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The Internet of Club Members: The Union League of Philadelphia

As discussed in the macro article, the Internet of Things promises to improve the relevance and functionality of the many systems that we operate and depend upon as we navigate our daily lives moving from work to home, scheduling appointments, arranging travel and managing our health, wealth and various impending deadlines.

More and more things are being instrumented and the corresponding data stream is a rich source of information. It potentially provides an invaluable window on where people are, what they are doing and what they might need.

The Club Connection

What does this have to do with the private club and the services it delivers to its members? Although clubs have traditionally been slower than the mainstream to adopt new technology, some have been quick to embrace high-tech, as is the case with The Union League of Philadelphia. At this renowned institution, the Internet of Things now includes a sizeable portion of its club members equipped with smartphones.

This is a club with traditions that stretch back well into the 19th century and the onset of the Civil War. Yet the club’s attitude is distinctly forward looking as it adapts to the high expectations of members and the tools and technology now available to achieve new standards of service and premium experiences.

This is also a large club with nearly 4,000 members and an expansive array of services. Yet at The Union League, high-tech has a decidedly “high-touch” feel. Approximately half the current membership has downloaded an app for their smartphones that bears the club name (see image, page XX). The app has a range of features that keep the member connected to the club and that also enable the club to serve members in new and exciting ways.

The app enables communications by providing users with an updated membership and staff directory and works with either Android or iPhones. It can put that member in direct voice communications with just about anyone connected within the club with a simple swipe or quick finger tap. Directions to the club are likewise easily provided, as are calendar views and dining reservations.

Location, Location, Location

But much of the app’s magic is delivered in a seamless and even invisible way. “Friction free” is the term favored by Communications and Marketing Director Erica Martin. The app runs in background on a member’s phone and, if the member allows, The Union League of Philadelphia app shares relevant location information with the club. This will, in turn, alert the club’s staff—typically on a dedicated iPad at the staff member’s station—when the member is approaching or about to enter the clubhouse at any one of its three entrances or other workstations distributed throughout the clubhouse.

This prompt allows the staff to ease a member’s entrance into the clubhouse (no more signing-in), to assure name recognition, to personalize the greeting and, in general, to provide that extra measure of service that makes clubs special. This is what clubs have historically done, but now the app allows it to be done better, faster and more reliably. As clubs scale in size, as new members join or new employees assume important responsibilities, this communications application helps maintain a high standard of service, an unobtrusive personal assistant to all involved.

Wait, There’s More!

This app is literally and figuratively opening doors for better member service. City life has many benefits, but parking is usually not one. Yet this Union League app takes the hassle out of parking, achieving that friction free experience that Martin seeks to help members experience. En route to the club, the member can alert the valet service to his or her imminent arrival. Similarly, once in the club, the member can make a similarly quick exit with the assistance of this app. A simple tap on “Valet Car Request” opens these options:

ASAP

5 minutes

10 minutes

15 minutes

Oops, I do not need my car

This feature has been a real winner. One member estimates that the valet feature imbedded in the app “saves me 15 minutes. When I’m in a rush in the middle of the day, trying to get to my next meeting, I don’t have to stand in the garage while it’s hot out or cold out. I click on this button, say my goodbyes, walk over to the garage and my car’s waiting for me. That’s a big deal to me.”

Your Table is Waiting

Locational information about the member can also facilitate better service in the club as well. Members approaching one of The Union League’s several dining facilities will find the wait staff greeting them on arrival and fully prepared to deliver an outstanding dining experience.

Readers of Club Trends may recall that in the recent issue on the club dining experience (Redefining the Dining Experience, Fall 2015), we explored the concept of “journey mapping” as a tool for carefully managing the diner’s experience from entrance to engagement to exit. The issue also highlighted how tracking and targeting are important competencies to master in improving the member’s start-to-finish dining journey. The Union League’s data-driven approach, enabled by technology, is a window into the future and how club service can become anticipatory, personalized and truly exceptional.

The Long View

Technology is really just a tool. And at The Union League, technology is a tool that is used by the club to serve members and to make their experience especially memorable and valuable. “What we strive for every single day is member value,” explains Martin. “The more engaged they feel, the more likely they are to bring friends, to propose new members, to have legacy runs within their families … to be members for generations.

Time spent at The Union League of Philadelphia is given special significance and meaning. This is what the staff aims to do and what they are equipped to do. This bit of unobtrusive technology has a key role to play. “Anything we can do within the time they are in these four walls to spend time with them and get to know them—that’s our goal. We want them to leave here every time feeling like they’ve had the best experience possible,” says Martin.

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name…

And speaking of great experiences, this writing team is already putting in their request to the editors of Club Trends to make an on-site visit at The Union League of Philadelphia, perhaps reviewing its storied dining options or squeezing in a round of golf at the new course now available at Torresdale.

After writing this piece we fully expect our entrance to be, well, friction free.

We’ve opened up The Union League app—Martin has thoughtfully provided us with temporary credentials—and selected “Directions to UL” on the menu of options. The mapping software instantly charts our course from here in the heartland and it looks like we’ll be there in a little over 13 hours (893 miles and a few tolls according to the app). We can likewise use our Union League enabled iPhone when we get within striking distance – maybe alert the valet service or perhaps make that dining reservation. But it’s the entrance we’re eagerly anticipating:

The door opens…

The warm personal greeting…

“Hello, Mr. Fisher. Nice trip from St. Louis? We’ve been expecting you.”

Sidebar: The Electronic Suggestion Box

Another nifty feature on the Union League app is labeled “League 311.” Select this option and you are prompted: “What did you see? We appreciate all feedback.” Members are asked to identify the location that prompted the feedback and then—taking full advantage of the smartphone’s range of capabilities—just tap the screen and you are able to access the phone’s camera and take a picture of the scene that prompted the suggestion. Thus, if a member encounters a leaking faucet or empty dispenser or sprinkler head gone berserk, then the alert goes out quickly and rapid remedy follows. Outstanding service and serendipitous club moments can likewise be captured and shared.

 

Club Trends Spring 2016

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