We talk to Peter Gluckowski about his experience with SwimDesk.
Before you implemented SwimDesk, What was the main challenge you were facing?
Peter: Communication. When we first started out, we took over Guilford swim centres; it’s our biggest indoor centre. So, you just don’t have the staff to be getting around to every single customer and explaining how the kids are progressing and so forth. By introducing one pool deck that goes around does the frequent assessments, a lot of the parents have all that information right there. And then especially because a lot of customers they want to know how the kids are going, but they don’t want actually to engage with a staff member or feel uncomfortable and whether it’s a language barrier or whatnot.
So, by having the software, it goes to email everyone, we get a lot of positive feedback about it. They are saying that they’re very happy that they can constantly see that kind of timeline and history and be able to see how their children are progressing for our programs.
So, Communication was the main reason you invested into SwimDesk?
Peter: Yes, that’s right.
When did you start using it?
Peter: I think it’s about two years now.
When you were looking into it, was there anything that nearly stopped you from implementing it or moving forward with it?
Peter: No. I mean, when I used to work in a different place, I think they are using similar software, and I know it was very effective. I don’t have any of my own kids, but I do have younger siblings, and I’ve always taken them swimming lessons and coming from that kind of perspective. I know it’s something that every parent would want.
In terms of the implementation process of getting it actually up and running in the centre, How was that? Was it difficult?
Peter: No. From a technical perspective, it’s very simple. It was just, obviously making sure that you train up all the staff and then set the procedures and expectations and so forth. And that took a little bit of time for us. But that’s more internal things.
Probably for the first six months or so, the data wasn’t as effective because you’ve got some staff that were doing a very frequent assessment and others that complete assessment here and there and you just didn’t have enough data for it to be useful.
Now, after some have been using it for two years, and you’ve got all these certain expectations and so forth. You get X amount of five, six, seven hundred assessments per month or something like that.
It’s a lot more useful to us. We can see and actually measure KPIs where it’s more accurate. Where in the past, you’d go off the system, but you know that there was actually a lot more done than what was actually put for.
Can you summarize the main benefit you’ve got since implementing the system?
Peter: Interesting. At first, I would have originally said that it was the communication benefit. But now, at least from my perspective, it’s also the ability to be able to track certain things that we wouldn’t have been able to do in the past.
Also, it was actually after that workshop that we had; there were just a lot of great ideas that were thrown out over there as well with things that you should be all measuring and just things that I hadn’t heard before and weren’t doing. And since we have, we’ve actually been able to see those KPIs increasing and also the customer satisfaction as well.
I think the biggest benefit is the data collection side of it and being able to use and analyse that to make informed decisions. Before we were using this, you’d have a kid that for some reason were not assessed for nine months or something like that. They’ve just been away on the days that we’re assessing, where now, you know, we’re tracking all and making sure that everyone’s getting assessed frequently.
Do you have any tips for other SwimDesk users? Like something that you think you guys have done particularly well that you’ve implemented.
Peter: For me, it’s been kind of like just making sure that I’m very transparent and talking to all the staff and letting them know the reason for it. And you know, a lot of them actually get excited when you start talking to them about the benefits of it. They’re like, “Oh, yeah, I can see how that works.” So, then they are a lot more easy to work with, from that side of things. Because I know like some teachers are not going to like it when assessments have been conducted because it’s interrupting with their classes and so forth. So, if you can show the benefits of the entire team, I know that sort of just helps when you’ve got, the whole team working together to try and collect all of this information.
So, I think that’s a good tip. You know, having the staff onboard, but more importantly, letting them understand the reason why you’re doing it.
Peter: That’s right. Making sure that they understand that it’s not like a way we’re going to turn it around and measuring their performance or anything, it’s more of a way that we can measure how to be able to deliver the best service to our customers and just ensure that we don’t miss anyone and so forth. So that has been something that’s been very important, just making sure that the team is on board and they know what we’re doing rather than just, you know a process that they are uninformed about.
Do you think overall, SwimDesk has been worth the investment for your centre?
Peter: Oh yeah, definitely. 100%.