Sponsored by 3difs, CGI Insurance & Gunners, 59club’s regular accolades reward individual staff performance throughout the year
59club, the leading specialist customer service analysts and training provider, announce their prestigious quarterly award winners, as they continue to recognise staff excellence throughout the year across its affiliate golf venues. The designated European awards focus on three categories – Group Golf Sales Enquiry Calls, Golf Membership Sales Appointments and Food & Beverage, the latter two categories also recognise top performers across Asia, the Middle East & Africa.
The quarterly sales and service honours, ahead of 59club’s 10th Annual Service Excellence Awards Ceremony taking place in March 2020, saw Justine Friedrich of Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club recognised specifically for her outstanding delivery in the Leading European Group Golf Sales Enquiry Call category, as she achieved a 1 percentage point advantage over her closest rival for her performance against all qualifying audits (calls under 15 minutes in duration) delivered between July and September.
Fine margins between the top contenders meant Rachel Palmer of Tudor Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Ben Stokes of MacDonald Hotels and Aaron Williams of Herons Reach Golf Club all narrowly missing out following very successful audit reviews, as adjudicated by 59club in accordance with its non-subjective benchmarking criteria.
The 59club Leading European Golf Membership Sales Appointment title, was claimed by Connor Sansom of Porters Park, with an impressive 31 percentage point margin over the 59club global industry average across quarter three. Chris Dowrick of Foxhills took second place once again, after achieving the same success in quarter two, with Sean O’Brien of Stoke Park and Jonathan Hotson of Belton Woods also performing extremely well.
When it comes to the Leading Golf Membership Sales Appointment delivery across Asia, the Middle East & Africa, the relentless high service levels demonstrated were yet again typically impressive. Joe Way retained the title for Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club for a second consecutive quarter with an overall score 30 percentage points higher than the 59club global industry average, which follows on from George Wearden’s success for the club in quarter two.
Another top performer from the Dubai Golf Group was Cian Hurley of The Emirates Golf Club, and in third place, Seby Gomes of Abu Dhabi City Golf Club.
A new title has been introduced to recognise service excellence delivered within the clubhouse, during a golf visitor mystery shopper experience.
The Leading European Food & Beverage accolade goes Jacques Hobson, of The Belfry Hotel & Resort, with a glowing audit, which realised an impressive 26 percentage point advantage over the 59club global industry average. Other top performances across the quarter saw The Dukes, St Andrews and Selsdon Park just 3 percentage points behind the Belfry’s impressive lead, closely followed by Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club and La Manga Club.
Meanwhile, across the MEA & Asia, the Food & Beverage title was awarded to Michael Major and Kevin Toth of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club with a 24-percentage point lead over the 59club global industry average.
Thai Country Club came close in second place with an impressive podium performance, realised within 12 months of engaging with 59club Asia. In reality, the upturn in service achieved a 1.8M baht (around £30K) uplift in sales during the same period, as quoted by John Blanch, General Manager at Thai Country Club recently whilst attending the PGA show in Phuket. Trump International Dubai and Thana City, Thailand claimed third and fourth places for their Food & Beverage provisions respectively.
Justine Friedrich, Golf Events Executive – Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel and Country Club, said: This is an amazing present for my first-year work anniversary at the Marriott Forest of Arden. This prize is the result of all the support, patience and sharing knowledge that I have received from my golf team and my managers.”
Tim Knight, General Manager – Porters Park Golf Club, “In a competitive market it is vital that we display a consistent process for managing Membership enquiries and a strong focus on the way which we introduce new members to club life. Working with the 59club during 2019 has supported our efforts in this area and it is fantastic to see that Connor has been recognised for his performance.”
Jacques Hobson, F&B Outlets Manager – The Belfry Hotel & Resort,said: “Winning this award would have not been possible without the team which I am proud to lead each day. This achievement is a testament to the work ethic they have provided throughout a very busy period. This is a great indicator for the team and I to show that we are delivering exceptional service and playing our part to become the ultimate resort for a 2nd consecutive year.”
Michael Major, Golf Services Manager – Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, said: “It’s great to see Joe recognised for his individual performance this quarter! On behalf of the club I would like to express how proud we are here at Dubai Creek to have received these two fabulous awards.”
Commenting on the success of each of the winners, Simon Wordsworth, 59club CEO, said: “Congratulations to all award winners – we always knew we had something very special within 59club, and as we have taken our products into new emerging markets, we have been overwhelmed by its response. Each of these awards represent hard work and dedication from each of the winners, the ability of these individuals to affect the venues bottom line, can’t be stressed enough, they are the key figures in getting people through the door to enable the rest of the team to deliver the experience.
“We have seen significant growth over the last 12 months, expanding into American and Asian Markets, whilst further cementing our position in the Middle East & Africa. The expanded horizons of 59club in recent months makes the individual successes of Justine, Connor, Joe, Jacques, Michael and Kevin even more impressive, with a greater number of 59club users vying for these titles. As company, we are very excited about what the future holds for us, as we look ahead to celebrate 10 years of 59club.
59club is the world’s leading customer service & sales analysts and training provider and is set upon raising the service standards of the leisure industry to new highs through the gathering of primary data and implementation of strategic solutions. 59club’s ultimate objective is to transform the revenue performance of its clients by enhancing their approach to customer service and sales. By understanding where strengths and weaknesses lie (information provided via raw consumer data) 59club can help venues implement lasting change to the benefit of their members, guests, staff and revenue.