In order for theme parks to run operations in a smooth and efficient manner, internal communications are key. Ross McCaw, CEO and founder of OurPeople, tells us more
Ross McCaw | OurPeople | 10 Mar 2022
Paultons Park adopted OurPeople’s mobile-first technology in 2017 Credit: Paulton’s Park
Theme parks are the highlight of many peoples’ summers, and considering the last two seasons have been impacted heavily by the pandemic, this year is an important one for the industry. With theme park doors opening to the public from April onwards, many park managers will already be in the process of coordinating and organising their season launch.
This is no mean feat, and getting everything prepared in such an uncertain time is going to be a challenge for even the most experienced managers and team members. With staff spread across a number of different departments, from ride operators and hospitality teams to security, cleaners and back-office, one of the biggest unforeseen challenges is trying to distribute information.
This is likely to be the last thing on people’s minds, but it certainly shouldn’t be. With so many customer-facing roles and team members, those on the frontline need to be a fountain of knowledge for customers. However, more often than not they are the last to know the detail.
A more streamlined process for sharing information amongst teams where managers can be certain their staff have received, read and understood the information shared with them will be the key to ensuring parks are prepared for the return of the tide this summer.
As the world finally reopens, the need to ensure business communications don’t fall back into lazy habits has never been more important. Not only do teams need to be kept updated, but they need to be engaged with the business. So, what needs to be done next to ensure a smooth and more streamlined process moving forward?
Many businesses have been slow to adopt one single technology platform for their internal comms structure and information has instead been distributed across a combination of multiple channels. For too long this has caused confusion amongst teams and has not proved to be an efficient way to keep staff informed.
One of the most popular theme parks in the UK, Paultons Park, came to the realisation that they needed to adapt in 2017 when their means of communicating internally (using email, notice boards, screens in staff rooms and their internal extranet) was causing problems. Staff were missing imperative information which was disrupting the day-to-day running of operations. What’s more, less than 10% of their staff had access to their own email account, proving that this traditional means of communication was simply not efficient enough.
With more than 600 team members across 11 different departments, they were in need of something more robust to ensure their internal communications issue was resolved.
OurPeople’s mobile-first technology was able to break down this barrier by overhauling Paulton’s internal comms structure to create a more streamlined process where everyone could have access to the information they needed at the tip of their fingers. By using the right digital tools to streamline communications and workloads at peak periods of activity, their operations were able to run more efficiently and crucial information was able to be distributed to team members whilst they were on the go.
Communicating protocols and updates was not just a top priority during the pandemic for park staff, but it remains a priority despite the fact that we’re now returning to a sense of normality. Ensuring each employee understands what is needed from them and how to keep themselves and visitors safe is always the first concern for managers and head office teams.
However, with seasonal teams, communicating these updates efficiently and successfully comes with challenges. For those still using outdated methods of information sharing, we see the same mistake over and over again - the tendency to ‘send to all’. While this means that your staff has the information, it does not necessarily mean they have read the information and can cause ‘alert fatigue’, a process by which teams will often disengage and ignore updates based on the volume of arriving communications.
Furthermore, as park teams are seasonal and often spend their days on the go during their shifts, they have very little time to sift through emails or company newsletters to find the information that is personally relevant for them. Therefore, having a targeted messaging tool through a mobile-first application ensures the right information is reaching the right people, increases engagement and helps teams manage their workload during busy periods. This allows for a more streamlined process for shifting rotas, sharing alerts on new government guidance, or notifying other park staff members of a sick visitor or accident.
By using this technology managers can have total oversight of the park teams, without having to be physically present in every area and can identify which employees have engaged with the information they have shared.
As a result they can be targeted with their follows ups instead of adding to the email clutter for staff that have already read the information. This became a particularly valuable feature to many managers during the pandemic, as government guidance changed every day and they had to be certain that staff knew the latest information.
It’s not always fun and games working at a theme park. It can be a psychologically stressful and demanding job - especially during the pandemic where there are risks of contracting the virus.
Digital channels can help staff members deal with this by helping schedule meetings with managers to discuss concerns, assist with getting shift cover for annual leave or even completing anonymous feedback surveys on working practices. While nothing can replace one-on-one contact with managers for support at these times, technology can enhance this relationship by keeping managers and employees in close contact - which is especially important for disparate teams. This functionality also helps harness team culture, especially in an industry that comprises of mostly deskless workers.
Many businesses have been slow to adopt a one-stop-shop technology platform for their internal comms however, the benefits of doing so are clear. As park staff are constantly on the go, it’s important that personally relevant information can be accessed within seconds - and what’s a better way of reaching employees than on the device that they have access to and use day in, day out.
For a successful re-opening this summer and beyond, operators must seriously consider the advantages that come with modernising their internal comms structure to ensure they are not only streamlined, but to keep everyone at every level involved and engaged in the successful running and reopening of their theme park.
Theme park
|
|
Everything you need to know about IAAPA Expo Europe 2024
|