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At Nashawtuc Country Club Member Relationship Management is Simplified with Implementation of MembersFirst Software Solution Club's Members, General Manager, Head Professional, Head Greens Keeper and General Chairman All Benefit from Easy-To-Use System Contact Larry Gulko CONCORD, Mass. (July 21, 2003) - Bill Walsh envisioned the profound impact a web site would have at Nashawtuc Country Club. A golf committee member for 9 years and chairman for 3 years, Walsh knew that Nashawtuc's biggest challenge, which it had in common with most private country clubs, was to improve communication between the key constituencies of the club - the board of directors, the membership, club management, and employees. He was certain that the power of instantaneous Internet communication would relieve many of Nashawtuc's problems, but it was not apparent who could build a site to accomplish his key goals, "I talked to six different companies about developing a web site for our club, but none of them excited me, until we met with MembersFirst'. Nashawtuc, which hosts the Senior PGA Tour's FleetBoston Classic, had outlined a set of web objectives. At the time, saving money wasn't one of them. Now, golf chairman Walsh says, "we're projecting that we,ll save approximately $9,000 per year directly as a result of using the MembersFirst Member Relationship Management software solution - in the neighborhood of $6,000 in mailing and printing costs, and another $3,000 in more efficient use of our staff's time." The goals the club had established focused primarily on member privacy and the financial health and sustainability of the service provider: "There are many fly-by-night companies in the web field targeting country clubs. For example, one company offers its service free of charge, which is not a business model that gave us much confidence. The others all had drawbacks of one kind or another. You have to ask yourself 'how long can some of these companies stay in business?'" What set MembersFirst apart? "Everything," according to club president Jim Nolan, "There was immediate consensus on our board that MembersFirst not only had a terrific, easy-to-use dynamic solution geared towards managing the relationship between the club and its members, but it had professional golf and technical managers that would be around to service us for the long haul, as our site evolved. The MembersFirst executive team has a history of proven successes in other related businesses, and it was clear they were serious about doing things right. They're professionals, and that's what our members deserve." Walsh says that the most impressive attribute of MembersFirst as a company is responsive service, "They service their clients as well as any company I, ve ever dealt with, including the likes of Microsoft and Dell." MembersFirst's proprietary product is founded on a remarkably flexible, dynamically generated content model that allows clubs to post and edit content on their own without any technical experience. Golf chair Walsh adds, "The system has every possible function a golf club requires in a web site and Nashawtuc's only responsibility is to provide and input content, after a comprehensive introductory training by MembersFirst staff." The MembersFirst interactive system can facilitate comprehensive club news, a member directory, tournament results, buddy list e-mail groups, online tee time and dinner reservations, online pro shop, and much more. Furthermore, it requires a miniscule time investment from the board of directors or club management compared to the huge commitment required to develop a web site from scratch - a process that can last months and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Further, MembersFirst's solution can be ready to post within 24 hours. MembersFirst is integrated into every phase of Nashawtuc Country Club's operation. Dee Curran, Nashawtuc's club manager and president of the New England Club Manager's Association, is impressed with the results, "It's a rarity when you can simultaneously delight your members and reduce club costs as the result of one decision. The MembersFirst web-based communications solution has been a total success." Initially, club pro Mike Medeiros was skeptical, but now, he's posting pro shop specials with pleasure. "It's a tremendous addition to the pro shop. We can make members instantly aware of pro shop news and specials. For example, a member can send the pro shop an e-mail requesting a specific driver that's on sale. We then process the transaction here, and the driver is waiting for the member when they arrive," says Medeiros. "There are three benefits: the pro shop staff works more efficiently, we increase sales, and members are satisfied because they're receiving a higher level of service and value." The pro shop staff also posts tournament tee times and results, which annually reduces member phone calls to the pro shop by hundred. "We post event results to our web site within a few hours after a tournament ends. Member response has been huge. They see their names in bright lights along with the pro shop credit they've won. Camaraderie has been built dramatically," added Medeiros. One of the strongest supporters of MembersFirst's system comes from an unexpected source - Nashawtuc's greens superintendent Paul Miller. One of New England's most highly regarded superintendents, Miller was attracted to the MembersFirst solution because it allows him to communicate instantly with members about course conditions, spraying and aeration dates, and other course issues. Miller pointed out that, "The site helps us avoid the classic greens superintendent's nightmare where members are showing up to play golf and discovering unanticipated coursework or conditions. I'm especially happy to have the peace of mind that results from my ability to instantly communicate with members on issues of maintenance, such as when spraying is in progress." Overall, member reaction has been remarkable. "I've been receiving a steady flow of e-mail messages from members who are raving about the site and its interactive capabilities," says Walsh, "In fact, we haven't received one negative comment, which is a miracle at a private country club." In the end, despite the incredible technology and benefits of the MembersFirst system, it's the little things that are making the difference to members at Nashawtuc Country Club, primarily because the system can be self-managed and updated instantly. "This year, the Senior PGA requested that we move the FleetBoston Classic earlier in the season to June, from it, s previous date in August," recounts Walsh, "This meant we had to move our 3-Day Member Guest to a date later in the season. When the new date was confirmed, we immediately posted the information to the site. I can't tell you how appreciative our members were to find out right away, since many of them have guests flying in from out of town for the Member-Guest weekend. It would have taken weeks to make that information available through the mail, and I can promise you it wouldn't have been greeted with pleasure." Looking to the future, Nashawtuc plans to use its web site to archive the history of the club. Important events, photographs, tournament winners, and notable figures in the club's past will be posted to the site, and all related information for the current year will be archived as it happens, creating an automatic history of the club. By using the MembersFirst Member Relationship Management' solution to help document the past, Nashawtuc will not only enhance its image with present members, but it will preserve its history and heritage for future members. |