I think we are living in a world where experience is more important than the price. This is also true regarding golf holiday services. Golf travelers want to feel like you care about them. Whether you are a golf resort, golf club or a golf travel agency personalization of your service will differentiate you from the competitors.
Relevant, personal and exclusive experience is really crucial for luxury golf travelers. I believe personalized interactions can unlock new revenue streams and facilitate refined services.
A Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ (PwC) The Sharing Economy study found in 2015 that in the next 15 years customers will demand among the others:
- more convenience,
- personalization.
In 2018, personalization of golf holiday services should be much more than enabling customers to select the desired golf courses, tee times, golf car, trolley or rent golf clubs.
We have to understand that the so-called connected customers will choose those golf holiday services that are highly RELEVANT to their needs in the MOMENT.
I would recommend to drop and delete the notion of ‘typical golf traveler’. There is no such archetypical customer. Golf travelers’ needs vary depending on time and context. Your customers must feel that you care about their unique needs. I have to admit that this is really dynamic!
This will require from golf travel agencies to transform their processes, organizations, and mindset.
At the very same time, it is amazing how much we don’t analyze our customer data that is at our disposal. The analysis of customers’ data could ease golf travel agencies to personalize their golf holiday services. To be able to achieve you will need 2 things:
- powerful technology for data gathering, storage, analysis, and predictions;
- a business analyst/analytics expert.
Did you know that 40% of travelers remain connected via their smartphones while on holiday? Why don’t we create an app with a questionnaire where the golf traveler could provide more information on his/her personal preferences, allergies etc.
Let’s keep up the conversation with them during their golf holiday by using chatbots. This way, we can also gain extra information on their unique needs, but also to answer every single question they might have during their holiday. This way, you can improve their overall customer experience with you.
Chatbots and intelligent virtual assistants can be efficient and effective channels to help customers self-serve.
If you treat your customers as individuals and not as a homogenous group then they far more likely to return in future.