How Richland County Modernized League Management and Reduced Registration Calls by 80-90 Percent While Serving 800+ Athletes

Richland County Parks and Recreation needed a better way to manage league operations, registrations, and resident communication. Their previous recreation software created challenges for both staff and residents, leading to high call volumes, manual workflows, and time-consuming administrative work.

Since implementing CivicPlus^® Recreation Management, the department has simplified league management, dramatically reduced registration-related calls, and empowered more staff to independently manage programs and resident registrations.

Today, Richland County uses Recreation Management to manage leagues, communication, registrations, and overall operational efficiency across the department.

The Challenges with a Legacy Recreation Management System

Before Recreation Management, Richland County relied on a legacy recreation system that staff described as difficult to use for both employees and residents.

League management workflows were heavily manual, and staff often relied on paper rosters and Excel spreadsheets to organize teams, assign players, and manage communication with parents and participants.

During the department’s last season of using this system, staff managed 706 participants and spent more than 15 hours building rosters and coordinating contact information.

The registration experience also created significant operational strain. During peak registration periods, staff received approximately 40 to 50 registration-related calls per day from residents needing assistance with accounts, logins, and other registration issues.

The department needed a modern solution that would:

• Simplify league management
• Improve the resident registration experience
• Reduce administrative burden
• Enable more staff to manage programs and registrations

Reducing Registration Calls and Simplifying League Operations

After evaluating multiple recreation software providers, Richland County selected the solution from Recreation Management because of its ease of use, smooth workflows, and built-in communication tools.

The department now uses Recreation Management to:

• Create and manage leagues
• Build rosters and assign players
• Communicate with parents and participants
• Manage registrations and payments
• Create programs and activities
• Modernize staff workflows

The department quickly expanded its use of Recreation Management across multiple programs and daily staff processes, including winter basketball leagues, spring sports programs across seven different activities, resident account management, and registration and payment processing.

As adoption grew, staff were able to centralize league operations, improve communication with parents, and reduce the manual coordination previously required to manage teams and registrations.

League Management: A Key Player

League Management quickly became one of the department’s most impactful tools.

Before implementing Recreation Management, staff relied on spreadsheets and manual coordination to organize teams and communicate with participants.

During a recent winter basketball season, Richland County managed more than 800 athletes through the platform. Staff used Recreation Management to:

• Create teams and rosters
• Assign players across multiple locations
• Email parents and coaches
• Communicate schedule updates
• Manage league logistics from one system

Today, staff can assign players and communicate with parents in just one to two hours per sport, saving an estimated five to ten staff hours per sport offered.

The communication tools have also improved responsiveness during schedule changes and unexpected events.

When an unexpected facility scheduling change occurred, staff were able to send targeted email and text alerts to the affected families within two to three minutes. The department estimates the platform saves approximately one hour of staff time for every cancelled game or event requiring communication updates.

The ability to quickly notify residents through multiple channels has significantly reduced confusion and unnecessary facility visits.

Improving the Resident Registration Experience

Since launching Recreation Management, Richland County has meaningfully improved the registration experience for residents.

Before implementation, registration periods generated heavy call volume as residents struggled with confusing workflows and account management issues.

Now, the department only receives approximately five registration-related calls per day during peak periods, compared to 40 to 50 calls per day previously.

That represents an estimated 80-90 percent reduction in registration-related support calls.

The department also estimates staff save approximately three to five hours per week due to reduced call volume and fewer account-related issues.

In addition, Recreation Management improved the account setup and payment process for staff and residents alike. Staff can now create new resident accounts, process registrations, accept payments, and issue receipts in approximately five minutes.

The improved workflows helped the department maintain strong participation throughout the transition to the new platform without disrupting registrations or resident engagement.

Expanding Staff Efficiency Across the Department

One of the department’s biggest operational improvements came from increasing the number of staff members who could confidently use the system.

Previously, only a small number of employees could create programs in the department’s old software.

Today, more than eight staff members can independently create programs and manage registrations in Recreation Management.

The department also reduced training time significantly. New staff members can typically learn how to create programs within two to three hours.

By making the system easier to learn and use, Richland County has been able to distribute work more evenly across the organization and reduce reliance on just a few employees.

Looking Ahead

Richland County plans to continue expanding its use of CivicPlus solutions, including launching its CivicPlus website to help residents more easily find activities, leagues, and registration information.

By modernizing league management, communication, and registration workflows, the department created a more efficient experience for staff while improving service delivery for residents.

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