continued the winning streak having scooped
the Golf Membership Sales Team accolade, with Hanbury Manor achieving Silver
Flag Status.
Of this year’s awards, Simon Wordsworth, CEO at 59club,
commented: “Forest of Arden was the perfect host for our 10th
annual awards ceremony, and my unerring congratulations go to our nominees,
tonight’s winners, our supporters and everyone involved with 59club for their
commitment to perfecting service standards across our industry.
10 years
ago tonight, we celebrated our first award winning performances, and as I look
back at that wealth of data, I am privileged to have witnessed 59club quite
literally reinvent member and guest experiences across Golf & Hospitality
using technology & data to measure, train and support our clients to
achieve service excellence.
Our
promise to our clients, and to those just embarking on their journey with
59club – as 12 Franchises take hold around the world servicing golf, leisure,
spa & hospitality providers – has always been to continue supporting their
customer journey, with new tools and more intel, to equip our most ambitious
companies in their pursuit of excellence. The first half of 2020 sees ‘Business
Metrics’ and our ‘Education Platform’ launch simultaneously, with many more progressive
tools waiting in the wings”.
Other prestigious award winners on the night
included Matt Aplin of Goring & Streatley
who retained his Greenkeeper of the Year title (<£75 category), with Scott
Fenwick & Craig Haldane from Gleneagles crowned Greenkeepers of the Year in
the over £75 category.
Jonny Dye of Rockliffe Hall was hailed
Golf Retail Manager of the Year (<£75 category), whilst the Food &
Beverage Manager of the Year title (<£75 category) was presented to Glenn
McNaughton of Long Ashton Golf Club.
Five-time winner, The Vale Resort
was awarded Leisure Membership Sales Team of the Year, and Alice Cox-Cooper from
The Mere was recognised for her Leading Individual Leisure Membership Sales
Performance.
8 ‘Silver
Flags’ went to Golf Club Castelconturbia, Frilford Heath Golf Club, Hanbury
Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, La Manga Club, Le Golf National, The
Duke’s, St Andrews, The North Berwick Golf Club and Woodhall Spa.
A further 7
‘Bronze Flag’ Awards were presented to Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club,
Gullane Golf Club, Porters
Park Golf Club, Royal
Automobile Club, Royal
Dornoch Golf Club, Sandy Lodge Golf Club and Slaley Hall.
To recognise venues
which have shown continued commitment to engage, analyse and enrich their
member and guest experience, utilising a collateral of survey tools across
59club’s software platform, 13 ‘Service
Excellence’ designations were presented on the night. Recipients included
Aldenham
Golf & Country Club, Branston Golf & Country Club, Celtic Manor Resort,
Cotswold Hills Golf Club, Edgbaston Golf Club, Goring & Streatley Golf
Club, Long Ashton Golf Club, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Moor Park Golf
Club, Mount Juliet Estate, North Middlesex Golf Club, The Scandinavian and Vale
Resort. Radyr Golf Club and Stoke by Nayland
Hotel, Golf & Spa received distinction in this category achieving the
Ultimate Service Excellence honour.
Celebrations
continued the following morning as guests re-assembled for the 59club golf day,
sponsored by Golf Genius which teed off on the Arden Course, and saw the
winning individual Phil Rowsell of Asbri Golf – 59club’s most recent industry
partner – claim the Claret Jug, with an individual score of 40 points. The winning
team consisted of Eryl Williams, Richard Dinsdale both of Asbri Golf, Chris
Dowrick of Foxhills Club & Resort and Will Hewitt, 59club who led a 3-point team
victory.
Full
list of award winners can be seen in the table below.
59club ‘Service Excellence’ Award
Winners 2019/20:
The
Ultimate Members’ Club: Stoke Park
The
Ultimate Golf Resort: The Belfry Hotel & Resort
Golf
Group of the Year: Foxhills Collection
Gold
Flag Designations: Celtic Manor Resort, Club de Golf
Alcanada, Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Foxhills Club
& Resort, Gleneagles, Golf Son Muntaner, Los Naranjos Golf Club, Monte Rei,
Mount Juliet Estate, Rockliffe Hall, Roehampton Club, Stoke Park, The Belfry
Hotel & Resort and The Grove.
