The Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO) provided educational sessions on marketing, customer service, pricing, propane and front desk management software on Thursday, the third and final day of the association’s annual Spring Meeting.
Michael Moore, who serves as general manager of Texas Advertising, discussed the various methods of marketing a park through print and online platforms, the importance of tracking results, and the need to sustain marketing and advertising efforts to both build and maintain a park’s customer base.
Larry Brownfield, director of franchise development for Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, talked about customer service, focusing on the differences between “high-tech” and “high-touch” ways to enhance the guest experience.
“To maintain a good high tech-high touch relationship is going to cost money,” Brownfield said, citing the need to provide Wi-Fi service as an example. “Wi-Fi is just as important to people as water, sewer and electric. … It’s a utility, not an amenity.”
Brownfield also cautioned park operators to provide a “high touch” response whenever they experience a “high tech slam” in the form of a negative online review.
“When you read a (negative) review, wait at least two hours before you respond online,” he said. “Write your response offline. Read it. Then let a somewhat neutral party read it next, and then submit it. … You’re always looking for the ability to cultivate a relationship.”
Jamie McGehee, who represents the Astra Campground Manager reservation software system, urged park operators to do their due diligence and ask lots of questions before settling on a software system provider.
“Every provider has a different pricing model,” said McGehee. “What does your ‘monthly fee’ really cover? Understand what you’re getting for those fees. Understand what you’re getting and who is paying (those fees) and where the cost is coming from? Is there a credit card fee? What happens if you stop paying annual fees?”
McGehee said it’s also worthwhile to ask reservation software providers about the feasibility of using two different reservation systems at the same time. Some parks may want to consider transitioning their reservations for next year to a new system while they continue using their existing system during the current year.
TACO’s Spring Meeting included a workshop with April Dawn Richardson, director of alternative fuels safety for the Railroad Commission of Texas, which oversees permitting for propane sales and service as well as compressed and liquified natural gas.
Richardson reviewed the various licensing requirements for businesses that sell and store alternative fuels and noted that there are both management level and employee level exams. She also distributed a worksheet that outlined the requirements for cylinder filling service stations.
TACO’s Spring Meeting educational sessions concluded with a roundtable discussion on park pricing and daily, weekly and monthly market segmentation.
For more information about the association, visit www.tacomembers.com.
