GO TONE EMPHASIZES SERVICE TO ITS VIP USTOMERS

Shanghai: Go Tone, China Mobile’s premium service for its high-value customers, returned to Silport in a big way when it hosted the Go Tone Shanghai area VIP Classic on the club’s Championship Course.

After previously hosting the Go Tone Invitational in January 2003 for a field of 80 players, the mobile phone giant, ranked first in the world in terms of network scale and customer base (about 177 million), returned en masse with the VIP Classic, a tournament featuring 155 players competing under the Stableford points system.

Cai Gui Bao, Shanghai Mobile Communications Co, Ltd’s senior economist and vice general manager, called golf a sport for gentlemen and an activity that was very compatible and popular with Go Tone’s target audience.

“The spirit in playing the game is very good and with so many golfers around the world we want to use this platform to build a relationship with our customers,” he said.

“These people are CEOs, senior managers and high-ranking officials. They are quite busy working on weekdays and the offer of a golf round provides an attractive and enjoyable situation for them to develop business relationships. This provides them with a great release opportunity as they want to play golf and combine a bit of business at the same time.

Although the tournament was free of charge to the players, they were required to spend 3,000 points they had accumulated through Go Tones’ credit reward system.
“Most of these people make a considerable contribution to the success of Shanghai Mobile and we thought it was appropriate for us to give something back to them,” Cai said. “We are looking at this as the first level of reward – it is service and quality. Offering such a competition is one of the services of Go Tone.”

Beginning from a shotgun start under hot, dry conditions, Go Tone’s elite customers got a taste of the conditions the pros face each week as the Championship Course was being let grow for the upcoming Volvo China Open in November.

Despite the long rough which made scoring especially tough for the field, Ren Jie, a 4.8 handicap and a perennial winner around the Shanghai amateur circuit, shot a seven-over 79 for the best score of the day and the low gross championship. Wen Enlin, a 4.8 handicap, finished a shot behind while Chen Zhangning was second runner-up, two shots off the winning margin.

In the low nett, Duan Yezhong, a 20.4 handicap, shot a 92 for a nett 71.6 and the top prize. He was followed by Chen Gaoye with a nett 73 on a 12 handicap and Xu Zhenxiang, second runner-up with a nett 73.6.

After their game of golf, the players repaired to Silport’s upstairs restaurant where they enjoyed a buffet meal and an elaborate prize presentation. The evening ended with a spectacular fireworks display from the fringe of the Championship Course’s finishing hole.