Tom Brooks, Owner of Carson Valley Golf Course in Gardnerville, Nevada, competes against a glut of other golf courses in his resort area. He has to keep costs low and service high. By deploying the beta version of Windows® Small Business Server 2008, Brooks has been able to automate paper-bound processes, improve customer service, reduce time spent on technology issues, work remotely, and increase revenues by operating more efficiently.
Business Needs
For more than 40 years, Carson Valley Golf Course has provided affordable, fun, and friendly golf to residents and tourists near Lake Tahoe in northern Nevada. Owner Tom Brooks knows that he has to provide top-notch service at low cost to attract and retain customers. “Too many courses were built in the 1990s, and we have to be very efficient to survive,” he says. “We can’t afford to have extra staff, and we have to be smart about allocating tee-times.”
The company relied on a peer-to-peer computing network that grew from three to seven desktop computers, with four of the systems being used as point-of-sale (POS) devices and one acting as a database hub. This hub machine ran an electronic tee-time allocation program, a customer database, and accounting software. Over time, the processing load became too great for this desktop “server,” and performance and reliability suffered. System failures were common, and customers drummed their fingers during checkout. To speed checkout, employees often skipped the desired step of gathering customer information that would allow Brooks to build his customer database and future business.
Many business functions, such as tee-time allocation, staff scheduling, and golf handicap tracking for customers, were mired in sandpits of paper, which caused confusion, lost inventory, and rework. Brooks spent from 2 to 10 hours a week troubleshooting technology problems. His wife, at home with the kids, handles accounting and marketing for the business, but she couldn’t connect to business systems from home. Instead, Brooks carried files home on CD-ROMs.
Solution
Brooks’s technology vendor, E2C, watched the company’s technology woes mount and recommended Windows® Small Business Server 2008, which integrates e-mail, remote access, internal Web sites, support for mobile devices, Internet connectivity, file and printer sharing, and data backup and restore in one small-business-friendly package and price. Carson Valley Golf Course deployed Windows Small Business Server 2008 Standard Edition on an HP ProLiant ML350 server computer and plans to move all business applications onto the central server.
Brooks uses the new software to automate paper processes and create a single shared version of business data that is accessible any time, by any authorized employee, from practically anywhere. For example, his wife is able to access the accounting system, e-mail messages, and customer information from her mobile phone, at home or when on vacation. “It’s a big quality-of-life improvement for both of us,” Brooks says.
E2C helped Brooks create an internal company Web site (using technology in Windows Small Business Server 2008) for staff scheduling. Managers can replicate schedules across an entire summer and make changes centrally and easily. Employees can log on and view their own schedules; soon, they’ll be able to check and change schedules from home.
The golf course uses another internal Web site to centrally track golf handicaps for members. Previously, handicap management involved many people and a manual, error-prone process. Today, employees can log on to the site and record or check handicaps immediately, without making customers wait.
Benefits
Carson Valley Golf Course has used its new software to speed up efficiency, increase customer satisfaction, and provide better work-life balance.
- Improved customer satisfaction. Because the staff can instantly access customer records, customer checkout is much faster. “An average transaction takes just two minutes, down from about six,” Brooks says. “This gives us more face time with customers.” Employees can resolve customer questions without backtracking through piles of paper. “Our customers come here to have fun. By doing things more professionally, we deliver a better customer experience.”
- Increased work flexibility. “I’m saving up to 10 hours a week by reducing technology problems,” Brooks says. “I have more time to improve the course, provide better service, or have more time off. There are never enough hours in a day for a small business owner.” Plus, Brooks and his wife can now work from anywhere.
Lower costs through increased efficiency. Deploying Windows Small Business Server 2008 has enabled Brooks to do more without hiring new people. Centralized information and faster transaction times yield more time to gather customer data. “We can do more with the people we have and at the same time increase customer loyalty,” he says. “Our productivity and customer service are going up, which helps us grow the business.”
Carson Valley has also eliminated paper-based confusion related to inventory. Employees view the same up-to-date inventory data at the same time, which eliminates double bookings or cancellation confusion.
- Increased peace of mind. Brooks sleeps better knowing that he can access business data from anywhere and his technology provider can keep an eye on systems around the clock. E2C can access Carson Valley’s server remotely to monitor and update it. “Even I can easily check system health,” Brooks says. “I don’t have to wait for something to break. E2C can now do in 15 minutes from their office what it used to take 90 minutes to drive out here and do in person.” Also, the reliability of Windows Small Business Server 2008 has eliminated the frequent downtime that used to stall the business and cause rework.
Windows Essential Server Solutions
Windows Small Business Server 2008 is part of the Windows Essential Server Solutions family, designed to help small and midsize businesses boost productivity and growth. Based on the latest innovations, Windows Essential Server Solutions dramatically simplify the deployment, ongoing management, and use of server technology.
For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit:
www.microsoft.com/sbs08
