Campus recreation program improves efficiency with hosted recreation management software

Background

Located in Jacksonville, the University of North Florida (UNF) is a public university with a large recreation department. The mission of the Campus Recreation Program is to enhance students’ fitness and wellness knowledge, personal skills, abilities to problem solve and effectively communicate. The Campus Recreation Department is comprised of: intramural sports, club sports, fitness programs and classes, nature trails and eco-adventure, informal “drop in play“, and aquatics and recreational facility management. In early 2010, the Program upgraded to hosted campus recreation software to bring operations online and improve efficiency.

Keys to Success from Heather Kite, Assistant Director of Recreation

Why was UNF looking for campus recreation software?
The biggest feature we were looking for in a software system was the online component. We have a busy department and we needed to implement online registration specifically. With thousands of people using our facilities, it was just too much work to process all that information manually offline. Online registration and online access to the system cut out some stress for our staff and is much more convenient for our students and community members.

Why did you choose Active Network’s recreation management software?
We’ve been an Active customer for about two years. Prior to switching to the online recreation software, we were using a desktop product of Active’s. We liked Active as a company and since they offered another product that had all of the features we wanted, it was an easy, natural progression to go with their online campus recreation software.

How important was it that you opted for a hosted technology solution?
We didn’t even look at non-hosted solutions. We knew that a hosted solution was what we needed.

How was the implementation of Active’s recreation management software?
The implementation went pretty smoothly. We had a trainer come on-site for the most important stages and then we followed up with a week of online training. There were a few days of eye-crossing data entry that was inevitable as we switched systems but it was really cool to custom build exactly what we needed. Our trainer did a good job and we felt prepared when we launched.

What are the biggest headaches that the campus recreation software has helped to alleviate?
It’s really nice to have one system to manage everything. We no longer have to juggle between different programs and documents. And again, with online registration we were able to really cut down on the administrative work for our staff and give our customers a “modern convenience” that they had been asking for. The online access for our staff also means we don’t have to be chained to a desk and can access student information, financials, reporting and whatever we need from anywhere with internet.

What features of the campus recreation software are most helpful to your program?
We liked that the different modules within the software could be customized—it helps us because it just works and we don’t have to struggle to make the system fit our needs. Having online registration is really convenient and we’ve noticed a huge decrease in the number of phone calls we get about swim lessons. People can look online to see what classes are available and book and pay right there and then. And customers who want to buy memberships can do so online and the system even facilitates auto-renewal of memberships. We’re now able to keep better track of our rentals, invoicing is much easier, scheduling is simple (it’s impossible to double book) and accounting is better aligned. The reporting is straightforward and comprehensive. In general, the software has been helpful because all of our operations are in better order.

Would you say there are any drawbacks to using the hosted solution?
No, there aren’t really any drawbacks to going hosted. Any shortcomings are totally made up for with the functionality in the system.

Can you provide any quantitative stats in terms of improved efficiency or cost effectiveness?
We’re currently in Q1 of our first full fiscal year with the hosted campus recreation software. Last fiscal year we were using a hybrid of our old and new systems for several months as we made the transition. I don’t have any clear quantitative stats yet but I can tell you that we are operating much more efficiently, which is crucial because we have a small staff. We’re already experiencing cost savings because we don’t have to have an IT team to manage the system—the upgrades are automatic and all the support and maintenance is provided by Active.

What is the feedback from students and staff since implementing Active recreation management software?
Everyone has said the software is easy to pick up. We have a lot of people using and sharing the system—from our front desk staff to the person who sets up all of the swim lessons and the person who sets up the member profiles—and it has been easy to teach all of them.

Would you recommend a hosted solution to other campus recreation centers?
Yes, I would definitely recommend that other campus recreation programs go hosted. It’s so much easier.

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