Page 22 - Summer eng 2017

COMMuNiCAtE usiNG MEssENGER
Facebook’s vision for the future is that we will use Messenger as a means of constant communication. You do not need someone’s phone number in order to use Messenger, so it is universal and an easy way to communicate with anyone who has a Facebook account.
That is why it is important for you to be able to communicate with your golfers through the Facebook Messenger that is located directly on your Facebook page. That’s right folks, you need to get with the times now, so you aren’t left behind!
In the last year, Facebook introduced Messenger bots that allow receipts to be sent to you through Messenger. Perhaps you have seen this feature when you make a purchase using PayPal? As soon as your order is received from PayPal, you get a receipt in your Facebook Messenger.
How would this feature be useful to a golf course operator? Imagine not having to buy that expensive thermal paper anymore! When a golfer checks in, their receipt shows up in the Messenger which they show to the starter. The receipt could have a QR code on it and the starter might scan to verify it, similar to a boarding pass on a plane.
This would eliminate many cumbersome steps that we currently have in our check in process. In fact, the golfer could book the tee time, pay online, then use the QR code in the Messenger receipt to show the starter and completely bypass the line if they were running late.
Also, am I the only one who occasionally has the problem where my cash drawer won’t open because the receipt printer isn’t working? It’s so annoying! The golfer has to stand there while we restart the computer to fix the dumb printer. I can’t think of a more horrible way to say, “Welcome to my course!” than to make a golfer wait 20 minutes to check in. Frustrating for all involved. A Messenger bot could save many of these steps!
Messenger allows its users to communicate in a text format, similartotextingwithyourphone. The advantage to this is that the response time and guarantee of your message being read is extremely high. In fact, it is almost 50 times higher than that of your average email being read in a timely manner.
I have many golfers who constantly use the Messenger to ask me questions. Primarily they ask me if it’s raining, but many have clarifications about a product I sell online or want to know more about a specific promotion.
There is a ranking score of how quickly they can anticipate a response based on your previous responses located right on your Facebook page. At my golf course, there are three of us who answer questions using the Facebook Messenger on our Facebook Page Manager app. Between the three of us, one of us typically responds within 30 minutes of getting a message. This is a great service for our customers and is very easy to maintain.
When you receive a message, you will get a notification and then you can quickly respond, like you would with a text message on your phone.
If you are not using this technology, then you are missing out on a generation who communicates this way. We have our work cut out for us as we transition to appealing to a very wide range of generational abilities.
You want to hear the crazy part? I can speak from experience and say that the people who use Messenger to communicate with me at the golf course are mostly in their 40s! Are you surprised?
thE tiME is NOW
So, what are you waiting for? Download the app today and start planning a once a week golf tip segment using Facebook Live. You won’t regret it!
Golf Business Canada
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Golf Business Canada