My Outstanding Customer Service Award Goes to Boyne.com

Customers long to interact with – even relate to – employees who act like there is still a light on inside.

Chip Bell, Founder Chip Bell Group

How often do you come across a company that understands the meaning of customer service? Sadly, we live in a world where mediocrity is considered a high level of achievement and we routinely put up with much worse because there are few alternatives. Every once in a while, if we’re very fortunate, we come across a company that truly shines; and for me and my friend Sue Boyne is that company.

Ten years ago my friend Sue and I were looking for a golf resort for a “girls’ week” in the summer. We wanted this resort to be within an eight hour drive of Toronto and we wanted unlimited golf. As luck would have it I was reading about one of the Boyne golf courses – the Heather – in Golf for Women magazine (now defunct and part of Golf Digest). The Heather was rated as one of the top 50 golf courses in the U.S. for women. And so the Heather brought us to Boyne. It’s in Northern Michigan, an eight hour drive from Toronto and it has unlimited golf (and unlimited golf carts). Everything looked great and we decided to book.

I remember calling to make the reservations 10 years ago. Right off the bat I was entirely shocked. The reservationist, or vacation planner as they’re called in the Boyne world, was outstanding. Her name was Kelly (Kelly is still there and has made many of our reservations over the years. No one ever leaves Boyne.) and she was outstanding – friendly, efficient and welcoming. When we finally arrived at Boyne we discovered that everyone at Boyne is friendly, efficient and welcoming, from the servers to the bag staff. One morning Sue and I were chatting with a member of the bag staff and we remarked on how wonderful everyone was. The Boyne staffer told us that when you join Boyne everyone has to go a three day course; it’s the same course whether you’re the VP or a member of the bag staff and over the three days they only teach one thing – when a guest leaves the property they have to know that this was the best vacation experience they’ve ever had. Sue and I are two guests who can attest to the fact that our holidays at Boyne are always the best vacation experiences we’ve ever had. Guests keep coming back year after year and many like our friends Gail and Bob (who we met at Boyne our first year there) from LA buy houses on the property. And it’s not just the guests that love Boyne; the staff never leaves either. We’ve met several Boyne staffers who’ve been there for 35 years.

In less than one month we’ll be leaving for our 10^th golf holiday at Boyne. Kelly made our reservations and we can’t wait to leave. As soon as we see the sign “Welcome to Boyne”, we’re home and looking forward to the best vacation experience of our lives – at least for one spectacular week.

Customers may forget what you said but they'll never forget how you made them feel.

Unknown 

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Golf Scores Can Be Like Fish Tales

I can't believe that it's already October, which means that my remaining golf days are sadly numbered. I'm hoping to get a round in this weekend but the Weather Network isn't inspiring hope. Sue and I will head out Sunday afternoon to Nottawasaga and if worse comes to worse, we'll detour to the outlet mall... You gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm always amused when you talk to golfers about their scores. Women are usually self-deprecating about the state of their golf games and consider a great score an accident. Many men on the other hand have a tendency to tell fish tales. They're superb golfers who shoot in the 80s - in their dreams (or on 9 holes).

Golf is a game in which you yell 'fore, shoot six, and write down five.

Paul Harvey 

My golf game is interesting and falls into one of 4 categories:

1. There are days that no matter what I do, meaningful contact with the ball is a virtual impossibility. After a picture perfect practice swing, the ball pathetically dribbles off the tee. Its distance can measured in inches, not yards. On days like these, I don't keep score. I enjoy the day, hitting the ball (or not).
2. On an average day I shoot between 105 and 110. I happily make some terrific shots, some that suck and some that won't win any style points but move forward. Sue and I refer to these as utility shots.
3. There are days when I'm being punished and rewarded in the same round. On 9 holes I can't buy a ball and then on the other 9 I'm ready for the tour. In my last round I couldn't hit a ball on the front 9 and shot 43 on the back 9.
4. On very rare occasion I'm blessed by the Golf Goddess and I break 100. I hit wondrous shots like a 240 yard drive straight down the fairway or hole a chip. These days are few and far between but when they come, it's magic!

I have no idea what my next round will bring. The only thing that I do know is that there's no better way to spend an afternoon than on the golf course, regardless of the state of my game.  

Make someone smile today.

Geri