18 minute read
Customer Service or Customer Experience
USPTA Invited Guest
By Chris Tran USPTA Elite Professional
Ifound that in our tennis industry, many coaches who are great salesmen or great teaching pros on court, are missing the customer service and/or fail to provide good customer experience.
What is “customer experience”?
Customer experience is defined by the interactions and experiences your customer has with your business throughout the entire customer journey, from first contact to becoming a happy and loyal customer. Customer experience is an integral part of customer relationship and the reason why it’s important is because a customer who has a positive experience with your business is more likely to become a repeat and loyal customer.
In fact, according to a global customer experience study by a large fortune 500 company it has been found that 74% of senior executives believe that customer experience impacts the willingness of a customer to be a loyal advocate. If you want your customers to stay loyal, you have to invest in their experience!
Why do we see customers following the pros in our industry and not staying with the academy or school? Mostly because the pros provide them the customer service and good product they expect. A smart operation will build the pros around their program not their program around the pros and will focus on great customer experience and customer service. As such, when one of the pros leaves, the customers will not see a change.
What is “customer service” in the tennis business?
The term refers to the way a company interacts with its customers and handling of progress of the child, billing, complaints and any issues. Whenever there is direct contact with a customer, we are talking about customer service.
What’s the difference between the two, one might ask?
Customer experience is how players feel about their session with the pro during the lesson or clinic, or when they buy one of your products. It could also mean how they view you as a pro, or your program while watching or attending a lesson/clinic. On the other hand, customer service is how communication and issues are being handled beyond the tennis court. below then you not providing good customer experience(CX): 1. Are your pros just standing around talking to each other while running the clinic? 2. Are your pros just a ball feeding machine, not providing any feedbacks to the students? 3. If you are working with a Performance level player and you ask, “what do you want to work on today?” 4. Your pros are spending most of the time checking the phone or on the phone during the lesson/clinic? 5. Are your pros NOT enforcing the COVID19 CDC guidelines? 6. Put a child in an inappropriate level? 7. Are your pros talking too much, or not enough? 8. Do your pros present themselves professionally both in appearance and demeaner? 9. Do your pros come to the court before their scheduled time and be ready for their clinic/lesson?
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions below then you are not providing good customer service(CS): 1. Do you provide a quality status report about the player if you are dealing with Performance kids? 2. Do you listen and answer their questions to their satisfaction? 3. Do you return their VM or emails in timely manner? 4. Do you provide recommendations and move a child to the next level when a child is ready before a parent asked? 5. Do you make recommendations about their equipment needs before you even asked?
Here’s what we should learn from the major businesses.
Customer experience and customer service have fast become top priorities for businesses and 2021 will be no different. But, why are so many companies focusing on the CX and CS and what happens to companies that choose to ignore it?
Customers no longer base their loyalty on price or product. Keep in mind that tennis is an expensive sport, so your clients are mostly mid to high-end salaries, so cost is not their concern. Instead, they stay loyal with club/academy due to the experience they receive. If you cannot keep up with their increasing demands, your customers will leave you.
A good customer experience means your customers will spend more.
In fact, 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. The more expensive the item, the more they are willing to pay. The perception is that the more expensive coach and clinic are better and provide higher quality than the cheaper ones. In my experience, this is a distorted perception. Many of the highly priced pros are just great salesmen, but some are not even certified and getting high prices for their lessons.
Customer frustration will lead to churn
According to Esteban Kolsky, 72% of customers will share a positive experience with 6 or more people. On the other hand, if a customer is not happy, 13% of them will share their experience with 15 or even more. The challenge here lies in the fact that, in most cases, customers don’t tell you if they are unhappy. In fact, only 1 in 26 unhappy customers actually complain. The rest just leave.
With 9 out of 10 businesses competing mainly on customer experience, it’s the organizations that take customer experience seriously that will stand out from the noise and win loyal customers over. One thing is for sure, in order to deliver a positive experience, you have to know your customers better than ever before.
Once you know your customers well enough, you can use that knowledge to personalize every interaction. Customers these days have more power and choices than ever before. Thus, you are responsible for understanding and acknowledging their needs. If you make sure their interaction with your club or academy is smooth, pleasant and continuously improving, you will drive brand loyalty. If not, you’ll give your competitors the best gift you can – your customers.
