August 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 72

Parks & reCreatIon at Work

I'm Emotional. Catch me with convenience when I feel good about the service
I just received. In Bloomingdale, we set up
a table on the pool deck to sign up for the
next session of swim lessons on the day
the prior session ends. When my child
makes it to the next level and I can sign
up right away while I'm in the moment,
chances are I will sign up, as opposed to
next week when I forget all about it.
Consider my lifestyle When you
make Decisions. Adjust your business
to my lifestyle, and do different things to
accommodate it. Some thoughts:
■■ ■Many agencies don't program on Sundays.
Guess what? Sunday is typically the only
day we don't have something to do. Don't
be afraid to offer programs at non-traditional times and on non-traditional days.
■■ ■Sixty percent of marriages end in divorce.
This means 60 percent of your constituency with children has responsibility for
their kids every other weekend. These
kids would like to participate in programs but can't every weekend. Offer
some drop-in programs (like dance or
karate, etc.) for these families.
■■ ■In Bloomingdale, we created " On the
Spot " swim lessons. During open swim,
several swim instructors are ready and
waiting to give children a half-hour private swim lesson (for a higher rate than
our regular private lesson) without any
prior registration or reservation.
■■ ■Offer and promote classes for multiple
age groups at the same time/date/location. I want to take yoga while my child is
in gymnastics-this is what I call win-win.
■■ ■Teenagers are notorious for sleeping in,
and parents hate trying to get them out
of bed. How about offering swim team
practice at 8 p.m. when your pool closes
rather than 5 a.m. when it makes everyone involved miserable.
■■ ■For your senior population, consider valet
parking-and transportation in general.
Transportation is a big inhibitor of participation for a portion of this population.
Ask me what works for me. Sure,
you and/or your staff think you know

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AUGUST 2011

what is convenient for your customers,
but spend the resources to do a needs
assessment, host a few focus groups, and
review your program evaluations and
customer feedback reports to be sure.

What Are Your Colleagues Doing?
Convenience goes beyond the concept
of online registration. Here are some examples of what other Illinois park districts
are doing.
■■ ■Youth sports flyers have registration forms
on the backside so customers can easily
fill out the information and turn them in.
■■ ■Parent Information Expo is held to showcase programs and services for parents
to gather information and register their
children.
■■ ■Confirmation letters are sent to parents so
they can get all the details involved with
the program before it starts.
■■ ■Transportation is provided to camp after swim lessons. Parents don't have to
worry about how to get their child from
one program to the other.
■■ ■Supervisors coordinate with senior centers to offer classes at their facilities. Seniors are more likely to sign up when the
program is offered where they live.

Get the Message of Convenience
Out There
You aren't done once you've made your
services and business practices convenient. Promote these oh-so-convenient
services to the appropriate markets. Here
are some suggestions.
Electronic media-We all have
websites. Post your convenient hours
and services in multiple places. Our office hours are posted on every page.
Our services are promoted high in the
web structure hierarchy-not buried on
sub-sub-sub pages. Do you have an enewsletter, Facebook page, or access to
television and/or radio? Use them to promote your convenience.
mommy Places-Your customers
may not visit your facility or web site, but I
guarantee they'll be at the doctor, dentist,

www.NRPA .ORG

auto repair shop, and grocery store. All
these businesses have waiting rooms
with magazine racks and tables. Supply
your latest brochure or program flyers
and posters in these " mommy places. "
Virtual Backpacks-The world is increasingly going paperless and your local school system is leading the charge.
Be sure electronic versions of your flyer
are included with school e-newsletters or
" virtual backpacks. " Additionally, create
your own " virtual backpack " web page
for your web site.
Old School-Electronic media is
great, but don't overlook traditional marketing methods. Street signs and/or banners can catch drivers' attention. And
don't just post your program's date and
time. Be creative. Be witty. Make someone laugh. They will remember you.

The Ever-Shifting World We Live In
We cannot continue to do business the
way we have always done it. Trend data
suggest that customers see themselves
now as producers, rather than consumers. People are not as focused on being
identified by possessions, but rather the
sum of their experiences. In the world of
parks and recreation, we can use this information to better understand our customer and give them individualized,
personalized experiences.
Whether you're the director, the superintendent, a recreation supervisor or
on the parks maintenance staff-don't be
afraid to stand up and lead this charge.
The outcome will be improved service
and increased revenues. And don't forget,
as the customer, it really is all about me.
CARRIE HAUPERT-fULLERTON,
CPRP, is Executive Director of the

Bloomingdale (Illinois) Park District .
JAMMIE MEYER is Athletics/Aquatics

Supervisor.
JOSH HENDRICKS is Director of
Marketing and Communications for the
Bloomington Park District.

August 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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