Club Technology Boot Camp

HITEC 2004

2004 HITEC

Bill Sullivan CHTP

Over 25 years of industryexperience

Speaker at HITEC Club Boot Camp in 2002-2003

Senior Industry Consultant Author of numerous articles

and textbooks Faculty Member at University

of Delaware andWidener University

HITEC Advisory Committee Club and Hotel Manager

Bill SullivanITR Principal Consultant

Director Hospitality Industry Practice

2004 HITEC

Boot Camp Housekeeping

Location of Fire Exits

All slides are available as CD

Please do not use your cell phones during this session

Questions??????????

2004 HITEC

Agenda

Part 1 – BillBusiness Process

Part 2 – DebMarketing

Part 3 – DebTools & Technology

Bill SullivanITR Principal Consultant

Director Hospitality Industry Practice

Integrated Technology Research Corporation

Part 1: Club Systems

2004 HITEC

Club Technology Dynamics

Multi-Vendor Environment

Chose Cornerstone Product

Standards

Integration

Role of www.

2004 HITEC

Club Technology Financial Model

Predominantly standalone package solutions, future is ripe for “integration”

Software/hardware costs may be minimal compared to Integration / Implementation costs

Don’t underestimate TOTAL cost of investment

2004 HITEC

Technology Topics

Membership Systems Point of Sale (POS) Sales and Catering Back Office Accounting Grounds and Maintenance Golf Member Services Tennis and Racquet Spa and Fitness

2004 HITEC

Membership Systems

Standard Features– Member master file information– Member accounts receivable– Member demographics – Interfaces to POS or internal

module– Dues management– Stock Certificate management

2004 HITEC

Membership Systems

Optional Features– Membership cards – Photo ID and signature scans– Employee time keeping– Executive information systems– Member preferences– www. site interface

2004 HITEC

Local or ASP

Local Systems– Hardware and software operated

locally at club– Club staff operates and maintains– Cost controlled at club

ASP – Application Service Provider– Hardware and systems software at

vendor location– Cost normally based on transaction

volume– Reduced technical expertise required

at club location

2004 HITEC

ASP Providers

Golf Gopher – http://www.golfgopher.com/

ForeTees –www.foretees.com

Article on ASP –Remote Control

2004 HITEC

Membership Systems

Club Systems – www.clubsys.com

Jonas Software – www.jonassoftware.com

Abacus21 – www.abacus21.com

Smythsystems – www.smythsystems.com

Integrated Business Systems – www.goibs.com

2004 HITEC

Food & Beverage / POS

Standalone vs. IntegratedMember Account BillingKeyboard or TouchScreenHandhelds and WirelessLocal Support

2004 HITEC

Food & Beverage / POS

RestaurantResults.comwww.restaurantresults.com

Squirrel Systemswww.squirrelsystems.com

Digital Diningwww.digitaldining.com

MICROSwww.micros.com

2004 HITEC

Sales & Catering

Standalone vs. integrated Role of CRM Matching complexity of

system to your environment Matching features of system

to your environment Enhanced graphics www. connectivity

2004 HITEC

Sales & Catering

Resort Suite www.enablez.com

Northwind www.maestropms.com

Daylight Softwarewww.daylightsoftware.com

Caterwarewww.caterware.com

Delphiwww.newsoft.com

2004 HITEC

Back Office Systems

Chain vs. Property Accounts Payable Inventory General Ledger Payroll and Time Keeping Level of Integration

2004 HITEC

Back Office Accounting Systems

Data Plus Hospitality Solution – BackOffice for Hospitality

Kronos Incorporated - Integrated HR, payroll, scheduling and time and labor software