A host of clubs and academies all over the world are striving to enhance this experience in order to build their reputation, increase customer loyalty and drive sales. Indeed, when asked about the company’s main competitive advantage, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was quick to define it as: “creating a customer experience superior to anything my competitors can create.”
Clubs and academies who successfully implement a customer experience and customer service strategy achieve higher customer satisfaction rates, reduced customer churn and increased revenues.
State News
Alabama Our Spring Workshop is scheduled for Saturday April 3rd. Jack Broudy will be featured and he will present The Swing - Play Natural, Effortless, Powerful Tennis. Location is Inverness Country Club in Birmingham. contact John Beaube coachbeaube@honewoodtennis.com with any USPTA AL questions or concerns. Arkansas Arkansas has had some dry and unseasonably warm days the last part of 2020 and early 2021. Us outside guys are thankful! The pandemic as you all know has at least sent a message to the masses that they need to get up and get outside. We are being rewarded with an increase in players.
USTA Arkansas will have an abbreviated annual meeting on January 30th , Virtual except for staff and board. The schedule will be:
January 30 9:00 Junior Team Tennis Meeting 10:00 USTA Arkansas Annual Meeting & Board Meeting 1:00 Community Development Workshop
They will be setting up pros meetings and tournament director trainings soon that will all be virtual. USPTA Coach Jim Merriman with NEATennis in Jonesboro was named USTA Arkansas pro of the year for 2020. Coach Jim introduced hundreds of kids of and adults through a variety of public tennis programs. A USPTA certification test is being held February 20th and 21st at Burns Park for pros who joined by November 1st, 2020. A USPTA Arkansas workshop and an additional certification test are being worked out for spring. Georgia We completed our first ever Ga Virtual Winter Workshop. Mark McMahon led the Workshop on Key Strategies for a Successful Career. Mark owns McMahon 10s and is the key person at USPTA Director Search. He presented over two Fridays in December showing us the significance of creating goals for your career interests and creating specifics for your career development. We were informed to assess areas needing improvement, how to overcome them, and how to strengthen your arsenal for jobs you want to obtain. We were pleased 45 pros participated.
This spring we are planning a half day conference. We don’t know yet if it can be live or virtual. The presentation will focus on the Tennis Pro Magnet which will center on bundling to generate revenue, teaching skills for the appropriate level, and discontinuing generic coaching language.
Most important is to perform some “no charge extras” to build goodwill for your programs. Kentucky Happy New Year from the Bluegrass State. I recently assumed the role of President of USPTA Kentucky. In addition to being a USPTA Elite Professional, I serve on staff with USTA Southern as the Tennis Service Representative (TSR) for Kentucky, and periodically serve as an adjunct professor of anthropology at Bellarmine University. I look forward to serving alongside my counterparts and collaborating with USPTA Pros throughout the Commonwealth.
I would like to thank USTA Kentucky, USTA Southern, and USTA National for their respective financial assistance initiatives designed to aid tennis professionals and facilities suffering financial hardship during the Covid-19 pandemic. Throughout 2020, Kentucky pros and facilities received more than $120,000 in support, with USPTA Pros benefiting both directly and indirectly. I am grateful to these organizations for helping to address expressed needs during challenging times.
On behalf of USTA Kentucky, I would like to thank Jan Barrett, Director of Tennis at Lake Forest Country Club in Louisville, for her recent participation in USTA Kentucky’s 2020 Tennis Summit, where she represented teaching professionals serving country clubs. USTA Kentucky board members and staff found her insights invaluable. Many thanks to Jan regarding her commitment to collaboration, to the improvement of instruction, and for her passion to grow the sport of tennis. Louisiana Seems like we all have the same big question? Should we spend the time and effort to schedule workshops and state conventions knowing that they can be squashed by the Government at any moment. You could do the whole thing on Zoom but it’s hard to compete with the events that have already been put on by the USPTA. I never would have thought that in January 2021 we would still be making these types of decisions. We are planning to hold a 1 day workshop in April or May this year. It will be great to get together in person. Look for details coming soon. — Bill Bryan Mississippi Happy New Year Y’all! I wish everyone a healthy 2021 and an overflowing lesson schedule! The weather during the winter months may create some gaps in your lesson schedule. Consider taking a look at streamlining or enhancing your business operations or getting ahead on those continuing education hours. The Corona Virus forced us to cancel our annual State Pro Workshop this year. I know many of you rely on the workshop hours to fulfill your continuing education requirement. Our chapter will offer regional workshops and virtual workshops to help everyone work towards meeting continuing education requirements. Those dates will be announced soon. We have set the date for our 2022 Pro Workshop as January 7th in conjunction with the USTA MS Annual meeting. Please hold the date. North Carolina Moving into 2021, I want to highlight the fantastic pros from our state. I am challenging all NC pros to send me a short video tennis tip that can be posted on our USPTA/NC Facebook page. I do, as well of many pros, already do this for member and clients. This is a fun way to connect as an association. You can send to my email or connect to me on Facebook. Usptanc1@gmail.com Tennessee Happy New Year! I always love this time of year; there is new hope and anticipation of what a new year will bring. I’ve received emails of upcoming tennis season schedules and reminders to sign up for preleague clinics. It makes me smile to think that despite wearing masks before and after play, while maintaining our distance, tennis is on the rise in Tennessee.
