Providing your community members with incredible customer service is integral to what you do. From front desk interactions to registering for your programs, each touchpoint with your agency gives you the opportunity to impress and empower your customers.

And in today’s digital age, self-serve technology is one of the best ways to offer your community members a seamless customer experience. Not to mention the ability to improve your overall operational efficiency and provide cost-effective support for your staff.

In this article, we’ll cover how three different self-serve technologies can help your agency empower your community. 

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Self-Serve Technology: What Is It?

Self-serve technology refers to tools and systems that allow individuals to independently access services, information, or perform tasks without direct assistance from staff. Leveraging this type of technology empowers users to take control of their experiences, providing convenience, flexibility, and efficiency.

3 Self-Serve Technologies to Empower Your Community

From online registration platforms to physical kiosks, there are multiple self-serve technologies that parks and recreation agencies can use to their advantage. In this section, we’ll cover three different self-serve solutions that you can offer your customers to help improve their user experience when purchasing from you.

#1: Online Recreation Management Platform for Ease of Access 

Providing your community members with a way to interact with your offering online is a crucial first step in empowering them to self-serve their recreation needs. Although not all parks and recreation management software are made equal, ideally, your online platform will enable your customers to access such features as:

👤 Member Management: Customers can login online and keep their member profiles up to date with current information, including their address and payment details.

⚽️ Program Registration: Community members can sign into their accounts, browse, register, and pay for the activities they’re interested in on their own time.

🗓️ Facility Bookings: Keep your phone lines clear by enabling community members to book the spaces they need without staff support.

💳 Payment Processing: Reduce the need for front-desk transactions by offering a way for customers to pay for their bookings and registrations directly online.

How Online Rec Management Platforms Empower Individuals

In addition to reducing the burden on your front desk staff, offering an online parks and recreation management solution for your customers provides your community with numerous benefits. 

🚀 Accessible and Convenient: Community members can explore and register for programs from the comfort of their homes, eliminating the need for in-person visits or phone calls.

👀 Transparent and Up to Date: Real-time availability of programs and facilities ensures that individuals can make informed decisions about their participation—from drop-in activities to facility bookings.

🕦 Flexible and Easy to Use: With 24/7 online access, members can manage their accounts, register for courses, and make payments without having to wait for your centers to be open.

💡 Did You Know?

Xplor Recreation’s all-in-one parks and recreation management software offers member management, facility bookings, program registration and payment processing all through one easy-to-use platform. What’s more, our registration module can be embedded directly onto your website, meaning your community members can easily self-serve their needs online with peace of mind and convenience.

#2: Mobile App for On-the-Go Convenience

Considering the overwhelming amount of data showcasing the rising popularity of mobile e-commerce, there are a lot of reasons Why Your Parks and Recreation Agency Needs a Mobile App. But, in addition to how a custom-branded mobile app can help with your program participation and revenue, offering an application can also provide your community with some major benefits. 

Not all apps are made equal though! The type of app that we’re talking about is what’s called a fully native mobile application. These kinds of apps offer users an experience entirely built within the app—so they’ll never get kicked out mid-way through registration, for example. They leverage iOS or Android functionality, using the native programming language of whichever operating system they will function on.

How Native Mobile Apps Empower Individuals

Creating a mobile app for your community can help enhance engagement with your agency by offering a convenient on-the-go platform. Below are the key benefits you can expect from a custom-branded native mobile app.

🤳 Convenience at Their Fingertips: Each of your customers can manage their family members’ recreation needs—from program registration to payments—right from the palm of their hand, anywhere, anytime.

📱 Digital Membership Cards: Community members can access digital versions of their cards directly from the app—eliminating the stress of keeping track of and carrying around a physical card.

📣 Real-Time Updates: Push notifications from mobile apps provide your customers with real-time updates about schedule changes, program reminders, and more, ensuring they never miss a thing.

🤖 AI-Powered Accessibility: Features like AI-powered smart search leverage natural language searches like “spin classes for adults on Monday mornings,” making it easier than ever for customers to filter and find programs.

💡 Did You Know?

Xplor Recreation’s fully native mobile app is custom branded for each agency, offering an innovative and convenient way for your community to connect with your offerings. Launched in 2024, it’s the first native mobile app of its kind in the parks and recreation industry, with exciting new features—like AI-powered smart search—being added all the time. 

#3: Kiosk Solutions for In-Center Support

In addition to the self-serve tech that your customers can leverage from anywhere, it’s also important to consider solutions that you can integrate with your on-site operations. Physical kiosks provide community members with an alternative to front-desk support, reducing pressure on your staff and empowering individuals with different service options.

How Kiosks Empower Individuals

On-site kiosks are a great way to add value to your customers’ front desk experiences. Modern and easy to use, these platforms provide your community members with many benefits.

📋 Efficient Check-In: Remove the need for customers to physically check in at your front desk by offering a quick and easy-to-use digital system located right in your centers.

👀 Browsing Capabilities: Visitors to your center can take their time looking through your membership offers and making purchases without having to wait to speak to a staff member.

⭐️ Community Feedback: Customers can give their feedback on certain programs, activities, facilities, or even general areas for improvement through anonymous surveys.

💛 Accessible Alternative: For community members who are not native English speakers or who have hearing impairments, kiosks offer an accessible option for purchases.

💡 Did You Know?

Xplor Recreation offers physical kiosks, built to help agencies streamline their community members’ in-person experiences at their centers. Our self-serve kiosks empower your customers to complete transactions for single bookings, drop-ins, and membership purchases securely on-site, at their own pace, while reducing bottlenecks at your front desk.

Empower Your Community with Self-Serve Technology

Integrating self-serve technology with your agency’s operations can help you provide your customers with easier access, convenience, and support.

With Xplor Recreation’s all-in-one recreation management software, white-labelled mobile app, and kiosk platform, you can better engage your community members, while also supporting your operations and staff. From reduced administrative burdens to allowing your team to focus on delivering exceptional service, self-serve tech is the way of the future.

Ready to Empower Your Community?

Discover how Xplor Recreation’s self-serve technologies can revolutionize your parks and recreation offerings. Schedule a demo today and take the first step towards empowering your community.