Next up in our series of “1 Year of Zzoomm” Interviews, we spoke to Chris Hogan, CEO and Club Secretary of the exclusive private members club, Phyllis Court, one of Henley’s most recognisable institutions, about his experience with Zzoomm.
Established in 1906, Phyllis Court is situated in a grand riverside manor, set in 18 acres of land with hotel rooms on the town centre side of the Thames here in Henley.
They have over three and a half thousand members, enjoying every facility you can imagine, from their state of the art tennis court to their spa, river moorings and even their own moat. Each year its beautiful Riverside Pavilion plays host to the famous Henley Royal Regatta finishing line, witnessing some of the most fiercely fought rowing races ever.
Not to forget the star-studded Henley Festival headlined by the likes of Chic, Sade, Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley.
Is it any wonder that Phyllis Court has such an incredible reputation not only here in the UK but across the world?
What does day to day life look like for Chris?
Across his two different roles, Chris is responsible for the company that runs the Phyllis Court. He also heads up the day-to-day operations, leading the 100+ members of staff who work so hard to make Phyllis Court the place it is and ensuring the continuation of its formidable reputation.
See what Chris had to say about Zzoomm below
How important is a good, reliable Wi-Fi connection to Phyllis Court?
While a typical day at Phyllis Court is rare, Chris estimates that on a non-event day, around 70 members of staff and over 300 members will be coming in and out of the club, connecting to and using the Broadband.
On event days like the Henley Royal Regatta, the club open the doors to around 3,500 members.
“We consider Wi-Fi provision to be absolutely key to member satisfaction, and of course, member satisfaction is key to the survival of the club because that encourages recruitment and encourages retention. It’s absolutely at the heart of the service standards we provide here.”
Life before Zzoomm.
Given how important a reliable broadband connection is for the club and its members, we asked Chris what life was like before using Zzoomm.
“Our connection before Zzoomm wasn’t particularly fast, it was intermittent and certainly wasn’t powerful enough to service the entire estate and all our guests. So, when Zzoomm’s offering came along, it felt like a game changer for us!”
What attracted you to Zzoomm?
Chris first made contact with us around a year ago and was interested in the speeds that we had on offer and how we’re able to tailor what we provide to the needs of both our residential and, in his case, commercial clients.
“First of all, I liked the look of the speeds that you claimed to offer, and for me, the added bonus was I know that you were on our doorstep, a local business with a quirky twist”.
We’re proud of our high level of customer service, whether through our local customer service team or with our on the street team, which Chris felt was another advantage, especially when working with such a prestigious business like Phyllis Court.
“There was very easy access to the highest levels of customer service in terms of speaking to the project manager, and it was the ease with which I dealt with your project manager and your technicians that supported my decision.”
Installing Zzoomm at Phyllis Court
Due to COVID, lockdowns and several other disruptions like residential priority lists, we weren’t able to get in and connect Phyllis Court as quickly as we would usually like, but this still worked well and, upon agreeing to a timeline with our project manager in Henley, we got started.
As you can imagine, ensuring the whole of the clubhouse, the Pavilion, the Fitness Centre, every single corner of the estate – and even those sitting in boats on the Thames, can all access the fastest speeds possible was a big job – but the team did it, and we have been able to connect the whole premises.
“It was very good because the Zzoomm team were all self-sufficient. We knew where they were going to work, and they would come and get on with it, completing the work without any undue requirement for supervision, major disruption or anything on site, which, which was great for us.
Not to mention the cleanup was very good.”
Zzoomm at Phyllis Court
Chris wasn’t able to report back how the infrastructure coped at one of their larger events due to the National lockdown, but he did ask the staff about their experience using Zzoomm.
“All of them gave a big thumbs up, they like the feel of Zzoomm and they feel confident that the network is going to stay up and running, If we do have any problems, we know we have a local team to call up to receive help and support, quickly and efficiently.
It’s a big thumbs up from all the staff and the people who are already using the facility who are very happy with the speeds and the reliability ”
Improvements for the future
Now lockdown restrictions are easing, we will be excited to see just what Zzoomm can do at their next big event. But until then, we asked Chris how he felt these improvements would benefit and most impact the club.
“It’s all about customer satisfaction, this is key in any private members club like this. The guests have huge expectations because they pay a lot of money to be members here. And therefore their needs will certainly be met by the fact that they’ve got the fastest broadband connection in the UK!
Likewise, what I think is really important is how we’ve been able to stamp out many of the gripes and grumbles by having Zzoomm. One of the most frequent being ‘I can’t sit outside on the lawn with a cup of tea and stay connected’ well, now they can.”
What would you say to other businesses looking to improve their broadband services?
“I would say that they need to look past the quirky and bright branding to see the reality of the speeds and service that you’re offered for what seems like a fair price. I’m happy to tell them that they shouldn’t be put off. For Phyllis Court, there are no disappointments and certainly no regrets. ”
Final thoughts from Chris
We ask every guest for some final thoughts, perhaps about how they use us, how they felt it went etc. Here’s what Chris had to say about Zzoomm here in Henley.
“Initially, I knew there were a lot of grumblings here in Henley with the build in town, that we were the guinea pig for such an out of the box organisation. But now, I think everyone’s actually quite proud of the fact that we are able to have such a great service here in Henley and that Phyllis Court installed Zzoomm first, so I think it’s been a success all around.”
Thanks for speaking to us Chris, we hope you have a really successful years and like you, we can’t wait for the return of live events with our friends and family again.
Could your business benefit from site-wide, reliable broadband?
Whether you’re a business in a single building or cover several sites at once, why not do what Chris did and speak to us about our dedicated business broadband services.
Head to our business page or give us a call now on 0333 311 9995 to speak directly with a project manager near you.