Silver Flag
Designations: Golf Club Castelconturbia, Frilford
Heath Golf Club, Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, La Manga Club,
Le Golf National, The Duke’s, St Andrews, The North Berwick Golf Club and Woodhall Spa.
Bronze Flag Designations: Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, Gullane Golf Club, Porters Park Golf Club, Royal Automobile Club, Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Sandy
Lodge Golf Club and Slaley Hall.
My59
Ultimate Service Excellence Award: Radyr Golf Club and Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa
My59
Service Excellence Award: Aldenham Golf & Country Club, Branston Golf & Country
Club, Celtic Manor Resort, Cotswold Hills Golf Club, Edgbaston Golf Club, Goring
& Streatley Golf Club, Long Ashton Golf Club, Macdonald Hotels &
Resorts, Moor Park Golf Club, Mount Juliet Estate, North Middlesex Golf Club,
The Scandinavian and Vale Resort.
Golf Manager of the Year (<£75 green fee): Fraser Liston (Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club – Aylesford Course)
Golf Manager of the Year (>£75 green fee): Chris Reeve (The Belfry Hotel
& Resort)
Greenkeeper of the Year (<£75 green fee): Matt Aplin (Goring &
Streatley)
Greenkeeper
of the Year (>£75 green fee): Scott Fenwick & Craig Haldane (Gleneagles – Kings Course)
Food and Beverage Manager of the Year (<£75
green fee): Glenn
McNaughton (Long Ashton Golf Club)
Food and Beverage Manager of the Year (>£75
green fee): Jacques
Hobson (The Belfry Hotel & Resort)
Golf Retail Manager of the Year (<£75 green fee): Jonny Dye (Rockliffe Hall)
Golf Retail Manager of the Year (>£75 green fee): Sean Graham (Foxhills Club &
Resort)
Golf
Operations Team of the Year (<£75 green fee): Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel &
Country Club (Aylesford Course)
Golf
Operations Team of the Year (>£75 green fee: Foxhills Club & Resort
Leading Individual Group Golf Sales Performance: Rachel Palmer (Tudor Park Marriott
Hotel & Country Club)
Golf Sales Team of the Year: Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club
Leading Individual Golf Membership Sales Performance: Sophie Whitmore (Foxhills Club
& Resort)
Golf
Membership Sales Team of the Year: Foxhills Club & Resort & St Pierre
Marriott Hotel & Country Club
Leading
Individual Leisure Membership Sales Performance: Alice Cox-Cooper
(The Mere)
Leisure
Membership Sales Team of the Year: Vale Resort
Des lieux prestigieux du Royaume-Uni et d’Europe reconnus pour l’excellence de leurs services – cérémonie de remise des prix au Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club
Les meilleurs clubs de l’industrie du golf se
sont rendus au Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, le jeudi 12
mars 2020, dans l’espoir de remporter un “Oscar” de l’industrie lors
de la 10e édition des Service Excellence Awards du 59club.
La journée, qui a commencé par une série de
séminaires éducatifs inspirants, s’est terminée par une cérémonie de remise de
prix qui a honoré les meilleurs prestataires de services à la clientèle pour
avoir atteint les plus hauts standards d’excellence en 2019.
Les illustres récompenses de 59club sont
déterminées par les scores recueillis lors de leurs audits mystères impartiaux,
qui évaluent l’expérience offerte aux golfeurs en visite et aux membres
potentiels, conformément aux critères objectifs d’évaluation comparative de
59club. Au cours de la soirée, 59club a remis 64 prix dans 27 catégories,
reconnaissant “l’excellence du service” dans tous les domaines des
entreprises – ventes, service, opérations, vente au détail, terrain de golf,
alimentation et boissons et gestion. 59club continue à refléter les meilleures
performances, indépendamment de la taille, de l’échelle ou du profil d’un lieu,
en segmentant plusieurs récompenses individuelles basées sur le tarif moyen des
green fees d’un lieu, soit supérieur ou inférieur à 80€ par personne.
Stoke Park et The Belfry Hotel & Resort
ont remporté les prix les plus prestigieux de la soirée, respectivement The
Ultimate Members’ Club et The Ultimate Golf Resort, The Belfry
conservant son titre pour une deuxième année consécutive et Stoke Park ayant
déjà remporté le prix The Ultimate en 2015.
