How James City County Brought Innovation to their Parks & Rec Department with Xplor Recreation

James City County’s Key Challenges

After 20 years of using the same software, James City County recognized an exciting opportunity for growth and improvement to better align with the evolving needs of their community.

The need for innovation to enhance both customer and staff experiences was a top priority. With the chance to modernize their online services and streamline processes like managing modern-day fees, they knew a switch in provider would better serve their community.

"When evaluating what we wanted in a rec management software, everybody kept comparing things to Amazon—like being able to add something to a cart and check out. But with [previous provider], we were struggling to do just the basics. We found out we had a lot of baggage over there.”

An outdated user experience

The Parks & Recreation department saw the potential to enhance the user experience by transitioning to a more modern software system. A streamlined, user-friendly interface would make it easier for customers to self-serve and register online for programs, improving overall satisfaction.

“What little bit of online we did have with [previous provider] was dated, and we were trying to see if we could find something that was more in line with traditional e-commerce. But it was more or less a system limitation. From the customer standpoint, people were like, what is this system you're using?”

Online capabilities had many, growing limitations

Even though the community wanted to be able to access programs and registrations online, and the Parks & Recreation department wanted to be able to offer this, they simply couldn't. Their previous software provider's limitations highlighted the need for a greater online presence and the department was eager to embrace a solution that would significantly enhance their digital reach.

“We were very limited as to what we could offer for online registration. We had only moved online a year or two before switching to Xplor Recreation, so we hadn't even been online that long with many of our programs. Most of everything we did was by phone or in person. We couldn’t keep doing what we were doing."

Friction resulting from credit card convenience fees

One of the other key challenges that the James City County team was dealing with before our partnership was the introduction of a rather inconvenient credit card convenience fee.

This fee is a fixed amount or percentage that a payment processing company charges a business when a customer pays by credit card. Without the ability to pass the fee onto their customers, James City County would have been stuck covering the expense themselves—every time a community member opted to pay by card.

While the County's past vendor was able to work out a solution for in-person payments, they were still having trouble finding a way to pass the charge onto customers for online transactions.

"Around that time, this whole credit card convenience fee was starting to rear its head, and nobody had a perfect solution for that. We could collect over the counter in person, but we wanted to offer more stuff online. So, we needed a provider who could work with us on that credit card fee collection.”

Solution: A Partnership with Xplor Recreation

Change is always hard. Some team members at James City County were initially cautious about exploring new options for their recreation management software, but Robbie and many others knew they couldn’t keep going the way they had been. So, backed by a small team of power-users, Robbie led the charge towards a new solution.

"I ended up being the project manager for the transition, and I brought together a small team of power-users. We met weekly. We wanted to learn the new system from the ground up."

After diligently evaluating four different providers, James City County found their ideal recreation management software partner in Xplor Recreation. They were particularly excited about the opportunity to provide their community with a more positive user experience, as well as the 24-hour customer support that would be available to their team through our partnership.

A more simplified, positive user experience

James City County needed a solution that could offer substantially less friction for their customers—especially when it came to registration.

With Xplor Recreation, the County recognized that community members would no longer need to call in or wait in line to speak to someone about the capacity of a course. The team was eager for this change, especially for some of the County’s most popular courses, like their pottery classes—which tend to fill up in under a minute!

Robbie and his team also learned that community members would be able to better self-serve their needs with Xplor Recreation, signing up for classes and getting on waitlists entirely online. They were excited to empower members of the community to manage their own schedules and alleviate pressure on County staff, freeing up phone lines and reducing bottle necks at the front desk.

“On the patron side, we were excited that clients would be able to use our site and not have to call anybody to see if something went through. And if a class was popular, they would be able to go online, explore and see how many spots were left. With [previous provider], our clients had to call our centers to see how many spots were left in the class or if something was already full or waitlisted. So, we knew that would help a lot.”

Round-the-clock customer support

Previously, James City County worked within the framework of their former provider's support team schedule, which is why they were looking for a more responsive solution. One that would give them access to timely assistance whenever an issue arose, ensuring a smoother and more efficient experience.

