Putting the WOW Into Marina Operations

The previous “On the Waterfront” column focused on putting the wow into marina design, but that is only half of the equation. The other half involves putting the wow into marina operations. While both are necessary and integrated, I believe how a marina operates edges out the facility’s design.
While the one word to best describe the wow in design was functionality, the one word for operations would have to be hospitality.

Marina Hospitality
Yes, most marinas are in the hospitality industry, even if most definitions of the hospitality industry don’t specifically mention marinas. They do mention things like recreational activities, tourism and having a dependence on discretionary spending, free time and the interest of customers. The shoe fits, so how do we wear it?

Two fundamentals for succeeding in hospitality involve providing exceptional customer service and an exceptional customer experience, and you can’t have the latter without the former.

In broad terms, customer service would be all the things marina owners, operators and staff do to take care of customers, while customer experience would be how customers view all those services. To get the wow, you want your customers to feel welcomed, appreciated and satisfied, with their needs and wants satiated and exceeded.

That sounds pretty straightforward, but getting there so often takes a lot more effort than one might imagine. Making it even more challenging is that customers today tend to have higher expectations and are more demanding than ever before. They want to be catered to, and they have little tolerance for things going wrong or feeling that they are being ignored, made to wait or not considered special.

That means that it is more important than ever that all staff members are trained to understand and work with customers in a manner that is pleasant, polite and meaningful. They are on the front lines with customer contact, whether it be by internet, phone or the first face-to-face meeting at the marina. If it’s the first time a customer is setting foot on the property, remember that those first impressions really matter, for once they are set, they are very hard to change.

Delivering a Great Experience
Yes, each staff member can create the most fabulous experience or ruin it with one sentence. These are more than just words. It’s attitude, appearance, personality and desiring to help create the perfect experience. While it might be a tall order, it is a realistic expectation if the facility is committed to getting the wow.

To be successful, a facility needs to focus on delivering a great experience, no matter if it is a small, independent marina or part of a chain. Whether answering the phone, the radio or internet communications, using an upbeat approach is most meaningful and sets a positive tone for whatever follows.

Those who are contacting the facility mostly are looking for information, wanting to initiate an action or are disturbed and are calling to complain.

The staff member who is the first point of contact should be upbeat and upfront, but no one is going to know everything about everything. If an employee doesn’t know the answer to a question, the employee should be honest and tell the customer that the employee will get the correct information or find another staff member who can help. Be sure to follow through to make sure that customer is contacted that day.

Pricing and Service
One thing many customers will complain about is pricing. Be honest about pricing.

A la carte, all in and hybrid pricing are meaningful but differing approaches. Carefully explaining one’s pricing and eliminating “hidden fees” helps prevent misunderstandings by the customer, and the resulting bad, lingering taste that makes them think you are taking advantage of them. Simply posting pricing on a website or a page of charges is not enough. Worse, if a customer questions something, don’t reply by abruptly saying it was on the website or a price sheet. That sets up an accusatory atmosphere or suggests the customer is stupid, etc. Taking a different approach by suggesting looking at the bill together helps to diffuse the issue on a proactive basis.

In addition to honest pricing, it is important to think about when customers visit a marina the most. Holidays and weekends usually mean full slips and additional customers visiting to spend a fun day on the water, but sometimes something goes wrong, whether that be a dead battery, faulty wires, etc. Having a mechanic on duty can change a looming disastrous customer experience into the facility saving the day.

Issues like this can happen at any time of day, so providing an emergency night contact number is simple, easy and is rarely abused, but when there is an issue, knowing that there is assistance in the middle of the night is something that will be remembered for decades.

When there is a problem with a boat, and it is brought in for service, try to follow these three steps:

• Triage the boat shortly after it comes in to try to diagnose the issue and determine the various parts that could be needed.
• Realistically schedule the boat for service.
• Call the customer that day and bring him or her up to date.

  

Explain that the service department’s goal is to fix the problem as fast as possible so the customer can use his or her boat with as little delay as possible. Part of that approach would be to get permission to proceed, including with ordering the parts likely to be needed. Customers need to understand that some parts might have to be returned with potential restocking fees. While servicing the boat, it is important to periodically give customers a call with a status update. Have customers be part of the process of the repair. Never promise what you cannot keep. Additionally, it always makes a great impression when you return the boat cleaner than when you received it.

Customer Satisfaction
Speaking of cleaning, keeping up with, or, better yet, getting ahead of the game with overall cleaning and maintenance of the facility is imperative if you are going to get the wow. If you build it, they will come, but if you then fail to maintain it, they will leave. Weeds taking over the nice landscaping or dead plants everywhere don’t provide that attractive atmosphere for which one was hoping. There’s little value in putting the beautiful granite and tile work in the bathrooms if they are only cleaned once a month. While people tend to like new and shiny renovated spaces, if the choice is between dirty new and spotless old, the spotless old will usually win.

Of course, offering activities, amenities and special events can be a big part of boating, and a big win for just about any facility. The next “On the Waterfront” column will delve into that topic. Suffice it to say, whatever is offered needs to be carried out with the same attention to customer service and customer satisfaction.

Similarly, if a facility involves various lessee/tenant operations, whether providing boat repair services, a bar/restaurant, etc., marina owners and operators need to do all they can to ensure that their tenants are also focused on providing high levels of customer service and satisfaction. Tenants may be largely independent from the marina, but the customers, particularly new customers, are not likely to make the distinction.

In a small independent facility, there is often a family-type atmosphere, which can be a significant reason why customers come to that facility. Owners, staff and customers are typically on a first-name basis, with the facility often anticipating and meeting the needs of their customers. These attributes can more than make up for not necessarily having all of the bells and whistles of larger facilities.

Regardless of size and ownership, exceeding expectations will result in customer loyalty. When that is achieved, it translates to commanding higher prices and greater profitability. Some use the slogan to promise little and exceed expectations. We prefer to promise the true hospitality experience and then continue to bring it to new heights.

Happy boating – and getting those wows!

Dan Natchez, CMP, is president of DANIEL S. NATCHEZ and ASSOCIATES Inc. He can be contacted by phone at 1-914-698-5678, by WhatsApp at 1-914-381-1234, by email at dan.n@dsnainc.com or online at www.dsnainc.com.

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