Click here to view the printable PDF version of the Vail Golf Club Case Study
Golfers claim their drives soar 10% farther in high altitudes. Situated in the Rocky Mountains’ White River National Forest at an elevation of 8,200 feet, Vail Golf Club offers an outstanding experience for golfers of all skill levels. This beautiful spot, recognized by Golf Digest as a Top 100 Resort Course, is considered by many to be one of the best courses in the Vail Valley of Colorado. The golf club is open to the public and offers a full range of amenities, including a full service golf shop, group and corporate outings, professional instruction, launch monitor, driving range, practice area, club storage, golf swing analysis, club rentals, demo days, and an on-site restaurant.
Designed in 1962 by the well-known Ben Krueger, the glamorous resort has a decades-long tradition of total professionalism and outstanding customer service. To achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction, club management is acutely aware of the need for an efficient, streamlined operation, and for exceptional employees.
So when Chris Johnson was recruited as Vail Golf Club Head Golf Professional, one of his first priorities was to ensure maximum efficacy in service delivery. He knew the club’s top flight customer service was dependent upon employee satisfaction and effective staffing.
With multiple departments, shift scheduling was a major issue. Although the company had experimented with having individuals work in only one department, currently people are cross-trained to work in all three areas. Using an Excel spreadsheet to attempt to make sure every position was covered and no one was double booked was difficult, particularly with multiple individuals making the schedules. “It was taking forever to do our scheduling. It wasn’t the most accurate process and was frustrating for everyone involved. It was tough on whoever was building the schedule.”
TimeForge Scheduling Software enabled the club to streamline and clarify the process. According to Johnson, now “there are no questions when employees wake up in the morning about when they should be at work that day.” Previously, “it was confusing for them, and it was frustrating – especially if they were double booked or if they weren’t getting enough shifts. It was a little bit all over the place with consistency.”
“It’s important, as a manager, to make the people that work for you happy,” reflected Johnson, emphasizing the Vail Golf Club’s concern for employee morale. Johnson had evaluated different scheduling software programs and selected TimeForge for a number of reasons:
Ease of integration and application: “It had to be simple. TimeForge is very easy to use. The learning curve is quick. It makes sense.”
Outstanding customer service: “We deal with a lot of different companies here. Customer service is important to us. Quick response is important.” Johnson was also impressed with the prompt personal attention. “Anthony, one of TimeForge’s owners, emailed me as soon as I started my trial, and he walked me through the software. It was cool that this guy that started this company would take an hour of his day just to help me out.”
Positive impact on the bottom line: “I think it’s helped us on days we’ve not needed all of our employees or a full staff. It makes it easy to see who’s working when. There’s no doubt. TimeForge puts all the information in the same spot, so it’s easy for us to call people because their phone number is right on the schedule.”
The club renovated its irrigation system in 2009, enabling the company to focus on improving environmental stewardship as it “goes green” in as many aspects of business as possible. Use of TimeForge scheduling software has further enabled Vail Golf Club to achieve that goal by reducing unnecessary paperwork.
Johnson has seen a definite positive impact on turnover rate and employee morale. “With our phones and apps it helps employees that they can just check their schedules no matter where they are. It’s nice to just not have any doubt. It’s much less stressful.”
“I think TimeForge just makes everything simple and easy.”
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