GENERAL MANAGER
A YEAR OF HIGHS AND LOWS
CLUB REPORTS
We again close another sailing season at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and this one has been a year of highs and lows . The 2015 Member Survey results were delivered towards the end of last year . Participation in this survey remained very strong with 46 % of members responding , and as the survey population closely mirrors the membership population , we can confidently rely on the data to provide an accurate assessment of how members perceive the services delivered by the Club .
In terms of overall satisfaction with the Club , a very pleasing 87 % of members express their satisfaction in positive terms with only 3 % expressing negative feelings ( the remaining 10 % are indifferent ). When looking at the individual service areas , performance scores have increased across all areas that members rate as important services , including the marina and hardstands , racing and cruising and food and beverage service . Looking closely at the detail , there are certainly areas within racing where members would like the Club to focus on making further improvements and members should be assured that between the Board , management and the committees there is a lot of work and investment going into these areas .
The perceived Value for Membership decreased from 69 % to 63 %. Whilst still considered a very sound result , this reduction was disappointing given the investments that have been made in this area in recent years including the Club absorbing the YNSW membership fees , the removal of race entry fees for those on the marina and halving for others , significant investment in the presentation of the Clubhouse and the provision of a new fitness centre at a cost recovery access fee . Tavener Research advise given the increased performance ratings and coupled with a very high Net Promoter Score of 56 , that it would indicate that there is not a strong correlation between performance and value . Value is impacted by other elements , such as personal circumstance and in many cases will be beyond the Club ’ s control . It may also signal a further need to ensure benefits are restricted to members ONLY , as membership value is diminished when non-members can easily access the privileges of membership . Further work will also be undertaken to look at how member value can be further enhanced . We will continue to challenge what we routinely do to ensure that we are organised and ready to provide a level of service that meets the ever changing needs of members and allows us to respond to and take advantage of the external environment and opportunities that present .
The Member Survey is completed biennially , so the next survey is due to be undertaken in the third quarter of 2017 .
When composing the 2015 Member Survey Questionnaire , consideration was also given to how information gathered could be used to assist in the development of the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan . We are fortunate to have the assistance of long standing member James Mayjor in guiding us in this process and the detailed analysis and cross referencing with information we have in our database has been very insightful . Much of it has proven what we thought we already knew , but it is also forcing us to look at our membership groupings in a great deal of detail to understand what drives their satisfaction and how we can improve our services to provide even better value to them . The Commodore has provided further detail regarding the Strategic Plan in the Club ’ s 2016 Annual Report report so I won ’ t elaborate now , other than to say once the plan has been finalised it will be available to members in its entirety and a concise communication piece will also be produced that articulates the strategy .
Naturally it is our loyal staff who , in many cases working in tandem with the various committees , are responsible for bringing about the performance of the services . We have a very high number of long term staff members both in the administration area and also in the front of house areas such as food and beverage , who are very proud of the service standards they offer and seek to go above and beyond where possible . These attitudes coupled with what is really quite a small customer ( member ) base , enables us to become familiar with our members , their preferences and allows us to tailor service to suit individuals and this has been reflected in the aforementioned survey results . I thank them all for their continued dedication , commitment and loyalty .
We have had a couple of notable staff departures this year . In January our well-loved and highly regarded Boatyard Manager Jeff Thomas retired . While I am sure I speak for all when I say he is missed , he did a great job in ensuring that there was a good succession plan in place prior to his departure and the elevation of Monique Mobbs and the return of Gary Moon on the operations side had led to a seamless transition . More recently ,
6 YACHTSMAN