Restaurant Software by MenuLink - Back Office Inventory and Labor Products

Visual One Systems

2004 HITEC

Grounds and Maintenance

Budget & Expense Tracking

Personnel & Labor Activity Records

Chemical & Fertilizer Application Records

Inventory, Purchase Orders & Fuel Reporting

Equipment & Property Maintenance

2004 HITEC

Grounds and Maintenance

2004 HITEC

Grounds and Maintenance

TRIMS – www.trims.com

Precision data Services – www.precision-data-services.com

Golf Course Superintendents – www.gcsaa.org

2004 HITEC

Golf Member Services

Tee time scheduling Handicaps tracking GPS course location

tracking

2004 HITEC

GPS Systems

Location and distance tracking for golfer

Pace of play and cart location tracking

Food and beverage sales Other marketing Score input for individuals

or tournaments Tournament leader

boards Emergency communications

2004 HITEC

GPS Systems

GolfNet – www.golfnet.com Focus 2K –

www.focus2k.com IntelliGolf –

www.intelligolf.com ParView –

www.parview.com SkyGolf GPS –

www.skygolf.com Up Link Golf –

www.uplinkgolf.com ProShot Golf –

www.proshotgolf.com

2004 HITEC

Tennis

Court scheduling Pro Shop management Tournament scheduling

and management Court maintenance

2004 HITEC

Tennis Top Dog Tennis –

www.topdogtennis.com Racquet Soft –

www.getphysicalsoftware.com Greencourt –

www.greencourtsoftware.com

2004 HITEC

Fitness- Spa

Management of memberships and fees

Scheduling of spa facilities and services

Tracking fitness conditions and programs

2004 HITEC

Fitness- Spa

ResortSuite – www.enablez.com

Abacus 21 - www.abacus21.com

Spa Soft – Spa Management

Salon Master – ASP – www.salonmaster.com

Rio Systems – www.riosystems.com

Aphelion – www.aphelion.net

2004 HITEC

Debra Kristopson

President of NDTC.com & NDTCWIFIFormer CIO of Stouffer Hotels &

Resorts and Stouffer RestaurantsOver 25 years of industry experienceSenior Industry ConsultantIndustry Speaker/Lecturer Author

Going Beyond the Basics

Technology’s Role in Club Marketing

2004 HITEC

Marketing with Technology

Going beyond the basics of your Membership Management and

Sales & Catering Systems,

What additional tools are available….

2004 HITEC

Deb’s Technology Rule #1

For ANY Technology which your current, or future,

Club Member is able to interact with……

You need to have a non-technology equivalent service.

For acceptance, Technology must be perceived as an added benefit

not as a replacement for personalized service.

2004 HITEC

Member Marketers

Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool is a Satisfied Member

Keys to Membership Satisfaction:

1. Recognition2. Personalized Service3. Participation4. Involvement

Technology can “enable” you to provide superior service

2004 HITEC

Member Recognition

Ask yourself:

1. How many members are there in your Club?

2. How long have you been with your Club?

3. How many members do you know by name?

4. What is your annual staff turnover?

5. How many members would the average Club employee know by name?

2004 HITEC

The Ultimate Solution

Member ID Recognition SystemsThese are currently custom solutions using

off the shelf components

1. “Contact-less” Member RF IDs2. Photo Database of Members3. RF ID Sensors placed in key contact areas4. Member profiles activated on PC when the member is in “range”

Ski Resorts are using a variation of this technology for Lift Access

2004 HITEC

Resources

On the web use “rfid” or “rf id” as keywords to find sources of information on RF ID tags and vendors

www.amtel-security.com

www.aleder.com

2004 HITEC

Personalized Service

Providing Personalized Service is NOT easy

BUT it is an attainable goal.

Personalized Service Basics

1. Track Member Participation2. Track Member Preferences3. Track Key Dates4. Track Prior Complaints

5. Expedite Requests and Issues6. Follow up on all issues

2004 HITEC

Software Solutions for Personalizing Service

Guest Recognition Software Customer Relationship Management

Software (CRM) Quality Assurance Software

These systems are labor intensive both in collecting the data as well as making

the information actionable.

Information without Action is Meaningless.

Management Commitment is REQUIRED.

2004 HITEC

Resources

www.guestware.com

www.mtech.com

www.hotelexpert.com

2004 HITEC

Expanding Member Services

Integrating OLTP applications into your Member services can enhance your

perceived value as a Club.

Examples of available OLTP applications:

Tee Time Scheduling Calculating / posting handicap Checking account status Making dining reservations

2004 HITEC

Encourage Member Involvement

Solicit feedback on club issuesConduct surveys/online polls

Post Results and important updates

Act upon at least ONE item

Never solicit feedback and then ignore it by failing to take action

2004 HITEC

Your Marketing Web Site

Your “Marketing” web site has a different audience, message and goal than your Members Only web site

Perform Regional Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Attain as many legitimate inbound links as possible

DO NOT auto-submit your site to one million search engines and directories for the low cost of $69.99

2004 HITEC

E-Marketing is LEGAL

Develop a relationship with your ISP – they are your first line of defense against complaints.