Stuart Collier, directeur du golf de Stoke
Park, a déclaré : “C’est un grand honneur pour
toute l’équipe de Stoke Park de recevoir le prix de l’Ultimate Members’ Club
lors du dîner de remise des prix annuelle de 59club. Nous travaillons en
étroite collaboration avec 59club depuis 2011 et cela nous a permis de revoir,
de développer et d’améliorer l’expérience globale des membres et des visiteurs
du club.
“Au Stoke Park, nous avons la chance
d’avoir des installations de classe mondiale, mais nous pensons que
l’interaction avec le personnel est l’élément le plus important de toute visite
et nous comptons sur 59club pour nous fournir un véritable retour d’information
afin de contrôler, gérer et améliorer cela”.
En plus d’avoir été couronné The Ultimate Golf
Resort, les célébrations du Belfry se sont poursuivies, Chris Reeve conservant
son titre de directeur de golf de l’année (catégorie > 80€) et Jacques
Hobson celui de directeur de la restauration de l’année (catégorie > 80€).
Chris Reeve, directeur du golf, a déclaré
après avoir reçu de nombreux prix en personne et au nom du Belfry Hotel and
Resort : “Recevoir une fois le couronnement de
59club est un véritable honneur, maintenir la plus haute distinction deux
années de suite sur l’ensemble de notre opération amplifie la solidarité des
équipes pour offrir les plus grandes expériences de golf, consolidant notre
position de Ultimate Golf Resort en Europe.
“C’était fantastique de voir Jacques
Hobson couronné Food & Beverage Manager of the Year, et conserver le titre
de Golf Manager of the Year est un point culminant personnel dans ma carrière –
alors que nous continuons à offrir l’expérience inoubliable aux membres et aux
invités dont le Belfry est synonyme, nous avons tous beaucoup à célébrer” !
La référence d’excellence de 59club,
c’est-à-dire les drapeaux d’or, d’argent et de bronze, est toujours un point
fort des procédures. Ces distinctions très prisées récompensent les clubs et
stations membres qui offrent d’excellentes installations aux golfeurs et qui
ont atteint le niveau requis de service à la clientèle tout au long de l’année
2019.
Cette année, le 59club a présenté 14
“Drapeau or”. Les
gagnants méritants étaient : Celtic Manor Resort, Club de Golf Alcanada, Forest
of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Foxhills Club & Resort,
Gleneagles, Golf Son Muntaner, Los Naranjos Golf Club, Monte Rei, Mount Juliet
Estate, Rockliffe Hall, Roehampton Club, Stoke Park, The Belfry Hotel &
Resort et The Grove.
La collection Foxhills a fait la fête ce
soir-là, après avoir reçu le prix du groupe de golf de l’année. Le Foxhills
Club & Resort a obtenu le statut de drapeau d’or, l’équipe des opérations
de golf de l’année (catégorie > 80 €) et l’équipe de vente d’adhésions de
golf de l’année. D’autres célébrations ont vu Sophie Whitmore récompensée pour
ses performances en matière de ventes d’adhésions individuelles au golf, et
Sean Graham couronné directeur de la vente au détail de golf de l’année
(catégorie > 80 €).
Le Marriott Golf a également connu de nombreux
succès au cours de la soirée, Forest of Arden ayant vu Fraser Liston couronné
directeur de golf de l’année (catégorie < 80€), et deux autres prix d’équipe
récompensant les départements des opérations et des ventes de golf, ce dernier
ayant été retenu pour la quatrième année consécutive, et le site conservant son
statut de drapeau d’or. Tudor Park a donné une raison supplémentaire de
célébrer après que Rachel Palmer a été honorée pour ses performances en matière
de ventes de golf individuelles et de groupe. Saint-Pierre a poursuivi sa série
de victoires en remportant le prix de l’équipe de vente de membres de golf, et
le Hanbury Manor a obtenu le statut de drapeau d’argent.
Simon Wordsworth, PDG du 59club, a commenté
l’attribution des prix de cette année : “Forest
of Arden était l’hôte parfait pour notre 10e cérémonie annuelle de remise des
prix, et mes félicitations infaillibles vont à nos nominés, aux gagnants de ce
soir, à nos supporters et à tous ceux qui participent au 59club pour leur
engagement à perfectionner les normes de service dans notre industrie.
