While technology is always becoming a larger part of life, it seems to have taken a special leap over the past half decade.
Trends have converged from both the supplier and user sides of the equation to result in a quick fast forward in how the industry approaches technology. On the supplier side, we have equipment and chemical manufacturers commissioning the development of apps and with other means of remotely controlling and monitoring their systems. Meanwhile, pools and aquatics have come on the radar for more software and app creators, who are taking products they’ve created for other industries and tailoring them for our use.
On the user side, the generational changing of the guard provides one driver of progress, as employees become more accustomed to and expectant of technology. And, of course, external factors such as COVID, budget tightening and staff shortages have compelled operations of all stripes to seek more efficient means of performing their tasks. So teams have become ever more creative in how they use even long-standing technologies.
“Ten years ago we would talk about how a pool guy might not even have a cell phone, so he’s not going to want an app to learn the pool volume,” says Kevin Post, CEO of St. Louis-based aquatics firm Counsilman-Hunsaker. “Now it’s expected to be from the digital age. Not only pool-specific apps, but apps for [general business] are becoming more common and expected, where before we were getting pushback.”
Additionally, more comprehensive platforms are being released that include just about all the functions one facility would need, from swim instruction to competitive swimming to staff education and certification.
“I think you’re going to see some pretty new and affordable options coming out in the next year,” says Mick Nelson, co-owner of Total Aquatic Programming in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Nobody wants or expects machines to ever fully replace humans. But aquatics managers are finding ways to use technology to stretch out their staffs and enable certain services and functions 24/7 rather than just during business hours. Here are some ways it’s being done now and some hopes for the future.
Constant supervision
When it comes to running the pools and physical facility, managers are making use of more apps and other technologies to monitor the various systems and equipment.
Email and text notifications alert operators when attention is needed, whether it’s a repair, replacement or simple chemical adjustment. Putting these virtual diagnosticians to work constantly not only helps prevent needed closures in the immediate term by notifying when there’s a problem that must be fixed right away. They also let you know when certain maintenance is needed to prolong the life of the equipment and eliminate problems that would necessitate a repair and potential shut-down in the future.
Many of these apps and systems deliver a side benefit — namely that they store an intense amount of data about such operational issues as the water’s chemical parameters at any given time. Making use of this data can provide information to help professionals track patterns and instantly generate reports that would have taken hours or even days in the fairly recent past. It also can help better track costs of supplies and predict how much to order.
“It also helps with maintenance schedules, especially if dealing with state inspections,” Nelson says. “We don’t have to hand-fill-out the forms to show when we tested the water, when we backwashed, etc. That can be computerized, and you can email it to the state.”
This is an area where the aquatics field has especially seen an increase in activity. “There are 10 apps now just for the pump room and tracking your chemical feeders,” Nelson observes.
On the management and programming side, platforms can be used for a similar purpose. They ease the tracking of continuing education credits, for instance. They also tally attendance for various courses and sessions to help determine which are more popular, and how much revenue they each generate. For competitive swimming, it can more easily keep track of times and attendance.
“I used to carry a huge binder with every swimmer and every event, and we wrote that [data] by hand,” says Sue Nelson, also co-owner of Total Aquatic Programming.
Adds Mick Nelson: “After a typical swim meet on a Monday morning, it would take six to seven hours to consolidate all that information. Now you look at it on a Monday morning, and it’s all on your computer.”
When choosing apps or platforms for this purpose, Post advises, keep things simple. Make sure to account for all the functions you need, but don’t get carried away. Things become too expensive and complicated otherwise.
“Less is more,” Post says. “I think people go into it thinking the app is going to solve everything, that technology is going to do everything. That’s not the case, and you’ll be disappointed. You don’t want to overspend on things you don’t need or aren’t going to use.”
As appealing as it may sound, think at least twice before having a custom program created, he adds.
“[It can] turn into a never-ending cost,” he says. “If you make a one-off, then every time an update comes out, every time Android comes out with an update, you have to fix it.”
Do plenty of research before choosing one, Sue Nelson advises. And don’t base decisions on what works for others, as each operation will have its own needs. “But if you don’t know what questions to ask, talk to somebody who uses this technology,” she says.
Video supplement
When it comes to programming, instructors and managers have begun using two easily accessible technologies to help: Television/computer monitors, and tablet computers.
Over the years, monitors have been increasingly used as signage or billboards to make announcements or provide direction. But now, instructors and operators will bring them on the pool deck more often to help with programming or instruction.
Large monitors can project exercises, activities or therapy movements for a class, freeing the teacher from having to demonstrate the movements in person so they can instead use their time going from student to student to help them make adjustments. Swim coaches also make use of the technology during training, providing personalized coaching while athletes follow the film.
“Health clubs started this — you could go on a treadmill and watch something,” Mick Nelson says. “Now we’ve taken it to a totally new level.”
The use of tablets has become more practical with the development of water-resistant versions. Students, trainees, patients or visitors can use the devices to follow their own video recorded exercise or therapy session.
“An individual can go online and purchase a program … that will provide them with a workout to do, generally or specifically designed for them,” Sue Nelson says. “They put that on the side of the deck and do their own thing.”
In a class or group therapy setting, this allows each student to have their own routine, while trainers or instructors monitor and offer advice.
When using monitors or tablets, it should be in the context of a blended program, Sue Nelson says. Videos aren’t meant to replace in-person training, but used in combination. Or perhaps occasionally when an instructor can’t be there in person.
Artificial Intelligence
With all the talk about artificial intelligence (AI), most of its usefulness right now falls under the service categories, generally on phones, apps or through chatbots on websites.
“It’s more about language and the ability to talk and interact,” Post says.
For instance, AI “agents” may answer questions to commonly asked questions based on a text.
They can also alleviate some of the front-office duties. “I would recommend a facility have something like that to answer the phone, [rather than] having a lifeguard answering the phone.”
AI also could be used to help analyze data from such documentation as chemical logs and incident reports or equipment such as chemical controllers to detect trends, make predictions and perform a debrief of the season or year.
“AI gives us a tool to really dig into that stuff,” Post says. “You upload those documents, it can read handwriting to some extent, and you ask questions about the risk reports … It does data analysis very well and quickly. Things that take a long time and aren’t always worth the effort if done by a person could take seconds with AI.”
Post sees this as a way to make use of information that’s already available but goes untapped.
