Sold the moment they saw it
The Maxwell Swim Club looked at several different tools to serve their business and swimming needs. In the end, they went with TeamUnify and have been enjoying the benefits ever since. “Having seen how fantastic the support from TeamUnify was, and from talking to other clubs both in the UK and US, we felt confident enough to take the plunge,” notes treasurer, Sue Ashworth.
The club has had TeamUnify up and running for over a year now and they continue to enjoy the results. “After one month we could already see just how many benefits it brought and will continue to bring to our club,” says Ashworth.
Their head coach praises how TeamUnify gives her the total visibility on her squads she never had before. Similarly, the club’s membership secretary appreciates how her workload is reduced and efficiency increased.
Implementation process
“Before we went live, we spent a few weeks thinking about and working on our website, using the excellent TeamUnify template and tools,” says Ashworth. “As someone who had never worked on a website before I found this incredibly easy and have been delighted with the information we can now share.”
And their parents noticed when they went live with a new website and a new club management system at the same time. Now the club can easily keep everything on the website up-to-date, and react very promptly if they have urgent messages to convey. “The whole implementation process was very rewarding, because the TeamUnify Team provided such excellent tuition and advice, and were there to hold our hands every step of the way.”
Centralising key systems
The club had a variety of databases and manual systems that had been set up by different people over the years. Each designed for a different job, but representing a lot of duplication of data and effort. If people left or could not do their job for any reason, then the club struggled to keep moving.
“If we had a new joiner, or a leaver, or even something as simple as a member's email address changed, then we had to remember to tell everyone in the chain,” says Ashworth. “Setting up the database has definitely been the way to go as we have now centralised all our information, and we have a platform to reform our systems and processes so they are more efficient and less dependent on individuals.”
Complete, accurate information
TeamUnify has provided unprecedented completeness and accuracy of information. The coaches do registers using their phones, so it becomes very clear if someone has not yet completed all the joining processes. In the Registration System, as soon as a swimmer successfully completes a trial they are directed to the website to register on-line.
“We can now bill up front for club membership fees and ASA fees, and when parents have registered the new swimmers, I get a message to go in and approve them and allocate them to the right squad,” notes Ashworth. “We have had almost 100% success with this. It means I can provide accurate information to our coaches, increase our income, and ensure our new members are immediately welcomed with the correct information.” All this with virtually no paperwork for the membership secretary to print and chase down.
Coaches love the mobile app
The club’s coaches love the mobile app, because all the information on the swimmers' attendance and PBs is at their fingertips. That helps the coaches plan their sessions and make more informed judgements on when swimmers are ready to move squads.
“I have been able to support the coaches by making squad and billing changes whenever the coaches deem these necessary. Previously that was a major headache twice a year,” says Ashworth. The coaches can easily explain their reasons to parents, and the parents can follow their swimmers' progress on their own app.
Buzz created poolside
Excitement is so great, there’s been major buzz created poolside. “Parents are helping each other with the system and showing off their swimmers' profiles,” beams Ashworth. “It has been the best communication tool we could wish for, with parents asking for log-ins so they can join in the fun.” Not only this, but the club also has shared information and learning experiences with other clubs who use TeamUnify, and this can only be good for the future of the sport.
About the club
Maxwell is the top competitive swimming club in the Aylesbury Vale, with training bases in Aylesbury and Buckingham. Professional coaches work with swimmers of all abilities to make them the best that they can be—ready for competition at club, county, regional, national and even international level. Maxwell's passion is to develop and build participation in swimming and help each member to realise their full potential. Through their core values of excellence, team work, and enthusiasm.
Maxwell Swim Club has been a part of the TeamUnify team since March of 2015.
