Mr17Hz 1
I am intrigued. One could take it a step further and add their insurance information in the event of an incident.
Think about it this way, because your neighbor is using online billing with the bank of america and files taxes online, costs to the bank of america and the government are lower.
Very rarely does operational efficiency lead to reduced pricing for the customer. It generally relates to increased margins for the organization.
Exactly! -The neatest thing about this is that the change only has to be made to the root Skydive Secure profile and all of a sudden all dropzones would have this new information without any change on their own website, local software, or anywhere!
mattchristenson@realskydiving.com
http://www.RealDropzone.com - A new breed of dropzone manifest software.
DanG 1
I guess I just don't get the point.
Oh, and as a quasi-DZO at a small dropzone where the only thing we could possibly sell online is tandem certificates, I fail to see how this would benefit any skydiving business except large gear stores.
- Dan G
Mr17Hz 1
Do you really think this is going to make it easier for anyone? What exactly are you doing at a dropzone's website that requires you to log in? I have yet to encounter any reason to log in to a DZ website. I have logged in to USPA exactly once in 12 years to buy a copy of the IRM.
I guess I just don't get the point.
Oh, and as a quasi-DZO at a small dropzone where the only thing we could possibly sell online is tandem certificates, I fail to see how this would benefit any skydiving business except large gear stores.
- Dan G
Things that you can do at a dropzone's website that would require logging in:
- Posting on the DZ Forum
- Uploading pictures to the gallery
- Looking at your account balance
- Looking at your jump times / dates to assist in filling out a logbook at the end of the weekend.
- Fund your jump account.
- RSVP for free events, or register for events with registration fees.
- Reserve a tandem skydive.
- Schedule a previously purchased but unscheduled tandem skydive.
- Message a friend you met at the dropzone.
- Find out when your last repack was.
- Edit the content of a website for an event you're organizing.
Or - signing onto the dropzones website from the wireless network directly at the dropzone:
- Manifest for a load
- View load manifests and slot availability
- Organizers can manifest entire groups for a load.
If you truely can't see the value in being able to log into a dropzone's website, then you're not the kind of person that would use the website anyway, and it doesn't matter.
As far as selling tandem certificates - how long does it take you to check in a tandem student? By collecting their information ahead of time - the check in process can take less than 10 seconds per customer because all that you're doing is verifying information.
By giving tandem students accounts, it encourages them to sign on again to leave feedback about their experiences, enables them to participate in second jump discounts through online purchasing. It also enables you participate in customized opt-in email champaigns such as emailing customers you haven't seen in over a year, offering them discounts durring the slow seasons when you're just trying to get the planes flying - or birthday discounts.
Having a a community website in which community members identify themselves and build dynamic content is very successful in building a relationship with your customers - rather than considering them a product on an assembly line.
I would consider the fact that you've only logged into the USPA website once in 12 years a perfect argument to how badly they need to improve their information systems.
Check your watch, it's 2007 already.
mattchristenson@realskydiving.com
http://www.RealDropzone.com - A new breed of dropzone manifest software.
sunshine 2
___________________________________________
meow
I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!
Mr17Hz 1
I was actually a bit miffed that i had to provide personal information just to continue posting on the SDC forum.
You were not required to provide any information that Skydive Chicago did not already require before being allowed to jump at the dropzone.
mattchristenson@realskydiving.com
http://www.RealDropzone.com - A new breed of dropzone manifest software.
sunshine 2
You were not required to provide any information that Skydive Chicago did not already require before being allowed to jump at the dropzone.
I know they have my info. And i think overall your software/program will help speed things along at dzs nationwide. I'm just moody about having to re-register to post on the SDC forum.
Sorry for being a butthead.
___________________________________________
meow
I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!
I like the idea and would use it.
-Eric Hoffer -
Check out these Videos
bigway 4
Billy decides that he’s going to visit a new Dropzone on the east side of town, curiously named East Side Skydiving. Billy goes to www.EastSideSkydiving.com, he is redirected to www.SkydiveSecure.org where he is asked if he would like to provide the East Side Skydiving company with access to his personal information. Billy accepts the agreement with a single click and East Side Skydiving’s Dropzone software is automatically updated with his personal information, including emergency contact information and membership numbers. All of this happened with one click of the mouse – no information had to be typed, entered manually at the Dropzone by an employee, read over the phone, or entered into 3 different software packages.
What is the need for Billy to so this?
I mean, why does he need to go to their website to start with? Surely the only reason you go to the website is to find out about the dropzone and how to get there. What is the point of leaving all this data?
I am guessing the point is you are trying to eliminate having to manifest at the dropzone when you first turn up. Are you not scared that this will make many people lose jobs, even more importantly are you not worried that the guys at the manifest dont get to talk to you and dont get to decide if you are fit enough to jump. Surely this will take away alot of safety issues and increase dangerous people on dropzones. What about the landing area briefing etc, is that going to be explained to you on a website as well?
I think you have a brilliant idea but at the same time i think you are by passing the most important stuff of turning up to a dropzone for the first time. You need to know who your sport customers are at a dropzone before you let them jump.
If i am going down the wrong path here please tell me ... but the statement i have quoted is where this reply stems from...
What is the point of all this? Why do you want everybody to have to go on the internet to sign up to each dropzone before arriving there? Where is it that you have found a need for this? Seems to me that it works well the way things are done now, why try and change things into a cyber world just to skydive?
I am not having a go Matt, i ask these questions so you can enlighten me so i understand what it is i am missing that you are seeing as from meeting you i know you are a very intelligent man and you must have some reason to be doing this for such a small community.
.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.
...I had the surreal experience of explaining to a tech crime detective what phone phreaking is.
I'm sure you did.![]()
And if you like it use it, I will not.
~ "Pack Fast, Pull Low... and Date Your Riggers WIFE!" ~
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-Eric Hoffer -
Check out these Videos
MarkM 0
You'll still have to sign and initial a waiver no matter what and filling an address, USPA and license number on the same form hardly requires a central database of information.
And for the 2-3% of skydiving websites that use auth, they're likely using it for sales which will use a shopping cart that won't integrate with your system anyway.
That is because the USPA database is a joke.
For what it is worth, I somewhat like where you are going with this idea. I think you might get more support for it if you do better to integrate with USPA. Though, who knows if they want to get involved.
The USPA database is a joke. I emailed them 2 years ago about providing a SOAP based web service that could be used to electronically query the data, they indicated that it was not likely to be in the budget and that security considerations were an issue. Security would actualy be considerably MORE secure than the existing system they have.
I mailed the USPA with a copy of the original post on this thread - I'm not sure who to contact directly but I sent it to the general mailbox. I would be really suprised if they had an IT guy on staff.
mattchristenson@realskydiving.com
http://www.RealDropzone.com - A new breed of dropzone manifest software.