It goes without saying that online engagement has never been more important; the pandemic context served as a catalyst for many organizations to re-evaluate their digital strategy (or in some cases, a lack thereof). In an era where almost anyone can order just about anything with a handful of clicks or taps, Parks & Recreation agencies who are not fully leveraging technology to offer, manage and sell activities online are missing out an opportunity to reach more citizens and showcase what they have to offer to their community.
By incorporating an eCommerce platform, you are also making sure all your activities are accessible to all the different populations your agency serves. No matter their age, location, or socioeconomic status, meet your residents where they are and let them shop for activities anytime!
You might be thinking, “but change is scary!” or “we don’t have the bandwidth for it,” and we’re with you on that! Undergoing a digital transformation can be intimidating. But change can lead to good outcomes, and it helps us grow too. Remember your ultimate goal: making your community the best place to live and making activities easily accessible to your community members. Your residents will thank you once they see for themselves how simple it is to register online with an intuitive eCommerce system!
Read on to see a preview of what you can expect when you bring your agency online.
To start, it’s important to understand the benefits that going online can bring to your agency.
Once you’ve decided to go online (great decision, by the way!) it’s important to keep in mind the facilitation of change management. To get the most out of your transformation, embrace the change rather than resisting it. We know how things can get complicated when you’re dealing with many different stakeholders, but your software partner is there with you every step of the way to make the process as seamless as possible. The implementation team will help turn your anxiety into excitement!
You can set yourself up for success by leveraging the features available in your platform while ensuring that your staff are well-trained and able to assist your citizens with their payments and registrations.
Ideally, you’ll partner with a company with a customer care team that is ready to answer all your questions (make sure to ask about this before signing!). At Amilia, our average first reply time is less than 5 minutes!
Did we mention that software can help you with your marketing efforts? Stay up to date with your community through attendance tracking and see first-hand how the change is working with easy-to-understand, real-time data analytics – even if numbers aren’t your forte! For example, you can integrate Google Analytics into your SmartRec store and gather statistics such as active users, location, and average session duration with the click of a button!
With more and more organizations offering and managing their activities online, we know that technology enables communities of all sizes to engage – and at the same time, the agency gets to explore new revenue sources. We know it’s a big decision and a daunting transition, but products like SmartRec are here to make it as easy as A, B, C, P and R!