Il y a 10 ans ce soir, nous avons célébré
nos premières performances primées, et lorsque je regarde cette richesse de
données, je suis privilégié d’avoir vu le 59club réinventer littéralement les
expériences de ses membres et de ses invités dans le secteur du golf et de
l’hôtellerie en utilisant la technologie et les données pour mesurer, former et
soutenir nos clients afin d’atteindre l’excellence du service.
Notre promesse à nos clients, et à ceux qui
viennent de se lancer dans leur aventure avec 59club – alors que 12 franchises
s’implantent dans le monde entier au service des fournisseurs de services de
golf, de loisirs, de spa et d’hôtellerie – a toujours été de continuer à
soutenir le voyage de nos clients, avec de nouveaux outils et plus
d’informations, pour équiper nos entreprises les plus ambitieuses dans leur
quête de l’excellence. La première moitié de 2020 verra le lancement simultané
de “Business Metrics” et de notre “Education Platform”, avec
de nombreux autres outils progressifs qui attendent dans les coulisses”.
Parmi les autres lauréats prestigieux de la
soirée figurait Matt Aplin de Goring & Streatley qui a conservé son titre
de Greenkeeper of the Year (catégorie < 80€), tandis que Scott Fenwick &
Craig Haldane de Gleneagles ont été couronnés Greenkeepers of the Year dans la
catégorie des plus de 80€.
Jonny Dye, de Rockliffe Hall, a été salué
comme le directeur de la vente au détail de produits de golf de l’année
(catégorie < 80€), tandis que le titre de directeur de la restauration de
l’année (catégorie < 80€) a été remis à Glenn McNaughton, du club de golf
Long Ashton.
The Vale Resort a remporté à cinq reprises le
prix de l’équipe de vente de l’année dans la catégorie des membres loisirs, et
Alice Cox-Cooper de The Mere a été récompensée pour ses performances en matière
de vente de membres loisirs individuels.
8 “Drapeau d’argent” ont été
décernés au Golf Club Castelconturbia, au Frilford Heath Golf Club, au Hanbury
Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, au La Manga Club, au Golf National, au
Duke’s, à St Andrews, au North Berwick Golf Club et au Woodhall Spa.
7 autres prix “Drapeau de bronze”
ont été décernés à l’hôtel Dalmahoy & Country Club, au Gullane Golf Club,
au Porters Park Golf Club, au Royal Automobile Club, au Royal Dornoch Golf
Club, au Sandy Lodge Golf Club et au Slaley Hall.
Afin de récompenser les établissements qui ont
fait preuve d’un engagement continu pour engager, analyser et enrichir
l’expérience de leurs membres et de leurs invités, en utilisant une série
d’outils d’enquête sur la plate-forme logicielle du 59club, 13 désignations
“Excellence du service” ont été décernées au cours de la soirée. Parmi les lauréats, on compte
l’Aldenham Golf & Country Club, le Branston Golf & Country Club, le
Celtic Manor Resort, le Cotswold Hills Golf Club, l’Edgbaston Golf Club, le
Goring & Streatley Golf Club, le Long Ashton Golf Club, les Macdonald
Hotels & Resorts, le Moor Park Golf Club, le Mount Juliet Estate, le North
Middlesex Golf Club, le Scandinavian and Vale Resort. Le
Radyr Golf Club et le Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa ont reçu une
distinction dans cette catégorie, obtenant ainsi l’honneur de l’excellence du
service ultime.
Les célébrations se sont poursuivies le
lendemain matin, alors que les invités se sont rassemblés pour la journée de
golf du 59club, sponsorisée par Golf Genius, qui a débuté sur le parcours
Arden, et a vu le gagnant individuel Phil Rowsell de l’Asbri Golf – le plus récent
partenaire industriel du 59club – remporter le Claret Jug, avec un score
individuel de 40 points. L’équipe gagnante était composée d’Eryl Williams,
Richard Dinsdale, tous deux d’Asbri Golf, Chris Dowrick du Foxhills Club &
Resort et Will Hewitt, 59club, qui a mené une équipe victorieuse de 3 points.