A huge shout out goes to the TN USTA. From rolling out the new tournament software and filling the tournament schedule, to helping teaching professionals all around the state implement new programs. Michael Chamberlain and his team have not slowed down their efforts to grow tennis.
I believe we are going to see real growth in new and returning tennis players this year. Those of you I have spoken to over the past few weeks have more new-to-tennis players, in multiple age groups, than recent years. As we jump into 2021, Tennessee tennis is ever moving and adapting. We all have many opportunities in our communities to make a difference, tennis is simply our chosen vehicle. Stay safe and hope to see you at the courts. —Meg Bandy
PRO PLANS
Depth: Control the Ball - Control the Point
By Paul Bartholomai, USPTA Elite Professional
Depth on shots should be the primary goal for all players once they have acquired a good level of consistency in their all-around game.
Week after week, I watch recreational matches and notice how they start losing: first a point, then a game and finally the match by hitting a great deal of short balls.
Why shouldn’t I hit a short ball?
Short balls allow your opponent to: -control the point…by having time and optimal court position -neutralize the net player’s ability to poach or be a threat -force the baseliner to maintain the same direction of the ball, allowing the opposite net player to be more active and poach more balls. -choose to hit their favorite shots to your least favorite shot -keep you in the defensive mode -make you react
I understand, Coach, how can I fix it?
It is in the preparation: get set early, turn your shoulders, get your racket back early and position yourself behind the line of the ball, then move forward to swing through the ball. Complete the motion and trust your follow through.
DRILL #1
Would I win more points, games and matches?
You will control your destiny for sure by making your opponent: - hit the ball in the same direction -run -hit the weakest shots in her game -play under defensive conditions I believe, YES, you will WIN more matches.
When playing, think consistency first and DEPTH second before power.
DRILL #1
Purpose: Develop depth 2 players back vs. 2 players back
Play points from baseline to baseline the ball has to cross the service line, it can’t bounce inside the service boxes, if it does your team loses the point.
DRILL #2 – Cross court vs. Down the line
Purpose: To understand the difficulty in changing direction if the ball is hit with depth 2 players back vs. 2 players back
One side hits crosscourt, the other side goes down the line.
DRILL #3 – Blue Feet Attack
Purpose: Approach the net by attacking a short ball 2 players back vs. 2 players back
Play out the point starting from the baseline, your goal is to look for opportunities to approach the net.
If one player is able to hit the ball with BOTH feet inside the baseline (Blue feet) both players have to go to the net.
DRILL #4 – Apply Pressure
Purpose: Net player applies pressure to the baseline team forcing them to play their groundstrokes on the outside third (see chart) 1 Up & 1 back vs. 2 back
Play out the point, the net player is looking to apply pressure to the baseline team by being very active, constantly moving and shifting at the net.
Note: The net player can be more active and apply more pressure if opponents are behind the baseline or moving back to hit the ball.
We measure the work of the net player by where the opponent hits their shots (outside third of the court) not by the number of volleys
he hits.
