FAIR OAKS, CA. - July 21, 2003 - Registering for programs at Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District just got easier. The Fair Oaks community can now register for recreation classes from home or work, thanks to a new ?real time' online registration service. With the real-time service, participants can register and pay online for summer classes at www.fairoakspark.org and know instantly whether the class is available. With real-time capabilities, the Fair Oaks staff can also view all registration activity - Internet, phone, in-person, mail and fax - as it happens and avoid overbooking classes or taking duplicate registrations.
"The big difference is now people can register online and don't have to come into the office. They can do it right from home and receive an e-mail confirming that they got the class," explained Jenny Staats, recreation superintendent, Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District.
By making classes available via the Internet, Fair Oaks reduces the staff workload and paperwork involved in processing registrations. Participants have the option of paying online, saving additional staff time. For the community, Internet registration makes signing up for classes and activities fast, fun and convenient. To provide the new service, Fair Oaks is using RecNet recreation management software by RecWare. In addition to offering real-time capabilities, the software is Web-based and offers hosted Internet registration so program information can be accessed day or night via the Internet and the Fair Oaks staff doesn't have to install software on workstations or purchase server hardware to process transactions.
"We're one of the first agencies to use RecNet software so you can say we jumped into everything at once," says Staats. "It's been a big undertaking with a tight timeframe for implementation, but we know we made the best decision. There weren't any upfront costs and everything is hosted for us so that made the decision easier. We also work closely with Sunrise Recreation & Park District, a beta site for the software, so we trusted the district's feedback."
For Staats, an additional RecNet benefit has been the ability to integrate registration and reservation functions. She explained, "Now when we put in a class registration, the software automatically reserves the facility at the same time. It's also easier to set up permits for facilities and our staff can access a calendar showing what has been reserved."
Participants can register online for Fair Oaks recreation classes at www.fairoakspark.org. During July and August, Fair Oaks is offering summer day camp programs such as camp Fair Oaks and Fair Oaks Summer Skills Soccer Camps and classes such as CPR.
For more information, visit www.fairoakspark.org or call 916-966-1036.