Pour plus d’informations sur 59club, visitez
le site www.59club.com
La liste complète des lauréats figure dans le
tableau ci-dessous.
59clubs gagnants du prix “Excellence
du service” 2019/20 :
Le Club des membres ultimes : Stoke Park
L’Ultimate
Golf Resort : Le
Belfry Hotel & Resort
Groupe de golf de l’année : Collection Foxhills
Désignations
du drapeau d’or :
Celtic Manor Resort, Club de Golf Alcanada, Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel
& Country Club, Foxhills Club & Resort, Gleneagles, Golf Son Muntaner,
Los Naranjos Golf Club, Monte Rei, Mount Juliet Estate, Rockliffe Hall,
Roehampton Club, Stoke Park, The Belfry Hotel & Resort et The Grove.
Désignations
du drapeau d’argent :
Golf Club Castelconturbia, Frilford Heath Golf Club, Hanbury Manor Marriott
Hotel & Country Club, La Manga Club, Le Golf National, The Duke’s, St
Andrews, The North Berwick Golf Club et Woodhall Spa.
Désignations
du drapeau de bronze
: Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, Gullane Golf Club, Porters Park Golf Club,
Royal Automobile Club, Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Sandy Lodge Golf Club et Slaley
Hall.
My59
Ultimate Service Excellence Award : Radyr Golf Club et Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa
My59
Service Excellence Award : Aldenham Golf & Country Club, Branston Golf & Country Club,
Celtic Manor Resort, Cotswold Hills Golf Club, Edgbaston Golf Club, Goring
& Streatley Golf Club, Long Ashton Golf Club, Macdonald Hotels &
Resorts, Moor Park Golf Club, Mount Juliet Estate, North Middlesex Golf Club,
The Scandinavian and Vale Resort.
Gestionnaire
de golf de l’année
(< 80€ de green fee) : Fraser Liston (Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel &
Country Club – Aylesford Course)
Gestionnaire
de golf de l’année
(> 80€ de green fee) : Chris Reeve (The Belfry Hotel & Resort)
Greenkeeper
de l’année (<80€
de green fee) : Matt Aplin (Goring & Streatley)
Greenkeeper
de l’année (>80€
de green fee) : Scott Fenwick & Craig Haldane (Gleneagles – Kings Course)
Responsable de l’année dans le domaine de
l’alimentation et des boissons (<80€de green fee) :
Glenn McNaughton (Club de golf Long Ashton)
Responsable de l’année dans le domaine de
l’alimentation et des boissons (>80€ de green fee)
: Jacques Hobson (The Belfry Hotel & Resort)
Responsable de l’année dans le secteur du
golf (<80€ de green fee) : Jonny Dye (Rockliffe
Hall)
Responsable de l’année dans le secteur de
la vente au détail de produits de golf (>80€ de
green fee) : Sean Graham (Foxhills Club & Resort)
Équipe de l’année pour les opérations de
golf (<80€ de green fee) : Forest of Arden Marriott
Hotel & Country Club (Aylesford Course)
Équipe de l’année pour les opérations de
golf (>80€ de green fee : Foxhills Club &
Resort
Leader des ventes individuelles de golf en
groupe : Rachel Palmer (Tudor Park Marriott Hotel
& Country Club)
Équipe de vente de l’année pour le golf : Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club
Meilleure performance des ventes
d’adhésions individuelles au golf : Sophie Whitmore
(Foxhills Club & Resort)
Équipe de vente de l’année pour les
adhésions au golf : Foxhills Club & Resort &
St Pierre Marriott Hotel & Country Club
Leader des ventes d’adhésions individuelles
de loisirs : Alice Cox-Cooper (The Mere)
Equipe de vente de l’année pour les membres
loisirs : Vale Resort
-59club poursuit sa croissance avec la création de la division Europe de l’Ouest et Afrique du Nord afin d’améliorer les ventes et les services, en augmentant la satisfaction de la clientèle, le chiffre d’affaires et les bénéfices-
30 Janvier 2020: Les clubs de golf et de loisirs les
hôtels, les restaurants et les destinations spa peuvent désormais bénéficier
d’une vision approfondie de leurs succès opérationnels et des domaines en quête
d’amélioration grâce à la formation d’une division dédiée à la
France ; Belgique; La Hollande; Suisse; Allemagne; Autriche; Maroc
et en Tunisie.
