Fanrham Common Squash Club - UpdateIn addition to the initial summary below, thought it would be good to give a quick update 18 months on regarding the use of OnLine Bookings.
First thing to say is that the system has gone down EXTREMELY WELL. Members can now book courts at home, work and even on their mobiles. It is easy to block book coaching sessions, team matches and also the odd occassion when the courts are closed for maintenance. The system has proved to be very easy to use and with only very minor issues such as users forgetting passwords etc. As an aside, the data and reports has also helped us review court useage and provide information to the central bodies for their research. One change we decided to make was to remove the cost to book a court completely. We were looking to charge 50p to book a court, but the procedure for this was proving to make things more awkward, but not impossible. Instead we decided to increase the cost of playing (light fees) to cover these costs. This was by far the easiest way so a total cost of £4 for 45 minutes squash was regarded as a good price by all members. We have also found that our Juniors are now very active, booking courts after school and during the day in holidays for small sessions. Our coaches can readily book courts for their sessions and in real time we can see what is available. As a result we have seen a 40% net increase in court useage and court revenue. We have seen membership also increase and feel that use of this technology has helped. We are really happy with our choice of system and keen to spread the word that this type of facility can be implemented easily and at such low costs. |
 
Click on the Image above to view our current Squash Court Bookings at Farnham Common
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Squash at Farnham Common On-Line since 2011
Having reviewed options for Court Booking Systems in the past and not being the biggest of clubs, we discounted changing our Notice Board Booking Sheets as the aleternatives were just too expensive and difficult to maintain. In 2011 I decided to re-visit this and spent several months reviewing systems and solutions. My key objectives were:-
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PRICE - we could not afford to spend thousands in both setup and ongoing costs!
EASE - must be easy to use (we have several technophobes in our membership) and quick and easy to maintain! PRICE - we could not affort to spend thousands....have I said that already! SIMILAR OPERATION - wanted to allow members to see weekly court allocations and book quickly, as they could readily do with the paper system. FEES - wanted to avoid expensive card reading equipment or online payments for small transactions. Ideally a credit type system that could be readily maintained. |
Luckily I found myself in the role to research the options and being fairly good with software and systems I soon discovered there were options on the market, with varying degrees of flexibility and features. Very few offered the Admin Tools to enable me to truly tailor the system to suit our needs. Hardly any offered weekly type views and the flexibility of coping with Members, Non-Members and multiple schedules and event management. We wanted to be able to get our courts booked on line, but also take advantage of opportunities to promote Club events and have a way members could register to attend or show interest.
We found this system suited our requirements very well, but also offered us the ability to share our findings with others and support other clubs take this step.
In addition to setting up the OnLine Booking System we are also implementing a Touch Screen All-In-One PC at our Public Bar, where members can review the Court Schedule and log on and book courts while at the Club. We have will be implementing "Lockdown" software that restricts this computer to access our website only and the booking system.
I am more than happy to discuss our choices here and share my findings in all these areas. I felt that in doing all this work and having gone through the entire process, I decded to setup GoBook247 as a service to other clubs and organisation to save them time and minimise the time and technical demand that would normally be required to go through this process.
Our OnLine System was finalised in April 2011 and went live on the 1st May 2011. Our Members welcomed the system with open arms. We have had no issues and also I am very pleased to confirm that we have not seen one glitch regarding software fault or access to the system, it really has been trouble free. ALL of our members of all ages have quickly learn't how to Sign On and Book courts it is just so easy.
We decided to drop the 50p charge for booking a court and instead put this cost on the Light Meters. Our court useage has gone up by about 30% and we have also attracted new members and also off-peak members who like to play at lunchtimes as a quick escape from work. We simply would not be able to do this without an OnLine Court Booking System.
Finally, I was so pleased to uncover and deliver a solution that costs pounds each week (if that) with no major capital expenditure upfront (apart from a circa £250 Touch Screen PC for our club bar). This ultimately makes this viable, but the ease of use and power behind the software makes it deliverable for our Members and Club as a whole, which is key to making it practical.
Luis Silva, active Squash Member and FCSC Squash Secretary for 2011 onwards
You can contact me on [email protected]
In addition to setting up the OnLine Booking System we are also implementing a Touch Screen All-In-One PC at our Public Bar, where members can review the Court Schedule and log on and book courts while at the Club. We have will be implementing "Lockdown" software that restricts this computer to access our website only and the booking system.
I am more than happy to discuss our choices here and share my findings in all these areas. I felt that in doing all this work and having gone through the entire process, I decded to setup GoBook247 as a service to other clubs and organisation to save them time and minimise the time and technical demand that would normally be required to go through this process.
Our OnLine System was finalised in April 2011 and went live on the 1st May 2011. Our Members welcomed the system with open arms. We have had no issues and also I am very pleased to confirm that we have not seen one glitch regarding software fault or access to the system, it really has been trouble free. ALL of our members of all ages have quickly learn't how to Sign On and Book courts it is just so easy.
We decided to drop the 50p charge for booking a court and instead put this cost on the Light Meters. Our court useage has gone up by about 30% and we have also attracted new members and also off-peak members who like to play at lunchtimes as a quick escape from work. We simply would not be able to do this without an OnLine Court Booking System.
Finally, I was so pleased to uncover and deliver a solution that costs pounds each week (if that) with no major capital expenditure upfront (apart from a circa £250 Touch Screen PC for our club bar). This ultimately makes this viable, but the ease of use and power behind the software makes it deliverable for our Members and Club as a whole, which is key to making it practical.
Luis Silva, active Squash Member and FCSC Squash Secretary for 2011 onwards
You can contact me on [email protected]
