The
Situation:
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"nuMedia can be counted on to develop a
site that functions exactly as you need it to, and then
take you two more giant leaps forward into the unexpected.
They worked closely with us through the whole process
of building a website that met our needs and budget,
and then continued developing and maintaining it. nuMedia
is always available to their customer.
For our site, nuMedia developed a "Parent Portal"
for the parents of kids attending our summer Laity Lodge
Youth Camp where parents could send care packages or
emails to their campers, or take a look at photos of
their campers, and read daily messages from the camp
director. They developed an on-line registration system
for us which was very user friendly and provided staff
with extensive data and administration capabilities.
In addition, it saved staff time. When you love the people
coming to your website and want the best possible user
experience for them, count on nuMedia to help you make
it possible."
Kevin Mayne
Executive Director, Laity Lodge Youth Camp
H. E. Butt Foundation, Kerrville, Texas
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For years, the famous Texas hill country youth camp, Laity Lodge
Youth Camp, has been swamped with applications for its summer
camps. Trying to make it fair for all applicants, the camp would set
a date for accepting applications and always found itself
besieged on that day. Some parents would travel hundreds of miles
just to be at their doorstep when they opened on that day, and
FedEX would deliver hundreds of applications, marked for delivery
on the starting day. Of course, with a "first-come-first-served"
rule, the camp staff would spend the next month or so sorting
out the applications, trying to figure out a fair way to put
them in order…top of the box, bottom of the box, dump 'em
out and see who's on top…While no one ever doubted the
staff's integrity, parents were understandably upset when little
Johnny or Suzie didn't make the cut.
The Solution:
To be completely honest, it took us two tries to get it right.
The first attempt, for 2002, mirrored the old way: applications
would only be accepted on-line beginning at noon (CST) on
a certain day. On that day, at noon, over a thousand parents
logged in and began filling out the application and, the moment
it was completed, submit it. Well, it worked pretty well.
At the end of the day all the slots and waiting lists were
filled…at the expense of the parents' nerves. It was
like the Oklahoma land rush, parents whose computers had crashed,
parents who had not picked the right camps, parents who had
several kids to register all felt disadvantaged and picked
up the phone…You get the idea. Other than that, registration
worked great, the new system saved wading through
stacks of handwritten applications, determining who got what,
and manually entering the names and addresses into the camp
computer.
But, there had to be a better way. There was. The camp sent
out letters giving each family their own personal registration
number. Then we put up the 2003 application weeks in advance
so parents could take their time and make sure everything
was correct before registration day. When they logged in with
the number, everything was already pre-filled, all they had
to do was check to see if everything was still correct. Then,
at noon on the day, all parents had to do was watch the countdown
clock and click the Register Now button. Seventy percent of
the kids were successfully registered within the first 60
seconds! Ninety percent had registered within the first hour
and all camp assignments and waiting lists had been impartially
filled. And, best of all, less stress for parents and staff!
Once we got everyone registered last year, we added a new,
protected access site for the camps. Prior to camp starting,
camper families were sent a personal login ID which took them
into their personalized portal for viewing the latest camp
photos; sending messages to their campers and purchasing "Care
Packages" from the camp store for their camper. In addition,
the parents' portals allowed the camp administrator to post
schedules, alerts, messages and news specific to each camp
or cabin so parents with children in that camp or cabin are
notified when they log in.
The parent-to-camper messaging service and camp store sales
were so well received by the parents that additional services
for parents and alumni, and an expanded camp store have been developed for 2003.
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