For many, this year has been one that can be summarized with a single word: adaptation. The benefit of adaptation being new experiences in the form of change. While change can be overwhelming, it can also be beneficial. Just ask the City of Windsor.
As a member of the municipal community, Windsor understands the mentality of being apprehensive to change. Tam Nguyen, City of Windsor Recreation Systems Coordinator, says, “Like any government entity, taking a risk on doing something we’ve never done before is always a challenge. Especially when, we are used to our current systems and processes. But we realized, just like any other business, we need to be willing to adapt to change in order to realize growth.” Enter ACTIVENet Connect.
ACTIVENet Connect allows customers the ability to interact and engage with participants, from multiple facilities, on the go. After a successful trial period with Connect, Nguyen and his team were able to secure ACTIVENet Connect for the road ahead. “Initially we tested Connect to see if we could improve our operations at our camps and our pools. Operations were improved and we wanted to carry that momentum over moving forward.” Without knowing it, ACTIVENet Connect would prove to be extremely valuable due to an unforeseen event – COVID-19.
Like so many other organizations, Windsor was taken aback by the effects of COVID-19. The City decided to open two camps within two facilities. Nguyen states, “COVID really gave us another opportunity to have a positive change when things around us were up in the air. We opened our two camps and thought Connect would be the perfect tool to use in order to keep our staff and campers safe.”
Through ACTIVENet Connect, Windsor’s facilities were able to set up designated unloading/loading stations, temperature check screens, and assigned cohorts. Staff are able to sign campers in from iPads and direct them to their designated cohort for the day (ensuring minimal contact and social distancing is upheld). Additionally, Connect presents Windsor with contact tracing capabilities. “In the chance that either a staff member or camper becomes ill, the procedures we’ve set up in Connect, allow us to go back and trace the steps of knowing specifically where that person went throughout the facility. We’re then able to inform others who were around that person and take steps to ensure the safety of others in the process.”
Change can be overwhelming, but it also presents new possibilities. Nguyen states, “If we didn’t have Connect, we wouldn’t be as successful with our programs as we are currently.” For others who are hesitant on adopting new operations, Nguyen gives this piece of advice, “Be open to the potential that comes with change. And once you decide to take the leap, stay fluid and flexible. Once you figure out a process, the payoff is there in the end.”
