Page 17 - GBC Spring 2022 ENG

Advertorial
In from the cold.
The story of a cooler, a server and a terrible member experience. How one GM realized their club’s staff issue was out of hand.
I love a good story.
So, when asked to contribute to an article for this issue of Golf Business Canada, I thought a story might be a good option rather than talk about myself. Here is one of the best (or worst) stories I’ve heard during my 15 years in the club industry.
Jon, our club’s GM, leaned over the desk to quietly tell me he found her in the walk-in cooler.
This new hire landed in the walk-in before she finished her first week. How she ended up in the cooler was a chain of events that could happen at any club, but Jon wasn’t proud it was at his.
The young hire was sobbing: a member had lost their cool after a wrong order, cold food, and drinks left empty.
Jon spoke to the member, the other
half of the cooler story, and learned the dining room experience was only the last straw in a day full of mix-ups.
The member had arrived at the course later than usual. His bag was not out and on the cart. Other members were being held up at the first tee and he felt embarrassed, especially as a first-year member.
Later, he found himself in a tied match going down 18. After landing in a greenside bunker, he found it unraked with a horrible lie. He blew his shot twenty yards over the green, made a double and owed drinks to his group.
By the time he reached the 19th hole, patience was a thin line drawn even
thinner with poor service and cold food. The server was less than helpful - didn’t even know the daily special – at which point the member lost his patience.
Bang! There was a blow-up. And then, a trip to the cooler.
“Not that he was in the right,” explained Jon, “But the reality is, our staffing issues are affecting both member and guest experience.”
I don’t need to explain the current labour crisis to any of you, but as Jon explained, there were supposed to be two servers on the floor instead of a single new
hire, but the other called in sick with no replacements to be found.
Before lunch, the chef had been called to a family emergency leaving the F & B supervisor to fill in so was not on the floor to spot the situation.
The golf shop team had not been sufficiently trained to provide the expected member services
I could go on.
As Jon was telling me the story, all I could think was this could be any time at almost any club. In this case, the club could have lost a member and a server. How much would that cost your club in lost revenue, management, and recruitment costs?
Most clubs don’t have a dedicated HR person or trainer, let alone consistent onboarding and training. What often happens is the three sections of the business, food and beverage, golf shop,
and course maintenance, end up hiring on their own, training on the go.
The good news is that there is a better way, which is where I segue back to my new role as VP of Sales with Club Core.
As a former GM and club industry leader, it is astounding to see how easily this staff hub technology improves member, guest and associate experience.
So how could Jon’s team benefit from Club Core?
To start, he would save management time hiring and onboarding without all that paperwork, focusing instead on building improved team engagement.
Teams will be trained to your standards that are consistent throughout the club. Communication about the daily specials or even staff coordination is facilitated through direct messenging in the mobile app, with automated workflows to take care of the details seamlessly behind the scenes.
If you’re ready to briang staff members in from the cold and give each member a consistently great service experience, let’s talk.
We’d love to show you how Club Core can help you build a better club for work and play.
Inside the Club
with David Hodgson VP of Sales, Club Core
A better club for work
and play.
Improve collaboration & consistency
Engage staff & members
Automate processes for operational efficiency
CLUBCORE.CA