3 CX trends that matter your golf club business in 2020


By: June 17, 2020


As the health situation improves after a coronavirus epidemic we are replanning and reorganizing our golf clubs’ and resorts’ for the rest of the year.

This situation gives you an excellent opportunity to focus even more on these 3 major CX trends in 2020 and the coming years:

  1. Acceleration of Digital Transformation
  2. Proving the ROI of Customer Experience
  3. Taking Employee Experience really seriously
CX Trends 2020 the nex big

CX Trend: Acceleration of Digital Transformation

The coronavirus crisis gave an extra push to the acceleration of digital transformation in golf clubs. Touchless technologies are gaining momentum.

Those golf clubs and resorts will win who adopt the ‘mobile-first’ approach. Europe leads the smartphone adoption trend, with a slightly higher penetration of about 83%.

To be ‘mobile-friendly’ is NOT the same to follow the ‘mobile-first’ approach!!

77% of Americans have smartphones. 62% of smartphone users have made a purchase on the device.

Today, most of the customer journey begins on smartphones and tablets. In the fourth quarter of 2019, in Google, the share of organic mobile search traffic was 61%.

I go even further golfers don’t go to your websites rather try to get answers to their questions via your social media channels.

In 2020 it should be a surprise or new idea that usage of Messenger apps and chatbots. By the way, I recommended to my client, the PGA of Canada to discuss the importance of conversational marketing in their educational program.

Our guests and members will appreciate a lot if we provide exceptional digital services, experience, channels, and operations.

According to Gartner, by 2020, 85% of all customer interaction with brands will happen without any human interaction, using only self-service digital interfaces, chatbots, and virtual assistants.

dots CX Trends

CX Trend: Proving the ROI of Customer Experience

Try to create better measurement and metrics models, analytical and decisioning frameworks to prove that there is a connection between business performance and customer experience quality.

We cannot base our marketing campaigns on our intuitions. Our marketing should be data-driven. Data help you to target, engage, and connect with the right (see customer lifetime value) customers who most likely to use your services and even become a member.

A Forbes study found:

  • 78% of customers will only engage with an offer if it is highly personalized (based on historical data);
  • 65% of customers say they will buy at a retailer only if the retailer remembers their name and purchase history.
  • 59% of customers say personalization has got a significant influence on their purchase decision.
Customer journey mapping CX trends

CX Trend: Don’t underestimate the importance of Employee Experience!

In April I asked club managers of the leading golf clubs in the EMEA region regarding how they manage the coronavirus crisis.

What I found common in their answers is empathy toward their employees. They tried to use almost every communication channel (e.g. email, WhatsApp, Zoom, etc.) possible to keep their employees updated and to be fair to those who have been furloughed.

The coronavirus crisis was/is a great opportunity to demonstrate the company culture and values of the golf club/resort. To show the world how much you care about not just your employees, but for the society & local community as well.

Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa Resort (UK) donated bedroom toiletries to NHS after community call-out. They also introduced a grocery collection point to help distribute the company’s new food boxes to the local community.

I highlight the importance of company culture since it has the biggest contribution to employee experience. It is also the only environment that you feel (vs. technical and physical environments).

10 attributes that golf clubs must focus on…

I cannot agree more with Jacob Morgan, who wrote in his The Employee Experience Advantage book that there are 10 attributes that organizations must focus on to create a CELEBRATED culture:

  1. Company is viewed positively
  2. Everyone feels valued
  3. Legitimate sense of purpose
  4. Employees feel like they’re part of a team
  5. Believes in diversity and inclusion
  6. Referrals come from employees
  7. Ability to learn new things and given the resources to do so and advance
  8. Treat employees fairly
  9. Executives and managers are coaches and mentors
  10. Dedicated to employee health and wellness

If you excel in employee experience development then you will be able to

  • Attract the best professionals,
  • Retain the best employees,
  • Mitigate your marketing costs by turning them to be your brand ambassadors….etc.

To achieve this start with

  • Focus on the conversations happening about your golf club inside and outside.
  • Encourage your HR and marketing team to cooperate.