The fact that Xplor Recreation offers round-the-clock customer support was very appealing to them. Our 24/7, 365 support model meant that Robbie and his colleagues would no longer have to wait on someone else’s work hours.

"It really stood out to me that, with Xplor Recreation, we wouldn’t have to wait on a person's Monday through Friday, or 8 to 5 if something went wrong. We’re not limited to only calling in during the week. We don’t need to physically go somewhere to fix an issue. In my opinion, that's what stood out the most. That's what I was excited about."

The Results of Our Partnership

Since partnering with Xplor Recreation in 2018, James City County has experienced a number of key benefits. Starting right from implementation through to recent innovations, Robbie and his team have been able to remove friction from many of their processes. This has resulted in happier community members and staff, as well as smoother operations for the Parks & Recreation department.

An innovative, ever-evolving software solution

To meet the evolving requirements of the County, the team needed a software system that offered more functionality than their previous provider both now and for years to come. When they met with the Xplor Recreation team, they could see that we were a forward-thinking company that was open to new ideas and innovations.

Robbie says that he’s been consistently impressed by our dedication to continuously evolving and improving our software—especially in response to customer feedback.

"Y'all are always keeping the sandbox open for new ideas. One version comes out and you don’t take any breathers before working on the next version. There's always stuff up coming, and I feel like y'all listen to your clients. If we need something or we're looking for something, you always show that you're listening. Xplor Pay is a perfect example of that.”

A streamlined payment solution with Xplor Pay

One of the most noteworthy results of James City County’s partnership with us is the integration of Xplor Pay into their systems.

As mentioned, the County was experiencing challenges around customer payments due to the introduction of a credit card convenience fee. We heard James City County’s feedback and got to work on an evolution of Xplor Pay, a solution that we were able to bring to the County as an improved payment processor.

“When y'all were getting ready to do more with Xplor Pay, you actually reached out to us and asked if we would be interested in switching over to it if you could deliver XYZ. So, I believe we were one of the very first agencies to switch over to Xplor Pay. What we have found to be of benefit is that we're able to get all the details. Xplor Pay gives us the details down to a specific credit card terminal for some of our bigger locations if we need it. My team can throw these into their spreadsheets, do a little manipulation, and send it all over to our treasurer report. It's a really good benefit for everybody.”

Incredible support resulting in perfect implementation

When James City County began implementation of our software, our team was able to bring peace of mind to an otherwise high-stakes transition. Specifically, Robbie mentioned how our thorough training and test environment really alleviated any fear or stress felt by the team. They were able to see adjustments in real time and get comfortable with the new system before officially launching with our software.

“Your implementation team was perfect. We enjoyed them so much. You worked with us to learn the new terminology, and one of the biggest helps was the training site. That was just so perfect because we were able to break things and then your team would refresh the site, and we could see in real time how it was all going to work. Overall, implementation went very smoothly, which I was gladly surprised by.”

Long-term, dedicated account management

Years into our partnership with James City County, Robbie says that he’s floored that we continue to offer a dedicated Account Manager to their team at no additional cost. He finds it incredibly helpful that we are consistently reaching out to them to share updates, info and, sometimes, just to check in.

“With most other places, when you purchase software, you get a limited time with support. Anything after that, you always have to pay for it. But we're almost five years with Xplor Recreation now, and y'all still provide us with an Account Manager who checks in with us regularly. That's something you just don't see anywhere else, in my opinion.”

A broader sense of community with other localities

Robbie also shared that he’s been able to discover a broader community with his neighboring localities through James City County’s partnership with Xplor Recreation. This has primarily been through our Community Portal, which is available to all of our clients as an extra layer of support.

To Robbie, the Portal has enabled him to participate in what he called “micro-communities”, connecting him to other parks and recreation professionals from nearby agencies.

"Something unique that you all have done is the Community Portal and how it allows different jurisdictions to talk to each other and post questions. It's almost like we're making these little micro-communities with other localities. It’s made me realize that maybe we should be talking to other counties in Virginia and Maryland, and have little discussions every few months to share ideas and see what’s going on.”