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With more communities requesting the convenience of online registration and credit card payment services, park and recreation agencies are often challenged with finding a quick, easy and affordable way to respond to customer needs. Once an agency makes the decision to allow the community online access to these services, the agency has another choice to make: it can either manage the software, server and payment processing equipment in house, or the agency can choose to have the software provider manage and maintain the software and technical equipment securely off premises. With budget constraints and limited resources at top of mind for many organizations, park and recreation agencies are increasingly turning to companies to "host" their software in order to quickly and cost effectively improve operational efficiencies and deliver online services. Managed by the software provider, hosted solutions offer fast implementations and eliminate the need for agencies to invest in new computer hardware, software, servers, credit card processing equipment or a dedicated IT staff to maintain the technology infrastructure.

A Way to Save Time and Money

When the Village of Palos Park, a small community of approximately 4,000 people located just outside of Chicago, recently upgraded its recreation department's software, the staff members chose an affordable, easy-to-use hosted software solution that wouldn't require their time for technical support. With a staff of three, the department hoped to eliminate time-consuming, paper-based processes, avoid double-booking facility rentals and offer the community the convenience of online services. Nicole Marxman, recreation director for the Village of Palos Park, explains. "We compared several software programs and decided that hosted software was the best fit for our small department and staff. The hosted solution allowed us to quickly transition from an antiquated system to a user-friendly, modern software solution with minimal expense. The hosted software provides our staff with all of the functionality we need, including electronic schedules and rosters, and provides our community with the convenience of online registration and facility reservation services."

With hosted software, the Palos Park Recreation Department didn't have to invest in a new technology infrastructure to manage registrations or process online transactions. The only upfront investments needed for hosted software are typically for training and support.

Hosted software is quick to implement because it is Web based, meaning that a staff member using a high-speed Internet connection simply opens a Web browser, like Internet Explorer or Netscape, and logs in to the software using a secure ID and password to process over-the-counter registrations, generate reports, access program rosters and more.

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Hosted software can also be a great fit for agencies with multiple sites and facilities, as an unlimited number of staff members can access the software at the same time, without the need to purchase additional servers or software licenses. Ongoing software upgrades and server maintenance are managed by the software provider, enabling easy, behind-the-scenes updates that don't require staff members' time or technical expertise.

A Way to Offer Online Services

For agencies that want to quickly and easily offer their communities 24/7 online access to search, register and pay for programs and activities using a credit card, hosted software is a great option.

The Frankfort Park District, serving a community of more than 16,500 just 35 miles southwest of Chicago, discovered that processing almost a third of its program registrations online without an IT staff has never been easier. With hundreds of programs and activities for the community to choose from, the staff of six was previously challenged with managing activity registrations and facility reservations for thousands of customers each year. Megan Zobel, the athletic supervisor for the park district, explains: "At the 2005 IAPD/IPRA Conference, we heard that several agencies were making the switch to hosted software. As we explored the hosted option, we saw an opportunity to upgrade our technology and easily launch an online registration program that would benefit the community and better publicize our programs. Now our department is ahead of the game and has the systems in place to continue moving forward. Hosted software has been the best decision we've made in terms of managing workflow and driving productivity. By freeing up our front desk staff members, they're able to take on additional responsibilities and offer increased services to our customers."

Stacy Proper, Frankfort Park District's recreation director, adds, "The cost and functionality of the hosted software also fits our needs. We were able to offer online services without purchasing new systems or hardware and, with a user-friendly, browser-based interface, our staff can easily access our programs and data."

For community members, the online registration process is simple, fast and convenient. Customers log on to the agency's online registration Web site using a secure client ID and pin number to search, register and pay for programs and activities using a credit card, debit card or electronic fund transfer when and where it's most convenient for them.

The Hybrid Option

For some agencies, technology mandates or existing investments, such as desktop software, servers and credit card processing equipment, require data to be managed in house by the department. This is where a different type of hosted solution may be a good alternative.

"Hybrid" solutions combine the need for desktop software with the online capabilities of hosted software. Even if an agency has already invested in desktop software to handle over-the-counter registrations, facility reservations and payment services, it's often not too late to quickly and cost effectively launch an online registration program for the community.

Desktop software is installed by agencies' IT staffs at individual computers with the specific computer hardware, software, server and credit card processing equipment required to effectively operate. While desktop software affords agencies full physical control over the software and data, it does not allow online access and it requires time and resources to manage, maintain and store all data and information.

Hybrid solutions take existing desktop software investments and add on the Internet component in order to enable online options. Like hosted software, the online portion of a hybrid solution is managed by the software provider, reducing the time required for implementation, eliminating the need for additional technology investments and allowing the public online access to services.

Rely On an Established Software Provider

For Tiffany DeSpain, recreation center director for the Village of Savoy, a small community of 5,000 located just outside of Champaign-Urbana, finding an affordable system that would safely process customers' information was a top priority. "The software we chose easily automates and manages our thousands of activity registrations, facility reservations and memberships. What's more, with a hosted solution we don't have to worry about data backup and security. It's reassuring to know that we chose a software provider that has processes in place to make sure our customers' information is always safe and secure."

For organizations considering a hosted solution, choosing the right software provider should be one of the most important factors in the decisionmaking process. A few key steps agencies should expect the software provider to do are:

•   Maintain all customer fees in a separate account to ensure any fees processed are intact, stored safely and securely, and can be delivered to organizations at any time. (A reputable public accounting firm should regularly audit the provider's accounting and financial processes.)

•   Transmit all credit card information supplied by customers through tight security processes that scramble payment information and credit card numbers so data cannot be intercepted.

•   Comply with data security standards, such as those required by the Payment Card Industry (PCI). PCI standards require periodic audits by credit card companies to ensure compliance.

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