Trends is aimed at highlighting the most current ideas and information to help park and recreation professionals anticipate the changing needs of the public they serve.

This month's column presents several items of information about customer service and demographics, gleaned from various periodicals by Pat Klawitter, and Donna L. Wilson, editors of the Arlington Heights Park District newsletter RecReation.

No aspect of customer service is more important than the wait in line to be served. You can't be "out-lined" by the competition or you will lose business. People are more demanding than ten years ago; they expect answers quicker and no one has time to wait. Solutions: 1) Animate--amuse like at Disney World; 2) Discriminate--serve priority customers faster, 3) Automate-- have one person do it all; 4) Obfuscate--let people be pleasantly surprised that the wait isn't as long as it first seemed. (Wall Street Journal, December 7, 1990).

Parents don't have time to waste. Often they feel they spend "all day in the car" running errands and chauffeuring offspring to various activities. The multitude of available activities and programs is immense, as is the temptation to participate. Meanwhile, some parents feel compelled to place their children in afterschool activities because the increasing number of working parents means their kids have no playmates left in the neighborhood. But the big problem for parents is logistics: they can't be in two places at one time. (Chicago Tribune, March 29,1992).

The editors of RecReation suggest, in reference to the last item, "Be aware of scheduling priorities when registration time rolls around. Some parents are not so much interested in WHAT the child does as WHERE or WHEN it is. So if a program is closed or cancelled, offer the BEST alternative; it may not be a different section of the same program."

Attitude is an essential element of retaining customers. Studies indicate 68 percent of customers who stop coming back do so because of an indifferent attitude presented by an employee. (U.S. News & World Report).

Speaking of customers, baby boomers are a growing segment of the customer base for recreational activities. Thus, NutraSweet Co. has announced plans to test-market a chain of fitness centers for adults over age 50. Before the year 1996, about 76 million Boomers will enter their fifties. They have different needs in the way they exercise and stay fit. (Chicago Tribune, September 11, 1991).

Epitomizing the unusual needs of this important group of customers, is a hot new fad: indoor "cliff" climbing. This activity, called "pumping plastic" involves climbing on plastic rock walls indoors. People are opting to make these climbs because they aren't as dangerous as real rock climbing but they make them feel like the real thing. New methods of climbing have opened up this great adventure to a wider range of participants; it may even become an Olympic sport. (Wall Street Journal, March 10, 1992).

Boomers aren't the only ones who spend money on recreation, of course. But age is a factor in who spends what. Households headed by those aged 35 to 54 spend more than other households on every major product group and service category except health care. The average household devotes 5 percent of its spending to entertainment and spending is higher than average among householders aged 25 to 54. (American Demographics, October 1990).

Editor's Note:

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