La nouvelle division sera pilotée par le très décoré Directeur Général du
Golf National à Paris; Paul Armitage, qui, parallèlement à ses autres
engagements sera également co-propriétaire et conduira l’expansion de 59club en
Europe de l’Ouest eten Afrique du Nord. Il s’agit du tout dernier ajout aux
plus grands spécialistes du service à la clientèle du monde – actuellement en
activité à travers le Royaume-Uni, l’Europe, le Moyen-Orient, l’Afrique, l’Asie
et les États-Unis.
59club est réputé pour leurs outils de gestion de la performance,
leurs enquêtes sur la satisfaction de la clientèle, leurs audits d’achats
mystères, tandis que leurs services de formation et d’éducation sont
largement considérés comme les meilleurs de leur catégorie dans l’industrie.
Comptant de nombreux sites leaders mondiaux, 59club offre une voie
acclamée pour mesurer et développer les niveaux de service à la clientèle et
les performances des ventes du personnel. Leur savoir-faire et
leur expertise détiennent la clé de la croissance, ce qui augmente
considérablement l’acquisition, la satisfaction, la fidélisation
et la rentabilité des entreprises de toutes tailles.
59club est présent à travers l’Europe depuis plus de 10 ans après avoir
engagé avec de nombreux sites de golf et d’hospitalité de premier plan, y
compris European Tour Destinations; Le Golf National, Terre Blanche, Diamond Country Club et Golf Club St Leon-Rot aux côtés de Monte Rei, Alcanada et La Manga
parmi beaucoup d’autres. Avec une présence locale dédiée, l’emprise
du 59club dans la région est prête à perfectionner l’expérience de golf, de
loisirs et d’hospitalité offerte aux consommateurs tout en poussant les revenus
du club vers de nouveaux sommets.
Le tableau de bord en ligne de 59club permet à ces gestionnaires de
comparer les résultats à l’indice de référence de l’industrie, aux propriétés
les plus performantes et même aux sites
concurrents directs de leur choix, ce qui en fait l’un des seuls moyens pour
les sites de mesurer leur rendement à l’intérieur leur marché.
Après le lancement de 59club
Europe de l’Ouest et Afrique du Nord, le PDG de 59club, Simon Wordsworth, a
déclaré: «Nous sommes absolument ravis d’étendre notre gamme de services en
Europe et en Afrique du Nord et de démarrer avec le lancement de cette nouvelle
entreprise. 59club est une affaire de personnes, nous ne pouvions pas demander
de meilleurs partenaires pour diriger cette division que Paul Armitage et
Sylvain Marcati qui piloteront notre expansion dans la région. Nous avons la
plus grande confiance en eux deux. Nos outils de collecte de données et
d’analyse aideront les clubs de golf et autres établissements hôteliers à tirer
le meilleur parti de leurs activités et à remettre le service client au premier
plan de la gestion des clubs et des resorts. C’est formidable de voir notre
produit maintenant disponible en français. “
Paul travaille dans l’industrie
du golf depuis 2003. Il a occupé plusieurs postes de manager de site avant de
rejoindre les sièges des groupes et mener à bien le développement de marques
telles que LeClub Golf.
Paul a rejoint la Fédération
Française de Golf en 2014 pour aider à préparer Le Golf National, non seulement
pour accueillir la Ryder Cup 2018, mais aussi pour élever les niveaux de
service et d’expérience pour ressembler à ceux d’autres destinations de golf de
tournois majeurs à travers le monde.
Travailler avec les outils du
59club pour aider à améliorer les normes et avec la connaissance de Paul des
besoins des golfeurs modernes – c’est une combinaison pour réussir. C’était
donc un choix évident pour Paul d’aider à amener 59club sur des marchés plus
larges à travers l’Europe occidentale, le Maroc et la Tunisie.
