SmartRec: What's New With the Platform

Amilia has been providing Parks & Rec departments across North America with membership and registration management for years, and along the way, we have forged strong partnerships with towns and cities while bringing one of North America's most trusted consulting agencies into our family: 110%, an Amilia organization.

So, what does all of this mean for you? If you happen to be one of the countless professionals that dedicate their lives to the conservation and responsible enjoyment of our precious green spaces, it translates into better tools to serve your community, backed by expertise developed by partnering with industry leaders for over 20 years.

Let's cover some of the key features we released during the last months...

Staff Management

Many of our customers expressed their logistical challenges when it comes to assigning available, qualified staff efficiently. As Parks and Rec professionals continue to increase their specialized training in disciplines like Childhood Development and Aquatic Fitness, there is a need to match instructor skills with specific activities. This must be done while maximizing efficiency, avoiding staff scheduling conflicts, and maintaining a balance between quality and affordability. All of this is nearly impossible to manage with spreadsheets or basic online sign-up tools.

Some of the key features provided with the Staff Management module include assigning staff to activities, exporting timesheets, maintaining skills and certifications, and anytime/anywhere access for staff to view and modify their schedules with the iOS and Android mobile app. You can also create and publish job postings and manage incoming applications.

Facilities Management

Every Parks and Rec agency manages a varied mix of physical areas and facilities, like pools, gymnasiums and soccer fields, among others. Once you set up a facility on the Amilia platform, it can be accessed, depending on the configuration you choose, by both staff and visitors to your website. You can easily manage recurring sessions, drop-ins, and private lessons by dividing larger areas into dedicated spaces.

Now you can ensure there is no conflict between the activities booked directly online by residents and those that are set-up by department staff.

Community Segments

Once you have mastered setting up your programs and schedules, it's time to give some serious thought to promoting your agency's events, with the objective of increasing memberships. The most direct and relevant way to reach residents is to offer promotional discounts on activities targeted to their individual interests.

With Community Segments, we are offering just that: a way to easily segment your community based on their preferences, demographics, and other information they have volunteered, such as hobbies and past activities.

If you happen to be operating below capacity and want to increase pool membership for the elderly, you can create a list of residents that are aged 65 and over and live within a 10-mile radius or specific postal codes. Perhaps you are looking to increase stewardship and conservation funding through charitable programs. We provide the data you need to appeal to your residents without relying on third-party mailing lists or outdated information from directories.

Cost Recovery

The importance of Cost Recovery in the Parks and Rec industry cannot be overestimated. So much so that we've dedicated some of our best talent to creating a consulting program to address this one key area. The basic method for cost recovery - to only recognize income related to a sale after the costs related to that sale have been recuperated - is relatively straightforward. But even the most minute of changes in tax law statutes, additional income from unexpected sources, or changes in the costs related to an activity can wreak havoc on an agency’s finances. There is a lot at stake in order to ensure the financial health of a Parks and Rec agency, large or small.

Additionally, we recognize that the adoption of a Cost Recovery strategy is not a challenge solved by software alone, but is the result of comprehensive studies and assessments done by professionals across several departments, as evidenced in this example of the publicly-documented policy from the city of Alexandria, VA.

And that is the reason we partnered with trusted industry leaders and customers to ensure a comprehensive cost analysis, live data dynamics, and a robust feature set for our Cost Recovery module.

SmartRec: Bringing It All Together

While Amilia continues to evolve a platform that has increasingly been adopted by Parks and Rec folks as their single-source solution for managing community engagement, this newest version has added features for participants and department administrators alike.

We recognize that budgeting and resource management are the foundation for a successful program. Given that only a financially robust Parks and Rec agency can deliver on its commitments and community initiatives, SmartRec provides a platform that allows you to take control of every aspect of your operations and resources.

From the back office, through sales and marketing, to accessibility to all residents, we support the process from strategic planning to delivering on community engagement, health & wellness and sustainability for the future of Parks and Rec.