An active community means two things: healthy citizens and a financially-healthy parks and recreation agency. Recreation software can help you increase participation and reach that magic formula for success. For example, by moving things online, you’ll save time and improve customer service. Here are seven ways to increase sign-ups, revenue, and participation with software.
1. Increase participation with online sign-ups
People love the internet’s convenience. By offering online registration, you can help your staff save time processing and give your customers 24/7 access from home. This way, people will be more inclined to register for a class or program.
2. Increase participation with online facility booking
Booking facilities, fields, parks, and campgrounds is a key function of a P&R operation. But managing a paper calendar is time consuming and can allow for errors like double booking. With online facility booking, you can set up a clickable map of your facilities on your website. From there, people can book and pay by clicking on open camp sites, fields, rooms, and more. Once you set some parameters like hours of operation and capacity limits, your customers will do the rest. It’s easier for your customers and staff (and it’s pretty cool, too.)
3. Increase participation with social sharing
You’ve heard a lot about social media and most likely have a few profiles set up for your parks and recreation agency already. But social sharing is different. Like, tweet, and other share buttons give your website visitors a chance to share your website with their networks. For example, if someone comes to sign up online for an upcoming Yoga class, there will be built-in sharing buttons right on the registration page. That allows visitors to easily share the class with their friends, bringing more traffic and registrations back to your website.
4. Increase participation with data
By collecting information from registrations, facility bookings, and memberships, you can understand more about each customer. From there, you’ll be able to tailor programs and send more targeted messages to members based on what they like. Also, you’ll be able to tell if you need two more fitness classes for seniors and one less children’s art class, based on demographics, waiting lists, registrations and usage.
5. Increase participation with memberships
With member management software, you can customize and print photo ID cards with different membership types and usage allowances. Also, you’ll be able to track facility usage, revenue by pass type and more with the automated reporting tool. This will help you understand your members, save time validating memberships, and save money by discouraging the sharing of cards.
6. Increase participation with email marketing
Email is a great way to keep members of your community up to date with your programs, classes, events, and facilities. Whether you prefer to send text emails or fancy, HTML emails, you can do it all through recreation software. And with valuable member information, you can segment lists and send targeted emails.
7. Increase participation with online recreation guides
Recreation brochures are important for parks and recreation agencies, but also expensive and time-consuming to make if paper-based. With a brochure creation tool, you can export specific activity information like times, facilities, description, and pricing from the recreation software to your graphic design program. This saves time and offers a way for people to view your brochure online.
Recreation software goes beyond its behind-the-scenes connotation. With seven ways to help you increase participation, you’ll be able to work towards a healthier community and healthier bottom line.
