How Prince William County Improved Experiences by Streamlining Everyday Processes
Ask any parent what they need more of and they’ll have a quick answer: time. Ask your staff the same question and you’ll get the same answer. One unique area Prince William County, Virginia, found to streamline their processes and save time was in their recreation member information technology (what others might limit to just ‘emergency medical information’). Digital forms take parents an average of five minutes compared to 20 minutes spent with paper forms. By thinking creatively about how they utilize their touchpoints and member records, they found even greater time-savings!
You Have to Make the Most of It
You have to collect a variety of information from patrons to meet liability and risk requirements, while also adhering to HIPPA guidelines. This enables you to ensure their safety and privacy, but it is an interruption to the day of both patron and staff to complete. While it’s a process that can’t be skipped, it can be optimized to ensure you get the most from that touchpoint. Prince William County found that rethinking their electronic member records enabled them to save 8,500 pieces of paper annually and reduce yearly administrative hours by 1,500 total. The result was annual savings of $35,000. According to Ryan Amato, the children’s program manager for Prince William County Government, “It’s a huge time saver.”
Saving Staff Time
One area that has saved Prince William County staff time is the back-and-forth between patrons and staff on forms. Now parents are sent an automatic link to sign up. The staff doesn’t have to email out and collect forms and go back and forth on things. As Amato says, “Parents go through the process and it's very simple for us to check. If they haven't completed it, we can just quickly resend a reminder. It's a lot of saving time in the back and forth with parents and families.” Additionally, the patrons can serve themselves and make any updates required without staff involvement. “We can get them access and we don't have to have them submit a new form or an email,” says Amato, saving time and paper. “They can just go in and make the changes. And when we view the child's account, that information is in real-time. It makes the process for both the user and consumer a lot easier.” That combined with direct text, email and robotic phone trees enables staff to expedite communications when it matters most. Having the information saved compliantly, but accessible, can make a huge difference when it’s actually needed. If they’re in the system, appropriate personnel will have access instantly, even on their phone. That time saved relieves much stress and can make a difference when it comes to any necessary treatment.
Member Records > Emergency Medical Form
The biggest change Prince William County experienced was when it expanded its thinking and processes beyond just required medical information. “That was something we didn't initially consider,” says Amato. “We just thought of it as an emergency information gathering system. But learning that you can pretty much ask for any information you want, and it doesn't have to be that emergency contact.”
That has enabled them to streamline other processes and remove additional touchpoints or needing to go back to patrons later for more information. One example is the information required for their swimming programs. “We have a swim policy parents can agree to that indicates their child's level of swim proficiency in the program,” says Amato. “Collecting that saved us time by not having to go through that process separately.” The opportunities going forward are limited only by their imagination.
ePACT Network is an NRPA Member Discount and an emergency network that works with recreation departments across North America to move medical and emergency information previously collected on paper forms to an online, secure, easy-to-use system. Visit our website and connect with us on Facebook or X. For more information, including how to receive your NRPA member discount, click here.