With all the wonders technology brings to our everyday lives, the concept of saving time might just be what we love the most. With a simple click or tap, you can golfers can check in for their round, wherever they are.
As the golf experience continues to dip a toe into the digital age, those who love to play the game are beginning to understand how technology can enhance their overall playing experience. From start to finish, technology provides an opportunity for golfers to skip the typical speed bumps that can make what already is a healthy investment in time even longer. On the flip side, it also provides golf course operators with the tools and know-how to deliver a more customer-focused experience to their customers.
An easy way to incorporate technology into your golfer’s experience is with Mobile Check-In from NBC Sports Next. Mobile Check-In allows for easy integration and the ability to allow golf course operators to move beyond the traditional customer golfing experience – which can be chock full of those speed bumps previously mentioned – and into the contactless convenience that today’s golfer demands.
As an operator, just think about the pitfalls within the golfer journey before technology came around, which could put you behind the 8-ball from the very start:
- Incessant incoming calls about available tee times, which tie up your phone lines and occupy an already busy staff. Time is money, as they say, and time spent answering calls is pulling your team away from the golfer experience.
- The inability or time to gather important customer data for future marketing and communications
Just to name a few.
Convenient, Easy, Customized, Quick, Safe … these are popular buzzwords in the golf industry nowadays as consumer expectations over the past year have shifted demand. Golf course managers – already strapped for time and resources – are looking to integrate more technology into their operations to meet those demands while lessening staffing costs and increasing service levels to improve the golfer experience – not to mention creating a safe environment for both guests and staff who still may be unsure about human touchpoints.
With seamless integration into all NBC Sports Next technologies, Mobile Check-In allows a golfer to search for, book and pay for a tee time in advance at any participating Mobile Check-In golf course.
With Mobile Check-In, when a golfer arrives, they can head directly to the first tee and get playing sooner. And Mobile Check-In is a dynamic technology that always has room for additional features that are introduced automatically – like the direct SMS text messaging capability to any or all golfers on the course – with no extra work or time required from the course operator.
“There are lots of apps out there that solve just about any need but the ones that provide the most value and the most integration will always provide the best experience,” said Jerramy Hainline, Senior Vice President and General Manager for the golf businesses within NBC Sports Next. “Mobile Check-In stands apart from the competition because it’s the only one that’s fully-integrated into a course’s point-of-sale system. With others, the operator still has to do the work. With Mobile Check-In, our integration does that work for them automatically.”
Mobile Check-In is built to run within NBC Sports Next’s Golf365 and Golf365 Pro management platforms, as well as the Golf365 Premier management solution. Operators can see and manage every booking and every payment transaction in real time any time of day through their desktop computer and anywhere through a hand-held personal device. Transactions via Mobile Check-In technology are automatically and immediately reflected in sales counts and reports, substantially increasing the accuracy of all sales records.
“As new elements get built in, the bottom line is that Mobile Check-In will create an opportunity for any golf course to become more data-driven,” said Steve McElwee, Chief Technology Officer for NBC Sports Next. “Tracking golfer behavior through app clicks, in-app purchases and more will allow operators to make more-informed decisions about what their golfers want and, in turn, creates a more personal experience. More data means better understanding, better reporting and more revenue.”
For a golf course operator, Mobile Check-In does more than check the boxes. It provides an opportunity to become smarter and to grab a competitive edge over other businesses in your area who also are tugging at the wallets of potential customers.