Executive Report
Introduction
Theme parks have become an integral part of family holidaying and are a major tourist attraction in Australia (Vasconcelos and Demo, 2012; von Byern and Hatt, 2013). The Marine IV Theme Park has several parks located in different parts of the Australian Gold Coast. The Gold Coast is much known for its many attractions and theme parks form an integral part of this list. Despite the high potential that the location presents to Marine IV, the management has been unable to catch up with the emerging tide of largely digitized customers due to continued reliance on anoutdated customer relationship management system (CRMS). It is with respect to this observation that I have developed a proposal for the modernization of the current CRMS at Marine IV. Mobile app manufacturer Quick App Australia estimates that 97% of all Australians use their mobile devices to access their desired services. Therefore, developing a mobile-compatible app and web interface are a huge step towards making Marine IV more accessible and acceptable to customers.
Recommendations
As highlighted above, the CRMS at Marine IV is quite outdated and needs to be upgraded to catch up with the emerging trends in the sector. The outdated nature of the current CRMS means that the parks, which normally receive up to 200,000 visitors have experienced a reduced flow of visitors over the recent past. This has been attributed to the current form of the CRMS –it is structured in a way that does not promote customer loyalty and the manual nature of the reservation process is out of touch with the experience at other parks.The importance of a loyalty program (mainly based on a mobile app) is underscored by Clancy (2014), who quoted Mitch Harper of BigCommercesaying that “if you know who they are, what they bought, what they spend, you can give them a more personalized experience”. As a result, it is imperative that this park is remodelled in a way that allows a digitized system thatinstils customer loyalty among visitors.
The project will begin with further exploration of the inadequacies within the existing system. Roder (2007) notes that despite a set of problems presenting themselves at any organization, it is important to ensure due diligence is observed when recommending changes in an organization. This, according to the author, helps in ensuring that the response given to the review of systems is done objectively in a systematic manner, avoiding loopholes for plundering ng of resources. It runs on two platforms: a web-based platform on which potential customers can sign into and make reservations, and a mobile based application that equally helps in the sign up and reservation processes. This comes with the further provisions for issuing a park pass to the willing visitors. The pass forms part of a loyalty program that will help to track and award the visitors by awarding them points every time they transact within the park. The points are to be used in future transactions at any of the Marine IV parks.
The planning phase involves laying out all the expected procedures for the implementation of the project. This happens in phases. The first phase will involve the creation of a new web-based platform on which the existing PC-only system will be transferred to. The new web-based platform will be created in a way that allows non-PC-based usage such as access through mobile phones, tablets and iPads. The second phase, which could run alongside the first, is the design of a mobile-based application that could help in performance of all transactions at any of the Marine IV parks. Furthermore, when an existing customer logs into the mobile app they can view the upcoming events, discounts on offer, and emerging facilities. The final phase will involve the collapse of the outdated PC-based platform into the mobile app and the web-based system.
Once the two platforms are set up, they will be subjected to review by an independent quality assurance team. This will help ensure that the app is suitably created to only collect the needed information and does not expose the company to unnecessary judicial processes. Employing external project evaluators is seen as a crucial step in ensuring objectivity (Milisiunaite, Adomaitiene and Galginaitis, 2009; Kettunen, 2008). The scope of the current project is not expected to change while the process is ongoing. However, this does not rule out the need to undertake further changes in the implementation of the project. This could include the unavoidable restructuring of the HR department as some extra roles are bound to be given to more qualified IT experts. These experts are needed to handle the revolutionized system and should ideally have the capacity to handle and repair breakdowns within the upcoming system. This will not only help develop continuity among internal experts but will also reduce the amount of time it would take to repair the system as management has greater control over its own staff.