I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May your Holiday wishes come true and the new year bring you health and happiness.
Robert
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Oversight or Lack of Preparation?
During the Thanksgiving Holiday I took some time off to relax and get in some snowboarding up at Boyne Mountain. The snow was pretty good and the temperature was not bad either, almost like spring. I enjoyed myself out on the slopes as did many other I think people were just enthused about getting some of the first run for the year in.
Unfortunately, the situation off the slopes was about “par for course” when it comes to Boyne and the Resort management. Now please do not get me wrong I am sure opening weekend in any profession can be a challenge. The problem is after 40+ years you would think it might go a little smoother.
The mountain was not jam packed which was probably a good thing for Boyne as their Rental department was not able to meet the demands of the customers it had. The problem was not lack of equipment, it was lack of competency.
Boyne has recently changed to an automated system to try to improve its ski/board rental system. Innovative maybe? However, culture or process change without proper support and direction only leads to confusion, chaos and frustration as was demonstrated over the holiday weekend.
It was clear Boyne did not test the system from the end user perspective. The system was not intuitive to the customer and caused confusion. Boyne did not have staff on hand to assist guests or at the very least provide directions with the system to assist the guests. That created a recipe for dissatisfied guests. Order Up!
The second part of this equation occurred when one of the system broke and guest were stuck with using one system. It took some guests one and a half hours to get their rental equipment.
The third part of the equation is when guest brought the situation to the attention of the rental staff. The first response was “it’s not my problem” the second response was “that is not my department”.
Clearly, This was both a oversight and lack of preparation by Boyne. What if both automated machines failed? What was the back-up plan then? What about customer service or does that fall under “not my problem” That is just what a guest who is paying for lodging, meals, ski rental, lift tickets and water park passes love to hear.
Moving on to Boyne Country Sports. Before going to the shop I called to check and see if they sold a particular item. I was immediately told yes they do. I reconfirmed the item for sale and inquired about a price, the sales person did not know. I then asked who I needed to speak with when I get to the store. When I arrived at the store it took me a second to find the person I needed to speak with. I stood by patiently as he dealt with a customer. During this time there was no acknowledgment of my presence or inquiry to my needs or offer to get us assistance. after waiting for over ten minutes it was not until I approached the sales person that I was acknowledged. When I did speak with him he was good enough to inform me that they did not sell that particular item anymore because of equipment technicalities.
After wasting my time with Boyne sports I researched the item online, almost always a better option, and discovered he was incorrect on the technical specifications of the product.
So not only did the store employees waste my time by being ignorant of what they did and did not sell they also provided me with inaccurate information.
My question is have they really been doing this for 40+ years? It surely does not show.
Unfortunately, the situation off the slopes was about “par for course” when it comes to Boyne and the Resort management. Now please do not get me wrong I am sure opening weekend in any profession can be a challenge. The problem is after 40+ years you would think it might go a little smoother.
The mountain was not jam packed which was probably a good thing for Boyne as their Rental department was not able to meet the demands of the customers it had. The problem was not lack of equipment, it was lack of competency.
Boyne has recently changed to an automated system to try to improve its ski/board rental system. Innovative maybe? However, culture or process change without proper support and direction only leads to confusion, chaos and frustration as was demonstrated over the holiday weekend.
It was clear Boyne did not test the system from the end user perspective. The system was not intuitive to the customer and caused confusion. Boyne did not have staff on hand to assist guests or at the very least provide directions with the system to assist the guests. That created a recipe for dissatisfied guests. Order Up!
The second part of this equation occurred when one of the system broke and guest were stuck with using one system. It took some guests one and a half hours to get their rental equipment.
The third part of the equation is when guest brought the situation to the attention of the rental staff. The first response was “it’s not my problem” the second response was “that is not my department”.
Clearly, This was both a oversight and lack of preparation by Boyne. What if both automated machines failed? What was the back-up plan then? What about customer service or does that fall under “not my problem” That is just what a guest who is paying for lodging, meals, ski rental, lift tickets and water park passes love to hear.
Moving on to Boyne Country Sports. Before going to the shop I called to check and see if they sold a particular item. I was immediately told yes they do. I reconfirmed the item for sale and inquired about a price, the sales person did not know. I then asked who I needed to speak with when I get to the store. When I arrived at the store it took me a second to find the person I needed to speak with. I stood by patiently as he dealt with a customer. During this time there was no acknowledgment of my presence or inquiry to my needs or offer to get us assistance. after waiting for over ten minutes it was not until I approached the sales person that I was acknowledged. When I did speak with him he was good enough to inform me that they did not sell that particular item anymore because of equipment technicalities.
After wasting my time with Boyne sports I researched the item online, almost always a better option, and discovered he was incorrect on the technical specifications of the product.
So not only did the store employees waste my time by being ignorant of what they did and did not sell they also provided me with inaccurate information.
My question is have they really been doing this for 40+ years? It surely does not show.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The 64 Million Dollar Question?
Not too long ago some of the other owners were intrigued about the sale of Big Sky and what Boyne USA would do with the proceeds. The answer has arrived thanks the Boston Globe. Now I do not get the paper delivered to my house but I am thankful for that little thing called Google alerts. Google alerts is what puts the world in my back yard. If you want to know about something just set your Google alerts and it will come to you, try it, you’ll like it.
Well the article explaining the details can be found at the following link but the interesting reading is in the comments section.
Check it out
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