Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

DANDDAN — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:21:30 GMT

Your article hit the right spot. In the olden days, Saul Silberman, owner of Tropical Park, FL; Doug Donn of Gulfstream Park, FL, Chick Lang, Pimlico, MD; and Phil Iselin of Monmouth Park, NJ walked the clubhouse and grandstand most everday. Visits to the backside were also remembered. Dan Perlsweig, trainer Lord Avie 1981 eclipse award winner and Champion 2 year old, resident of Monmouth Beach NJ and Hollywood, FL

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

Wanda — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:17:02 GMT

Not Impressed: I hear you. Worked on the backside and owned horses in the 80's and 90's at NP and StpP.But you know they are non-profit not private. Saying that they should understand customer service.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

TPSMKEMK — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:51:29 GMT

Great article! Sadly, most racetrack executives do not have a clue of providing world class customer service.

Turf Paradise, Hawthorne and Los Alamitos are horrible. The places are filthy, the front line help are unfriendly at best. Del Mar charges too much.

Randy Sampson thinks like you do, he is on a first name basis with many of his customers. His front line staff are friendly and helpful. The food quality is generally better than most sport venues.

However, world class customer service is having a clean facility, the middle management and supervisory staff that is approachable, betting machines that work, a highly trained front line staff that can help ALL levels of fans for ALL their needs.

Every employee and management need to understand they are sales people and must do everything to get every fan to spend money once they are inside their facility.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

Not Impressed — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:52:31 GMT

I hope you have a few Poster Sized for NORTHLANDS PARK, Ab

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

AEM — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:22:10 GMT

I have attended and attend most tracks in both California and Kentucky. I am not a clubhouse patron, but simply a general admission customer. Over 40+ years I've become conditioned to not expecting anykind of real customer service or customer appreciation. I've found this to be true pretty much across the board.....with one standout exception, Keeneland in Lexington. In layman's terms, "they get it"! But more importantly, they clearly know how to execute customer service and customer appreciation. And I truly believe their customer service attitude/appreciation is genuine, not contrived.

I have no illusion that the others will ever get it. My opinion (and every man is entitled to his opinion) is that they lack the real business skills and understanding, to make meaningful customer service/appreciation happen. But what I find even more disconcerting, is these are the executives, G.M.'s, and managers who standby scratching their heads, wondering why on track attendance has reached abysmal low levels. In layman's terms, "they don't get it".

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

Bellwether — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:26:21 GMT

promote the sport...most tracks just don't have a clue...

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

Ken Woodall — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:18:09 GMT

In my experience, especially at Ca fairs, even new customers are left on their own. No attempt to encourage a return trip.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

Bill — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:04:09 GMT

The racing industry never did understand how to market the sport and apparently it extends to the customer service arena as well.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

kevin morris — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:32:16 GMT

I have been to numerous eastern tracks, and the only place I have felt any type of consideration of the type you describe is at Keeneland. At Mountaineer, the closest thoroughbred track to my hometown of Pittsburgh, I would expect management to spit at me on the way out the door based on the way they seem to go out of their way to make watching horseracing unpleasant. The track employees sometimes try to be nice, but usually the track policies discourage this effort. Suprisingly Philadelphia Park was second best to Keeneland-generally welcoming (as a Pittsburgher this is very difficult to say) and seemed to actually appreciate my patronage. Penn National was fairly neutral, Presque Isle reminiscent of Mountaineer-"get out of the way, you anachronism, these people want to play the slots!" Racinos may be the financial short-term life support for horseracing, but unless they start to actually focus on serving the horseracing fan base like customers the patient will still die from neglect.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

DWLa5 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:09:06 GMT

Good article. The lack of attention to patrons extends to Breeders Cup. If racing was interested in their live fans, they would not charge ridiculous prices for the Breeders Cup ($600 for a grandstand seat?). I know they think the Breeders Cup is like the Super Bowl, an "event". But that is only in the minds of the racing industry, not the general public. Here in LA, where local media care so little about racing (the daily newspaper no longer covers it at all), racing has a golden opportunity to get people to the track on Breeders Cup day(s). But they are flubbing it, royally. And of course the two "big event" horses apparently are not running.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

Millpond — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:11:46 GMT

I feel Dover Downs similcast is excellent. Great betting machines and TV at no charge. They have a hoseracing hostess that looks after things and responds to your request. They mail you free matching $2 weekly wagering coupons every month. Mutual personnel are very courteous and friendly. They even comp for Buffet as a rebate on your Fast Bet Card. All drinks, soda and coffee are $1 with free refills all day. This is the way to treat customers and show you that they want you to return.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