Le service client doit être la priorité numéro un de tous les gestionnaires de golf et hôteliers», a déclaré Paul Armitage, associé de 59club Europe de l’Ouest et Afrique du Nord. «Dans le monde d’aujourd’hui, la concurrence est féroce. Une fois que vous perdez un client à cause d’un mauvais service, il est probable qu’il ne reviendra jamais. C’est pourquoi 59club a été créé. Il s’agit du seul outil d’analyse comparative spécifique au golf, aux loisirs et à l’hôtellerie au monde qui fournit ce type d’analyse objective, garantissant que les opérateurs prennent des décisions éclairées pour accroître la fidélisation de la clientèle.
Je suis extrêmement fier d’avoir excellé avec l’aide d’outils fournis par 59club au Golf National, et tout aussi enthousiaste à l’idée de générer les mêmes succès importants pour mes pairs à travers la région, qu’une association avec 59club offre.
59club continues growth with formation of West Europe & North Africa division to improve sales and service etiquette, increasing customer satisfaction, revenue and profits
January 30, 2020: Golf and leisure clubs, hotels, restaurants and spa destinations can now benefit from an in-depth vision into their operational successes and areas in need of improvement thanks to the formation of a dedicated division set to cover France; Belgium; Holland; Switzerland; Germany; Austria; Morocco and Tunisia.
The new division will be led by the highly decorated General Manager of La Golf National; Paul Armitage, who alongside his commitments with the club will also co-own and drive 59club’s expansion into Western Europe & North Africa, the latest addition to the world’s leading customer service specialists – currently operating across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the USA.
59club are famed for their market-leading performance management tools, their customer satisfaction surveys, mystery shopping audits, whilst their training and education services are widely regarded as best-in-class across the industry.
Trusted by many of the world’s leading venues, 59club delivers an acclaimed route to measure and develop customer service levels and staff sales performance. Their intel and expertise hold the key to drive growth, providing a significant increase to customer acquisition, satisfaction, retention & profitability within businesses of all sizes.
59club has been trading across Europe for over 10 years having engaged with many of the leading golf & hospitality venues including European Tour Destinations; La Golf National, Terre Blanche, Diamond Country Club and Golf Club St Leon-Rot alongside Monte Rei, Alcanada and La Manga amongst many others. With a dedicated local presence, 59club’s hold in the region is set to perfect the golf, leisure and hospitality experience afforded to consumers whilst driving club revenues to new heights.
59club’s online dashboard allows these managers to compare results to the industry benchmark, elite-performing properties and even direct competitor venues of their choice, making it one of the only ways for venues to measure how well they are performing within their market.
Following the launch of 59club West Europe & North Africa, 59club CEO, Simon Wordsworth, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to extend our scope of service into Europe and North Africa and hit the ground running, with the launch of this new business. 59club is all about the people, we couldn’t ask for better partners to lead this division than Paul Armitage & Sylvain Marcati who will drive our expansion within the region. We have the utmost confidence in them both. Our objective data-collection and analytical models will help golf clubs and other hospitality properties to achieve more out of their operations and begin to put customer service at the forefront of club and resort management once again. It’s great to see our product now available in the French language.”
Paul has been working in the golf industry since 2003. He has filled several roles as GM and building brand reputation and business in various golf facilities, and also as Managing Director for one of Europe’s leading Golf Networks.
Paul joined the French Golf Federation in 2014 to help prepare Le Golf National, not only to host the 2018 Ryder Cup, but also to raise the levels of service and experience to resemble that of other major tournament golf destinations around the world.
Working with 59club tools to help improve standards, and with Paul’s knowledge of the needs of modern golfers – it has been a recipe for success. It was therefore an obvious choice for Paul to help bring 59club to wider markets across Western Europe, Morocco & Tunisia.
“Customer service has to be the number one priority for all hospitality providers” said Paul Armitage, Managing Partner of 59club Western Europe & North Africa. “In today’s world, competition is fierce. Once you lose a customer to poor service, they are likely never to return. That’s why 59club was created. It’s the only golf, leisure and hospitality-specific benchmarking tool in the world that provides this type of objective analysis, ensuring operators are making informed decisions to increase customer retention.
“I am extremely proud to have excelled under the armoury of tools provided by 59club at La Golf National, and equally as excited to drive the same significant successes for my peers across the region, that an association with 59club delivers.”
– After almost three years of unprecedented growth, David Shepherd, Chief Executive – The Scandinavian, reflects upon the power of 59club survey data and handing decision-making power back to his members.
