(This article posted by Sharon Drechsler)

Michele Colson from VSA Resorts was kind enough to spare a few words for my article in the November/December 2009 issue of ARDA’s Developments magazine. Here is an excerpt from my article, “Killer Apps”:

Some geek, somewhere — probably wearing horned rim spectacles he’d bought in the ‘80s – once upon a time excitedly dubbed a vital new software application he’d written a ‘killer app.’ The jargon stuck and today, Wikipedia defines killer apps as “any computer program that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology.” In other words, a killer application in our business can make your resort run a whole lot smoother.

So, what are the latest killer apps in the timeshare software environment? According to VSA Resorts VP of Operations Michele Colson, they are the software tools that help get her staff through a busy summer weekend. “We had the busiest summer season I’ve seen in years,” said Colson. She’s still feeling breathless from the experience. “Our resort properties in Virginia Beach are a popular drive-to destination for the entire Washington, DC metropolitan area, as well as Richmond, Virginia. Ordinarily, we see a steady stream of vacationers during the season, but this year was just wild! I think people who would ordinarily have taken their vacations in Orlando or Europe decided to stick closer to home this year.”
“This year we introduced what our software company, SPI, is calling Curbside Check-in. It  It’s a way for our security guards to register guests using a wireless device to  get them a card key right on-site when they arrive in the parking lot.”

Colson also is enthusiastic about SPI’s Orange Task Manager. “Our department managers and I can schedule activities for ourselves and for our staff to make sure nothing falls through the cracks and so that we have a documented record to show our Board, if necessary. The system will be great for me, because today, I send emails or leave voice mail messages to tell one of our maintenance staff to take a look at an air conditioning unit, for example. I either get back an email or a phone call to tell me what happened: whether it’s fixed or perhaps telling me I need to take the unit down while we wait for a part. With the task management application, we’ll be able to use one centralized platform to communicate and we’ll have a permanent record. We won’t have to wonder whether or not someone got our message or whether or not a task is completed.”

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~Sharon for SPI