DRILL #2
DRILL #3 DRILL #4
Southern Spotlight
Dan Beedle, Elevate/U30, Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center, Knoxville, TN
Give a brief description of your tennis/ other career: I graduated from the Professional Tennis Management program at Ferris State University in 2012. After graduation I moved to Shreveport, LA and quickly became Head Pro at Querbes Tennis Center. I then moved to Memphis, TN and joined the staff at Windyke Country Club. After two and one half years I took a position at Prosperity Athletic Club in Charlotte, NC. My wife and I have now made Knoxville, TN our home. I currently work at Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center. There have been some highs and lows so far but that is part of life and you learn from them and become a better person. When did you start playing tennis? I started late by traditional standards. My first time playing was my freshman year of high school. What other sports did you play? Growing up I played a lot of baseball and basketball. I also played golf and started swimming my sophomore year of high school. What moved you to teach tennis? My high school coach made tennis incredibly fun, I looked forward to practice every day. I knew I wanted to be involved with tennis in some way going into college.
Clint Van Aswegen, Racquet Club Villas Tennis, Hilton Head Island, SC
Give a brief description of your tennis/other career: I have been teaching tennis for 32 Years. I learned to play tennis in Kimberley (The Diamond City) in the Republic of South Africa. I did not have a formal coach and learned to play the game by recording my favorite tennis players and rewinding and playing their strokes repeatedly on VHS cassettes and then trying to mimic them against the tennis wall at the local college in my city. I received an offer to study in Canada and I accepted the opportunity that led me to a full tennis scholarship offer to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. At Marist, I received a lifetime of coaching from our Head Coach Charlie Hardman, he showed me the ins and outs of the tennis business and how to teach all levels of players and how to run a successful tennis club. It was at Marist that our team came down to Hilton Head Island for Spring Break Tennis, that I fell in love with the Island and promptly moved here after college. I have coached many State, Sectional and Nationally ranked players who have gone on to successful college careers, but a highlight of my career was coaching Joanette Kruger on the WTA circuit and getting to go to all the big tournaments but especially the Grand Slams. When did you start playing tennis? I started playing tennis at the age of 11, and it was on a dare. One of my best friends challenged me to a game and I scoffed at him, because I thought tennis was a sissy sport. He said, “Bet you I can beat you!” That is all it took and off we went, he beat me convincingly and for the next six months, I knocked on his door every day to play. What other sports did you play? I played rugby, cricket, track, swimming and field hockey and I made our provincial team (State team) in all of them. What moved you to teach tennis? It was more out of necessity, I needed a What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? I am a big Lord of the Rings nerd and am lucky to have visited the Hobbit on movie set. What are your hobbies? Reading tennis articles/ watching tennis videos, traveling and watching movies with my beautiful wife. What is your favorite movie? The Princess Bride...Inconceivable! Are you reading anything right now? I am listening to an audiobook, The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek What is your favorite sports team? My favorite sport other than tennis is college basketball so I’d have to say the Butler Bulldogs! Who is your favorite player of all time? Rafa Nadal What person would you most like to have lunch with? I would like to have lunch with my grandparents again. What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? I would probably be a golf instructor. If you had a “do over” what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? For the vast majority I feel that my career has gone very well. One thing that stands out is trusting my gut and not have continued an interview for a specific job.
job and as an international student, I had to post every job for 6 months before I was able to take the job. Well inevitably someone would apply for the job so I would not get the job. Coaching tennis allowed me to use my skills to my advantage and there were fewer people who could apply and beat me out of the job and people paid in cash...oops! What is something people will be surprised to learn about you? I am an avid crypto currency trader, I have studied everything that I can to understand this trend. For the last two and half years I have listened to 3 hours of Crypto Currency Youtube everyday and I love the volatility of this market. What are your hobbies? I have a large knife collection and I buy one on every trip I take, vacation or business. I can’t help myself, but each knife is unique and one of a kind in my collection. I have over 120 knives, each with a very special story to go along with it. What is your favorite movie? Top Gun and Rudy are at the front of the line, but the line is extremely long. Are you reading anything right now? Rafa is my present vice What is your favorite sports team? I am a huge Manchester United soccer, a NY Giants , NY Yankees and big Springbok Rugby fan. Who is your favorite player of all time? Andre Agassi, but Stefan Edberg was my childhood idol. What person would you most like to have lunch with? Richard Branson (Virgin Atlantic) What would you be doing if you were not in tennis? I would be a trader on Wall Street. If you had a “do over”, what one thing would you have done differently in your teaching career? I would have loved to coach some more on the pro circuit.
