The provision of services to customers/members at the desired level
is also dependent upon the skills and knowledge resident within
the organisation.
Quality sport and recreation experiences are determined by whether
coaches, instructors, officials, administrators, event managers
and other ancillary support staff have had an appropriate level
of training.
Sport and Recreation organisations commonly provide training to
their customers/members but there is sometimes a tendency for organisations
to continue to do what they have always done.
Customer satisfaction is very much about a relationship of the
organisation with the customer. This relationship will depend on
key organisation personnel.
Changes in key personnel cause fluctuations in service delivery
as new staff find their feet within the organisation and learn the
job.
Sport and recreation organisations are often responsible for providing
services to people who spread out over a very large territory.
In such circumstances, problems of distance impact very considerably
upon the level of service delivered by the organisation.
For the customer/member living some distance from the headquarters
of the sport and recreation organisations, there is often a lack
of basic services such the organisation of events and the availability
of coaching and instruction.
Services quite often suffer as a result of the need of budgetary
restrictions imposed as a result of a lack of funds within the sport
and recreation organisation.
This often causes a downward spiral that is hard to escape. As services
are reduced customer satisfaction is reduced and this leads to less
customers and less purchasing. This in turn leads to even more shortage
of funds and an even greater need for budgetary restriction and
so on.
Organisations are apt to change and adapt to new demands of the
marketplace, and changing social and economic trends.
In their effort to adapt, organisations can loose sight of their
mission or the real reason why they exist in the first place. For
example:
An organisation faced with a need to increase its profile in the
media, invents a series of competitions called a national league.
Buoyed by success in achieving sponsorship and increased media profile,
the organisation continues to push an increased amount of human
and financial resources into the national league.
As a result services at the grass roots level begin to wane as they
are no longer the highest priority. The organisation once formed
to serve the needs of participants at the
grass roots level is now too busy doing other things.
Traditionally Sport and Recreation organisations exist to organise
events and programs. This organisation work is often performed by
volunteers and the focus of such work is on services such as coaching,
officiating, event management and acting as an secretary or treasurer.
Without this essential voluntary work, sport and recreation as we
know it to day would not exist.
However some services may be beyond the scope of volunteerism. Sport
and Recreation organisations wishing to provide these services are
faced with a dilemma of whether or not to employ professionals.
The dilemma, of course, is that the majority of Sport and Recreation
organisations do not have the financial resources to do this.
The following are examples of services which may necessitate the
employment of professionals in order to provide that standard of
care required:
| Child Care | Sport and Recreation organisations are increasingly expected to provide childcare if they desire to increase the number of women involved. |
| Health and Safety | Sport and Recreation organisations are expected to undertake risk management and to ensure health and safety of customers or members. |
| Education and Training | Sport and Recreation organisations need to provide a high standard of education programs for participants and volunteers to ensure the future survival and prosperity of the organisation. |
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