Page 36 - GBC Spring 2017 eng

For daily fee golf courses, Pushes help maximize utilization of your tee sheet. Maybe you have a slow day this week, or even a slower period on a certain upcoming day. With a couple clicks you can instantly message your app users, alert them of available tee times, and drive incremental bookings. For private facilities, this provides another effective channel to keep members up to date in real time, versus email and social media.
This is instant and proactive communication that is faster than email or social media. I have seen daily fee facilities who drove approximately $50,000 in addi- tional revenue into under-utilized tee times in their first 9 months of using their app and Push Notifications.
GEOFENCE NOTIFICATIONS
Geofence Notifications use the same push notification capabilities, but instead of the message being sent manually by the course operator, the message is triggered automatically by the app user’s location. The course can setup a virtual fence so when their app users enter that area, they will receive a predetermined message. That message will be related specifically to the user’s location, making it highly relevant and useful to them.
One simple example of Geofence Notifications is a welcome message. A geofence is set up around the clubhouse or parking lot area of the course. When golfers get to the course on a given day, they instantly are alerted to a message that is relevant to their arrival.
“What if your mobile app could power your club’s loyalty program? The golfer benefits because they don’t have to carry around an additional ‘players card’ in their wallet...”
This welcomes each customer and could let them know what the lunch special is that day, inform them of a new golf equipment special in the pro shop, promote membership for the upcoming season or alert them to current course conditions or maintenance.
Geofence Notifications can be used during a round on specific areas of the course, or even off the property entirely. If you are a destination or resort facility with repeat out of town customers, imagine a geofence around the airport.
When customers land, they instantly receive a message from you inviting them back to the course, and giving them ability to book a tee time with a click. You have put your course in front of them before they have stepped off the plane, with a call to action that drives revenue.
STAY RELEVANT
These are a few examples of the powerful tools at your disposal to engage with customers through mobile. Many course operators may not know that these can be implemented with ease, and can be done affordably, no matter the size or type of facility.
Mobile is advancing rapidly, and the businesses that understand how to use it effectively will win. Golfers are consumers, and they are accustomed to a fully mobile experience in so many other daily interactions. If the golf course industry does not recognize this indisputable trend, it will struggle to stay relevant. Mobile represents an opportunity for golf to grow, so let’s seize it!
References
newsroom.bankofamerica.com/files/doc_library/additional/2015_BAC_Trends_in_Consumer_Mobility_ Report.pdf
youtu.be/Q5qH1cMH0-I www.businessinsider.com/taco-bell-starbucks-use-mobile-to-boost-order-values-2016-3 www.computerweekly.com/news/450300196/Panera-transforms-digital-infrastructure-with-Cisco
Golf Business Canada
36
Golf Business Canada