SwimDesk talks to Leigh from PARC Frankston about using SwimDesk to improve customer experience
| SwimDesk: | What were you hoping to achieve before implementing SwimDesk? |
| Leigh: | The biggest task that we wanted to be able to do was getting in touch with parents and talk to them. That was probably our biggest priority task because when we started, we had Links. We started using Link’sform of emails I think it was, and it just wasn’t effective as what we had hoped. It wasn’t nearly as unique in being able to do this and that. I guess, that was essentially our biggest thing or concern that parents were sitting there thinking, “Oh my God. I don’t know when my child should move up”, or “What are we working towards?” |
| SwimDesk: | Was that the biggest issue the center was facing from a swim school point of view? |
| Leigh: | Yes. I’d say yes and no. Consistency with classes was also another big one but we were also having difficulties with the levels themselves and kids being in incorrect levels and teachers assuming that this level had that skill and so on. It was quite a big challenge. |
| SwimDesk: | Since the implementation of SwimDesk, has it produced the kind of outcomes you were expecting? |
| Leigh: | Yes, I’d say it has helped us in achieving the outcomes we were after. To what length or scale, I’m not sure…. I think we’re up to 2,700 students at the moment, so trying to gauge how much is difficult. I’d say it’s been quite good. |
| I think the idea behind it, parents having access to it, I think that’s probably the big winner more than educating the parents. I think they like coming to the center, joining up and knowing that it exists. As a marketing tool or as a feeling for a parent sitting there, they feel like they’re being looked after because they have this available. | |
| SwimDesk: | Have you had many comments from parents after they have seen their parent portal and the results? Has that often led to a dialogue there? |
| Leigh: | Yes, not necessarily breaking down the skills, but with the passed or failed the level, they like to receive that emails so that they can go, “Jack’s ready to go up. I just got the email.” That’s been quite good. |
| The inner detail of the criteria, I haven’t found too many parents picking that up or questioning. It’s more the fact that they know, “I’ve got the email. They’re not ready.” | |
| SwimDesk: | Has there been any added, unexpected benefit from SwimDesk that you really didn’t expect to get coming in at the start? |
| Leigh: | I would say yes. Probably just the little things that we were told at the start, The ability to look at the assessors and how many they’ve passed, haven’t used it a great deal. It’s more often than not I’ve used it for a new assessor when they’ve come on and done assessments. I can just look at their numbers to make sure that they’re not on either scale of progressing all of them or not progressing all of them. |
| SwimDesk: | After your experience with SwimDesk, for the last twelve to fifteen months, I think it’s been … What, in your eyes, is the biggest benefit that the center has received? |
| Leigh: | The biggest benefit, I’d probably still see, or say, would be the being able to communicate with parents. It’s just far beyond what I would be able to do as a supervisor in a night. I can look at the class and just send an email, then I’ve spoken to that particular person by just clicking a button, if that makes sense. Whereas, if I go over to that individual parent, I could spend five minutes in what I’ve just done by pressing that button. The saving of time and being able to get around to many parents is just invaluable. |
| SwimDesk: | Yeah, Do you have any thoughts on how much time it would save in a week or is that too hard to kind of …? |
| Leigh: | I’d need to think about it. For assessment periods, if we were to try and do what the email did in explaining what the skills were, but then you’d tend to get questions … Some parents, if you communicate with them verbally, they’ll ask questions because you’re in a conversation. Whereas with the email, sometimes they’ll just take the email and go on. Yeah, it would be a lot of time that we’re saving. If we didn’t send an email, it would definitely be very time-consuming to try and communicate verbally. |
| SwimDesk: | Yeah. I guess, on the flip-side of that, with the digital communications, some people think that may detract from the personalized touch and things like that. Can you share your thoughts on this? Has that been a factor in losing any of that personalized approach? |
| Leigh: | Yes, I could see that, but the one thing that I’ve always thought, is that assessor needs to be approachable still and not be just a … Like an administrator, they still need to be able to go around to parents and say, “Hello. Do you know that Tim’s finishing up this date?” We have worked hard on giving something for the assessors to talk to parents about, not necessarily the individual assessments so that if they do have a question, they can ask that supervisor and they can have a conversation. Yeah, that’s what we found works in relation to the parents thinking, “There’s not that personal touch.” Yeah, that’s been our response. |
| If we had someone out there just sending the emails and not focusing on customer service, I would say yes. There would be parents sitting there thinking, “I don’t have that personal touch. I don’t feel like there is that particular feeling. It’s just … They’re trying to cut a corner.” If that makes sense? I think if there was no one out on pool deck to talk to the parents, that could potentially rise as an issue. | |
| SwimDesk: | What don’t you like about SwimDesk? What really frustrates you with SwimDesk and where do you think it can be improved? |
| Leigh: | Yep. Can I jump back and answer a question? The one thing that I have really liked is the ability to be able to make changes and make suggestions. That probably has been the one thing that I’ve picked up that I thought I wouldn’t be able to do. That in itself is one of the other positives, because I’ve used Links for years and I’ve emailed them and I’ve asked questions. With SwimDesk, it definitely does feel like if I asked a question or if I’m after a suggestion, it’s definitely taken on board. If that makes sense. That has been a big positive that I forgot to mention. |
| For things … The only things that we’ve probably … We’ve had issues with, would probably be just like little gremlins in the system that it doesn’t mirror-image Links exactly but this has been a rare exception. |
