Superior Reservation Phone Call Management

The staff that answers the phone is the front line in customer contact before the customer ever sets foot in the door. The value of every phone call needs to be understood by all staff, even during periods when the sheet is seemingly full. Customers can be flexible (more than they even realize) if presented with other options for play. The start to answering an incoming call is a friendly “Hello, (course name, this is (employee name)”.

Visualize a salesperson on commission receiving an unsolicited call for a product. What is the likelihood of the conversation ending immediately if the requested product was out of stock - very small. The salesperson would most likely try to come up with alternate products to capture the order. This rarely happens in the golf industry. Offering options for the customer is viewed as superior customer service in that the staff is making an extra effort to accommodate them.

Sample Dialogue

Customer - “Do you have a tee-time for four around 10:30am on Wednesday?”

Offer the closest times before and after the requested time.
“The closest times we have for four are 8:42 or 12:00. Would either of those work for you?”

Offer the option of a different size group.
“We also have a time for two at 10:45, would that work for you?”

Offer the option of another day.
“We do have a number of openings around that time on Thursday if you are interested.”

Offer the option of calling or Emailing the customer if you get a cancellation.
“Would you like us to call or Email you if we get a cancellation around that time?”

Offer the option of being a stand-by.
“Although we are currently booked at that time, we generally have some cancellations. You might want to come out as a stand-by.”

See Stand-by/Overbooking Strategies