Customer service leaders are finding that impressive speed metrics can mask the underlying health of the customer relationship.
James McDonald, CCO at GOLFZON America, discovered low engagement despite strong efficiency metrics, prompting a pivot from a sales-focused to a customer-focused organization.
McDonald implemented a strategy of proactive, non-scripted outreach, which resulted in a 440% increase in outbound calls and a 125% minimum lift in other engagement metrics.
The company leveraged its tech stack to turn insights from these conversations into direct actions, like adding new golf courses to its servers based on customer suggestions.
Customer service has long been ruled by the stopwatch. A quick reply, a tidy resolution, and the box is checked. On paper, those numbers look great. But speed alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Many leaders are realizing that shiny metrics can hide cracks in the relationship itself, prompting a strategic pivot that prioritizes connection and engagement over simply racing to the finish line.
That shift is the core mission for James McDonald, Chief Customer Officer at virtual golf simulator producer GOLFZON America. Joining in 2018 as employee number five, McDonald has been a central figure in the company's significant revenue growth. Now, he is tasked with leading its next evolution. "At the start, we were focused on getting the product to market," McDonald said. "Now, my job is to change the narrative. We're not just a great sales organization; we're a customer-focused organization."
To make "customer-focused" more than a slogan, McDonald began by first looking backward to address foundational issues. The mission was prompted by an internal review that challenged his team's initial assumptions about performance.
Engagement or bust: "Most of the classic metrics were in a good spot. Our resolution time was good; our first response time was fantastic," recalled McDonald. "But after digging deeper, I found our engagement rate was on the lower side. To me, that instantly throws all those other measures out the window."
Connectivity problems: The core issue was the philosophy driving the metrics. "Those are measures—resolution time, first response time—that you get from engaging with your customer, but if you're not getting great engagement measures, then there's a problem with the connection between the organization and the customer," he explained. "For me, in 2025, that is my guiding light for our KPIs. We must keep an eye on the classic measures, but at the same time, we have to touch way more customers and establish better relationships."
McDonald's human-centric strategy is supported by a fully integrated tech stack, where AI transcribes and summarizes customer interactions to identify key trends. He described the technology as a critical enabler. "I don't know how any organization operates without it," he said. "If you're not using all of these tools, then you're falling behind." For McDonald, however, mastering these tools is only part of the equation.
Human rapport: "The human element is still the number one most important thing," McDonald clarified. "Our customers know our service agents by name. If I put them in front of a bot, they’d say, 'What the hell’s going on with GOLFZON? They don’t want to talk to me anymore.' AI is a tool, not a replacement."
Ring, ring, results: "Our customer service and executive teams have begun picking up the phone and proactively dialing out. Just in outbound telephone efforts alone, we've seen engagement metrics are up 125% at a minimum," he reported. The method is refreshingly straightforward. "It's not tricky stuff; there's no script. We just call to check in, see how they're doing, and establish a better relationship," McDonald said.
Those unscripted calls aren’t just boosting numbers on a dashboard. They’re opening the door to real product improvements, turning casual chats into meaningful change.
Hole in one: "Just by talking with customers, we’ve added five golf courses we didn’t have on our server. Someone suggests a local course, we call the pro, and bing, bang, boom, it’s online. It’s a quick way to show the customer, 'We heard you, that’s a great idea, and we’re acting on it.'" A small act of listening and responding, this creates a powerful loop of co-creation that strengthens both product and trust.
McDonald acknowledges that this commitment to deep engagement is an ongoing process. "Right now our engagement numbers are really strong, and I'm really proud of that," he said. "It's important to keep your eye on the ball of the classic measures, but it's really about establishing better relationships. You have to have your eye on the ball of everything."
