Snapshot
We created a custom WordPress website that fully integrates with RecTrac’s WebTrac web interface, revolutionizing the parks and recreation web experience in the process.
Client
Bolingbrook Park District
Industry
Parks & Recreation
Bolingbrook Park District is a public park and recreation agency located in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a large community of 76,272 in Chicago’s southwest suburbs, located 25 miles from the city. One of their main responsibilities is enriching their community through the programs and events they offer. They use RecTrac to manage everything about their facilities, team, events, and program offerings: scheduling, event information, availability, registration. You name it, it’s all managed and stored inside of RecTrac.
The challenge
The client was frustrated with the time, energy, and resources it required to maintain both their RecTrac account (with all their programs and offerings) and their website. Anytime something needed to be added or updated in RecTrac, it would need to be found—sometimes in multiple locations—on their website so that both systems reflected one another.
They chose to not use RecTrac’s website system (WebTrac) because of its limited design options and it didn’t do some of the functionality they wanted. An example of this missing functionality is having all of their locations displayed on a filterable map interface. Another is the park district charges all users a small annual fee that must be renewed every year. They very much wanted a system inside of their website to help manage this easily.
Beyond the additional efforts double-entry in RecTrac and the website demanded from their team, it often led to inaccuracies between their customer-facing website and the realities of the RecTrac data. Additionally, their website was dated, with very little structure—none of their offerings were organized by a data system or taxonomy, so programs or classes were often difficult for customers to find.
With this project, we had a few main objectives:
- Make it easy for a park district’s staff to manage, maintain, and update their offerings on their website. Update information once, and it would flow everywhere.
- Make it easy for users to find programs and events on the website, and to register for them with a few simple clicks.
- Achieve the above within a beautiful, easily navigated website.
We launched our site in October of 2021 and we are still in love with it. The system works just as it was designed and is so easy to work with. We are able to adapt as needed for our district without having to completely redesign sections of the site. The integration with RecTrac not only saves time from a management standpoint, it also ensures we have accurate information for our customers. When programs get updated in RecTrac, so does the website. The integration really helps improve overall communication with our team and customers.
Kim Smith, Director of Marketing and Customer Care
Our result
Our web team built a beautifully designed WordPress website integrated with RecTrac, creating one seamless web experience for the staff and local residents. Click below to see the website yourself, or read on to learn about some of the features and how we managed to create them.
Edit once, see everywhere
We used RecTrac’s API to propagate the website’s content with information and data straight from RecTrac. Now, when something is updated in RecTrac, the update flows directly to the WordPress site. Updates to the live site can be configured to happen automatically every night, or their team can trigger a manual update any time they like.
An incredible user experience for local residents
Bolingbrook residents are no longer complaining they can’t find that swimming lesson or class—we have built a system of tools surrounding BPD’s programs that help residents find exactly what they’re looking for on the website.
Amazing Navigation
The easy experience for users starts with an amazing, simple-to-use navigation system. Below is a screenshot of the “Programs & Events” mega-menu, which works equally well on phones, tablets, or computers.
Powerful filtering and search capabilities for programs
Easy-to-use filtering allows local residents to find and register for exactly the program, class, or event they’re looking for. Filters are automatically built by the data in RecTrac for BPD’s programs:
- Days of the week
- Location
- Program Categories
- Time of day
- Age group
Reusable web assets to feature programs or events anywhere on the website
We made it easy for the Bolingbrook Park District’s team to add featured items on their site. As an example, the information cards below can be easily added to any page of the website, including news and blogs.
Interactive maps of parks and facilities, completely driven by RecTrac data
A filterable map of all facilities’ locations allows users to find all the facilities that offer exactly what they’re looking for.
Document systems for must-publish information
Park districts are required by law to have certain documentation on the website, so we organized all of their must-publish documents (board meeting minutes, financials, public bids, etc.) in one simple interface. The library system makes it a breeze for both Google and the public to find the documents.
A useful FAQ system to reduce unnecessary calls and pressure on their team
We included an incredible, SEO optimized FAQ system that makes it easy for people to find the answers they need. Our FAQ system is also marked up with FAQ schema, meaning Google will often take the answers and present them to users right inside of the search results.
Online membership renewals
Bolingbrook Park District offers an annual membership, but the process of renewing was very difficult on their existing website. Our systems allow them to meet internal requirements, but with as much flexibility as is possible with RecTrac. Their new website lets members renew and apply online, saving staff hours of phone calls and collecting documents.
Pilot Digital was excellent to work with. They took the time to understand our pain points and present solutions that fit us. We never once felt that we did not have options or were just sold a standard solution.
Kim Smith, Director of Marketing and Customer Care
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