Never conduct an email marketing campaign without their prior knowledge.

Use carefully built lists. Always allow for OPT-out. Avoid spamming people. Keep your email message small and simple.

Direct your reader back to your web site for more information.

It’s True, People Don’t Read

Web Site Basics

2004 HITEC

Web Site Basics

People don’t read – keep your information concise, and well organized

Be unique – don’t use templates

Who you host with does matter

Search Engine Ranking is more important than “bells & whistles”

Promote your web site in all traditional forms of communication

2004 HITEC

People Don’t Read

Focus on what the surfer wants to know NOT on what you want to tell him

Don’t use a graphic which doesn’t display well

Keep Navigation simple and consistent across all pages

Keep individual page lengths to a maximum of two vertical scroll bars

Break long text with Graphics Keep load times under 25 seconds on a

56kb connection Don’t go overboard with required fields on

information forms

2004 HITEC

Your Design Should be Unique

Just as you wouldn’t put your name on someone else’s sales brochure, don’t use a template and make your site look just like everyone else’s.

Your web site should be reflective of the personality of your Club.

Keep your content fresh and up to date.

2004 HITEC

Web Hosting Considerations

Nothing in life is truly free ……Choose your host with care

Be pop-up banner and ad free Be hosted as a stand alone site –

do not allow yourself to be header-hosted Make sure your host is using, at minimum, T1

connections to the Internet Your host should provide web based email with

SPAM Blocking If you are planning on E-Marketing, make sure that

you have a sales representative that you can work with to avoid being blocked

2004 HITEC

Be Search Engine Friendly

Search Engines are “finicky”…..

Avoid Search Engine Roadblocks:1. Flash Intros2. Animation3. Frame

Not all web designers know how to design for search engine optimization. Check first.

Not all web designers perform search engine optimization or submit your site for ranking. Check first.

WIFI Basics

2004 HITEC

WIFI Technologies

Broadband Internet

Internal Networks

Applications

Security Considerations

2004 HITEC

WIFI INTERNET Jargon 101

WIFI – Wireless Fidelity; term used to distinguish Wireless data from cell phones

DSL – Higher speed Internet access options provided by LEC or a reseller

Up to Speed – This is not a guaranteed speed and is dependent upon your location

Speed to Location – If more than one user is connected to the Internet – this is a shared speed

Download Speed – Speed to the Provider Upload Speed – Speed from the Provider –

this is the more important speed for most.

2004 HITEC

Broadband…Faster than a Speeding Bullet

As new Internet applications become available – Access speed will exceed most DSL offerings ability to compete

Scalable Broadband Internet Access – speeds can be set by user

Technology is rapidly changing – current standard 802.11 b/g – Don’t invest for the long term

Commercial vs Residential equipment –“Don’t send a boy to do a man’s job.”

2004 HITEC

Clubs & WIFI do go well together

WIFI access can be either an added Member benefit or a revenue center

City Clubs make excellent Hot Spots

Clubs with Housing Developments make excellent “Neighborhood” WIFI Installations

Clubs with Meeting Space WIFI enabled may allow for easier sales

WIFI can be billed based upon usage or as a flat fee and can be associated back to a Member Account

2004 HITEC

WIFI Internal Networks

WIFI may be just the right solution for networking remote locations

A typical “neighborhood” WIFI installation can cover 2-3 sq miles providing all within the coverage area seamless Network access

Antenna height is key to achieving a large coverage area

Wireless and Wired networks can be bridged for maximum coverage across and then within buildings

2004 HITEC

WIFI Applications

WIFI Applications are coming of age

For example….

Hand Held POS terminalsGolf Carts with GPSMore are coming to market everyday

2004 HITEC

Secured WIFI

WIFI Networks are no more, or less,

secure than Wired Networks

The “unsecured WIFI myth” exists because

the majority of people who install a WIFI network

NEVER turn on security.

2004 HITEC

WIFI Security Considerations

Choose the level of security based upon perceived risk

WIFI security can be as basic as WEP64 or as complex as WPA-PSK.

WIFI security comes with a price:PROXIM 600 Commercial Grade Radio Unsecured - 1000 clients WEP128 - 500 clients WPA-PSK - 50 clients

Technology Issues to keep an eye on

Emerging Trends & Technologies

2004 HITEC

Technology Issues to keep an eye on

SPAM legislation

Business Process Patents

Offshoring

Privacy legislation

2004 HITEC

Thank You !