As managers, we all have a certain management style. This transcends to developing a service culture at the club that reflects your vision, that of your members and of course, your staff.
Managers at any business or successful organization lead by example. Some managers are more outgoing; others are quieter but efficient managers. The importance is making sure the staff and members understand your vision and philosophy for creating a service culture that exceeds members’ and guests’ expectations.
To foster a unique service philosophy, managers need to constantly evaluate, explain and promote their service culture to the staff. There are many “touch points” at the club where staff is in direct contact with the members and their guests on a daily basis. From the cart attendant and assistant golf professional to the wait staff, these people are among the first contact points that represent your service culture. Motivate and train your staff to take a customer-centric approach to their job to grow your vision and philosophy on service. Present solutions to problems that come up and use positive energy to diffuse difficult situations and maintain a positive service environment. Staff will take on virtues such as patience and flexibility and problem solve. As a manager, continually train the staff to problem solve through role playing, outside workshops and continuing education.
One of my favorite stories of how staff can problem solve was from the book “The Nordstrom Way.” In this book, there was a gentleman who wanted to return a couple of snow tires to the Nordstrom store in Fairbanks, Alaska. When the attending staff person explained that Nordstrom’s did not sell tires, the gentleman explained emphatically that he got them from a Nordstrom and demanded to see a manager. When the manager understood the problem and could see he was getting nowhere with the gentleman, the manager determined the value of the tires and offered the man a refund, which neutralized him and appeased him. It took some effort and creativity, but the manager believed the gentleman could become a long-time customer of Nordstrom’s after he shopped with the store’s money. Some of the valuable quotes and perspectives from Nordstrom in this book include “you can’t teach culture, you have to live it, you have to experience it” and “think like the client.”
Whether you have a good service culture or one that you may wish to revise, ask yourself, “what is the genuine interest in what my members or guests want?” This can be verbal but more often is handled through member surveys, which show the club’s areas of strength and weakness of your existing service. Some survey findings may point out things you think are mundane, but the members find to be a priority. Once you establish the type of environment you want for your service, you must establish consistency with your staff. To perpetuate the consistency of great service, you can establish a reward system—a bonus or “employee of the month” program—or tweak the system you currently use for recognition.
Effective clubs have a mission statement that includes verbiage on the service culture that you want to exist at your club. It may also be reflected in the clubs’ staff manual and other documents you have established at the club through your human resource department.
It is critical in today’s competitive club market to have a great service culture. Treating members and their guests with kindness and respect where people feel valued and trusted, goes a long way to creating the atmosphere we all want. A positive service culture improves staff morale and their day-to-day working environment. You and your staff will like your work environment more and your members and guests will enjoy interacting with all of the staff.
Paul T. Stringer is executive vice president, Nicklaus Design. He can be reached at [email protected]. For more information, visit nicklaus.com.