Managing a sports facility is not an easy job. Not only are you managing your staff and equipment, planning facility-wide events, and dealing with day-to-day chaos as it comes — but you’re also trying to make sure that customers get the most out of their time at your facility, and that means scheduling.
Your customers need to know that they can count on you. When they book a reservation, they don’t want to show up and find that their space is occupied or isn’t set up for the right type of game. They just want to play. Not only that, but your staff doesn’t want the stress of taking calls, writing out schedules by hand or managing difficult calendar tools — and they certainly don’t want to work with unhappy customers who find they’ve been double or triple booked!
So what does this mean for you? You need a better sports facility automated scheduling system. Let’s explore the benefits the right system can offer.
Streamlined Processes and Increased Efficiency
Your facility’s team is one of your best assets. They’re there to serve your customers and help them have a great experience every time they walk in the door. Simply put: their time is valuable, so don’t waste it on manual scheduling. When your team has more time to dedicate to their jobs, you reduce the potential of human error and you create a better atmosphere for your customers.
Process advantages of an automated scheduling system vs. a human one include:
- Eliminating double bookings and scheduling conflicts. Let’s face it: human error happens sometimes. If your team is busy and distracted, it’s possible that they’ll confirm a booking with a customer and never actually input it into your calendar. And when that customer shows up, they don’t have the reservation they thought they had. This results in less trust and a bad experience for the customer. An automated booking system makes sure this doesn’t happen. When your customer books a space, it’s automatically reserved and no longer available to double-book.
- Optimizing resource allocation. Does your facility run multiple types of games? The last thing you want is for a customer to show up ready to play some pickleball, only to find that all of the paddles are in use on other courts! An automated system can optimize and allocate resources effectively, making sure your customers always have the resources they need to play their game without the stress.
- Reducing administrative workload. With a manual system, your team is bogged down with the extra work of calling, scheduling, reminders, reorganizing, planning for specific resource allocation… the list goes on! When you replace all of that with sports facility automated scheduling, your team is free to do the more human work. They don’t have to spend time on the minute details. Instead, they can focus on what matters: giving your customers the best experience possible.
Improved Customer Experience and Satisfaction
Your customers want to make the most of their time at your facility. After all, the point of a sports facility is to have fun! When you offer automated scheduling, your customers will find it easier to enjoy the facility without the hassle — and that means more satisfied customers who come back again and again.
There are several advantages for customers. The first is that it’s convenient. When your schedule is available online, they can easily find a time that works for them (and their friends) and book without having to go back and forth with a team member.
And while customers may not see the work that goes on behind the scenes, flexible scheduling allows you to maximize facility usage, planning which spaces are being used when. Ultimately, this results in more availability for your customers and more time for them to enjoy playing the games they love.
Finally, an automated system can provide real-time updates and notifications. Did the schedule change? They’ll get an email. Do they need to adjust their timing? They can do so online. It reduces friction and makes the entire process simple and easy.
Enhanced Revenue Generation and Cost Savings
When your team is busy doing the work that matters and your customers are busy having fun and spreading the word about your facility, you’ll see changes in your revenue and cost of running the facility.
Need an example? Imagine your facility is booking 40-60 reservations each day. If this is done manually through phone or email, your team members are going to be taking calls all day long! They then have to manually plan which courts to give to each customer in order to maximize the space and allocate resources. In short, if your team members are doing this, it’s the only thing they can focus on (and it’s the only thing you’re paying them to do!).
On the other hand, a sports facility automated scheduling system can take this work out of their hands. This means that you may not need to hire as many team members, because the work is automated. At the same time, you’re maximizing revenue with a fully optimized schedule. And when your customers have a great experience, they’ll keep coming back — generating even more revenue.
Accessible Data and Insights for Better Decision Making
One final advantage of an automated system: you get better insights into what’s going on at your facility.
What do general usage and scheduling patterns look like? What times will you need more staff on hand? When should you plan to have an influx of customers or slow times? Are there resources you should invest more in?
Having this data at your fingertips allows you to make real data-driven decisions that can ultimately impact your business and allow you to better serve your customers every day.
Get Started with Sports Facility Automated Scheduling
Is automated scheduling right for your facility? Facility Ally can help. Our scheduling platform is completely customizable for your facility and your staff. We’ll help you decide what features you need, implement them, and train your team on its use. The final result? A team that can focus on serving your customers — instead of focusing on manual scheduling.