Julie L. — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:48:57 GMT

Poor customer service is my biggest gripe having worked in that field myself, I tend to be harsher than most if I get terrible customer service and have no problems with letting management know for if you do not tell someone how will they know they have an issue that needs to be fixed. As for the racetracks I do wish that their customer service would improve but I think that they believe the only people coming to the tracks are diehard gamblers who could careless about service, food and cleanliness not that all diehard gamblers are filthy, I think you get my meaning however about how tracks are in general and I love going to Hollywood Park and Santa Anita with my husband and when our boys were little would take them with us as well. Some have tried to have a family atmosphere but still need improvements in that area. Attendance is dropping so they need to make it family and dating couple friendly. Just an opinion.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

David — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:54:38 GMT

Jeff, you’ve framed the situation quite well. Currently, individuals leading this industry have several aspects in common:

• Few know much about the product being sold,

• Even less insight exists about customers who purchase it,

• What is known is a source of disaffection in that core users aren’t the least bit like themselves,

• The belief that “they’ll come anyway”,

• Few have ideas to tap new markets and,

• The belief that the core product is fine.

Even contemporary management tends to be top-down. Unfortunate as allocations for budget and expertise will continue lag behind the vastly more profitable side of the economic (racino) house. I fear we find ourselves in an ever-shrinking fraternity and the horizon isn’t at all promising.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

MMoneta — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:42:23 GMT

In over 30 yrs of going to ractracks and OTB'S the only person who actually cared and provided the service he was selling was Rick Moore at Hoosier Park.The rest do nothing yet bemoan the fact that people would rather play online.If bettors were provided the tools they needed without being nickeled and dime to death they would still be betting at the track.In IL over the last 10 yrs I was asked to pay .05 for a pkg of catsup or mustard for my hot dog,forced to buy 2 programs to get the full DELMAR card.Split between day and night simo programs.IL bettors at Balmoral for live harness racing receive a smaller mutual than people playing across the line in IN.Play a simulcast race from any where in the US and see your mutual reduced by 2.5%,they have even reduced 2.20 payouts down to 2.10.I could go on but if you want to see how not to treat the bettors come and visit a track and get nicked for every transaction.A decent bettor will end up paying out 50-100 dollars a day for the pleasure of playing in IL and they wonder why people play on line or across the state line.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

STEVE STONE — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:15:23 GMT

Hello Jeff...Thank you for the long overdue wakeup call to these so-called racetrack executives whom have adpoted an attitude of hubris and do not comprehend the most vital and essential word in business today..And that is attrition..The key to successful business is new business otherwise you are out of business..One must continually replenish it...Thats the bottom line...These people are clueless....Apathetic...They seem to pander to the owners and their connections..the trainers particularly on an vital stakes day when an out of town horse(s) ships in for their stakes of the day...Pre and post race these same people just evaporate and are non-existant...I have yet to see any of the track officials walk the grounds to say hello to the fans and discuss racing..how they are enjoying themselves and what improvements can be made..and so forth...This is sales 101..Apparently these people never took the course or fell asleep in class when it was given... And you mention dignitaries..and VIPS..everysingle fan whom walks thru those turnstiles is an VIP..dignitary...They may not be an owner/trainer or some elected/appointed offical or whatever..but sans the fans..the game is over...With what is happening today in the sport..and with the strong possibility of federal intervention in some quarters..I do not know how these people can be so aloof and distance themselves from the fans whom support them and pay their salaries...If the time ever comes when they have to shutter their doors permenently due to economics..they will then ask themselves where did I go wrong and if I had an opportunity to do it all over again..Classic example after last years Breeders' Cup conducted at Monmouth Park..You would think that w/the advent of this current meeting in early May they would have kiosks positioned throughout the plant w/staff broaching all of the fans and eliciting their thoughts regarding last years memorable events and if the Breeders'Cup did indeed spawn an newer and younger fan base and if now racing has become an entertainment venue for them? With the current meet reaching conclusion in September...not only do I not see any executives walking the apron..parking area and so forth...yet alone any post Breeders'Cup follow up...Ouch..Ouch....Attrition..Attrition...Thanx always Jeff for the window...Steve Stone..East Hanover..New Jersey..

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

LORY — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:09:23 GMT

Jeff are you sure you did not work at La Mesa when they were know as the friendly track.Saw more hand shaking there by management than at a big city obstetrics wing in front of the babies

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

da3hoss — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:47:45 GMT

Well spoke, Jeff, thanks.

re: Little Things Still Count - by Jeff Klenner

local owner — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:56:45 GMT

please forward this article to all north american racetrack front offices for posting