by Derek Wyse
Since the introduction of management software to the camp industry, significant
changes have occurred in camps of all sizes. Tasks that were once tedious,
redundant, and time intensive have been simplified, saving time and money
while cutting down on possible errors that often accompany double data
entry. While software was once viewed as a luxury, it is now so prevalent
that it is taken for granted.
Many of the functions once viewed as "frills," such as the
ability to register a camper online or collect fees electronically, are
now so common that they are fully integrated in some of the products being
sold today. Other functions that may have never been considered are now
being offered in some of the products on the market. Camps have many software
options from which to choose; and in truth there are many fine products
available. No one product is right for all camps. Some will be far too
complex for the needs of some camps while other products may not contain
all or enough of the right components. Other packages may simply be too
expensive.
Today, software programmers have effectively expanded the way software
is viewed and ultimately used. This in turn has altered the expectations
of the camp management teams. No longer are buyers looking for software
products that simply meet their current needs. They are looking for products
that will allow them to adapt to the needs they are likely to face in
the future. They are looking to the software providers to show them what
the future will foretell. In short, they are looking for proactive products,
products that have functionality heretofore unavailable; functionality
that camp personnel may not have even considered. These products we will
call second generation products — products build upon the valuable
lessons learned from the first generation packages and deliver refinements
that will surely be needed in years to come.
Software: Changing the Way Camps Work
To see this better, let's take a closer look at one vivid example
where software is changing the way camps do their work. Let's take
a look at the area of activity scheduling. For many camps no single task
takes as much time, requires the use of more resources and energy than
the scheduling of campers' activities. This affects overnight and
day camps, private and nonprofit camps, camps large and small. When scheduling
camper activities, there are so many variables to consider and doing this
work manually is very difficult. Not only must you consider the requests
and demands of the campers, you must also be concerned with staffing issues,
space considerations, age, grade, and/or gender-appropriate programming
while at the same time maintain a degree of flexibility in case changes
must be made along the way.
For many camps, this arduous chore may need to be repeated weekly, or
perhaps even more often, and with each session the variables may change.
No wonder an automated or semi-automated solution has been welcomed. And
you will find different levels of functionality that handle the components
of this task in many of the products being sold today. Products are available
that offer camps the ability to customize their software to create a master
schedule that fits the time periods and activities they offer. Camps can
define each activity using various qualifiers such as gender, age, grade,
or enrollment maximums or minimums, and some products even allow for camper
validation against these qualifiers, which provides yet a further accuracy
check. Once all the data is entered, the actual time it takes for the
system to process and run the schedules will vary with the more simplified
schedule of activities taking only a matter of minutes while the more
complex schedules containing multiple variables will of course take longer.
For camps that allow campers to preselect activities in advance of the
session, online enrollment is also available.
In some packages, activity scheduling is a separate program. In others
it is incorporated into the product. When the function is fully integrated
into the software, you have even greater control and eliminate duplicate
data entry. This allows the software to work better for your camp.
Jason Wilcox, activity coordinator, at Camp Balcones Springs puts it
this way: "The ability to control activity scheduling within our
software is very important to us. We have been able to set up some complex
scheduling and craft our program to run well with the way our camp operates.
We have been able to create scheduling parameters that meet our needs
and have not had to make concessions to confirm to the limitations of
our software. This has made a huge difference for us." The ultimate
job of a software provider is to offer a product that effectively removes
burdensome tasks and replaces them with easy-to-use functionality.
What Do Today's Software Packages Offer?
Second generation software also provides assistance in other important
areas. Here are some additional features you will find in today's
packages that were not in most of the products that came before.
- Auto Housing options allow you to automate or semi-automate tasks
that you now do manually. Imagine, if you don't now have this
feature, having the ability to automatically house most of your campers'
information with one single keystroke and at the same time manually
override the exceptions and handle cabin mate requests.
- Fully-integrated, real-time credit card processing that helps eliminate
duplicate data entry and instantly flows into the accounting functions.
- Automatic wait listing that allows you to set enrollment limits to
prevent over enrollment by not allowing any registrations from campers
that will exceed those limits.
Camp software has made and continues to make a difference in the way
camps operate. In the future, more changes will surely occur as the second
generation of software further evolves to meet the ever changing landscape.
Software is playing a more important role in a camp's management,
and that is not likely to change. At the same time, it is helping make
each camper's experience a more meaningful one. And ultimately,
isn't that what it is all about?
Originally published in the 2005 May/June issue
of Camping Magazine. |
