Club_It_Part_One

Week Four Assignment: Club IT Part One Axia College of University of Phoenix ClubIT which is owned and operated by Ruben Keys and Lisa Tejada has emerged as the most current and forward-thinking night club to hit the downtown area. They have combined information technology with dancing, music, food and drink in an effort to bring music lovers and computer techies alike together in one space to create the ultimate information sharing experience. ClubIT has incorporated technology in every aspect of their business. They have an internet and intranet website in order to address information resource needs both internally and externally. Their public website offers a bird’s eye view of the nightclub and its offerings. Within their intranet site ClubIT links their data spreadsheets for information on sales, operating budgets, and inventory in addition to other employee resources. Although they have incorporated many different services on both internal and external web pages, there are still enhancements that could bring many improvements. As we discuss the various resources that ClubIT uses, useful suggestions on information technology will be provided. Looking first at the current systems, ClubIT has a comprehensive website that provides sufficient information about how the nightclub was formed and it provides excellent background information on the owners. Their mission statement explains their desire to meet the needs of their customers and provide music and a welcoming environment through the latest technology available. The members plan to put their mission statement into action with the help of their educational backgrounds which were provided in the ClubIT biography or “About Us” section. Their mission statement could be expanded through an increased focus on the technology the plan to use to set the club apart from other nightclubs in the area. Including a small portion of that explanation would also bring the focus back to “IT” or information technology and would tie their name and their focal point together. The ClubIT customer website also includes a description of the types of music they provide on various nights. They offer a well-balanced mix of digital audio as well as live music. This section of the website could be enhanced by providing links to some sample MP3 clips of both live and digital music that are provided at the nightclub. They could also provide a link to performing artists’ webpage so that customers can catch a glimpse of the live music that would be playing. The dining menu provides a listing of food and beverage available at the nightclub. One suggestion for this portion of the webpage would be to incorporate photos of the foods and beverage from the menu. The merchandise tab includes photos of the available ClubIT merchandise available for purchase. This tab provided a perfect example of marketing and advertising. The nightclub shows their marketing and advertising through their company logo on various items. The prices listed are reasonable and appropriate for the items selected. The discount offered to ClubIT members also entices first-time visitors to consider joining for the incentives. The ClubIT staff and club layout designs are beneficial to customers as they serve as good marketing and advertising tools for large parties or events. If the customer is able to view the layout and know the number of staff on hand, they may be more inclined to consider hosting a large party or celebratory event at the nightclub. One suggestion to enhance these sections would be to include actual photos of staff and the nightclub as this would increase the appeal of the nightclub. An additional suggestion for the public webpage would be the incorporation of a “Contact Us” or virtual suggestion box. This area would allow the consumer to submit any compliments or complaints about their nightclub experience. This area would also allow the consumer to submit suggestions to nightclub staff on what changes or additions could be made to increase the consumer’s nightclub experience. Requests for direct or immediate reply would be routed directly to nightclub management for review and response. The employee portal is where all the internal company information is located. ClubIT organizes their sales, ordering, and budget information in this portal. The nightclub tracks their sales and budget data with the use of spreadsheets. Their spreadsheets highlight complete profits and expenses as well as inventory. The data contained in the spreadsheets help to keep the staff abreast of the items that are in demand and items that are not so popular. Keeping track of this type of data allows the staff to make adjustments as necessary. In addition to the data maintained on the spreadsheets, the nightclub also provides links to the supplier’s website for ease of ordering. Their staff forms section in the employee portal provides access to commonly used forms. The forms are housed in the Microsoft Word program and are accessible through hyperlinks on the portal’s main page. Another key component of their employee portal is the contact information that they provide. The staff provides SMS text contact numbers for each of their staff members for ease of communication. Not only does SMS text make communication amongst staff easier, but it also increases the type of information technology used at ClubIT. One enhancement that could increase information technology use in this section would be the use of Adobe Professional. The incorporation of Adobe for document viewing would maximize space of the portal. Examples of the documents that could be viewed with Adobe would be employee payroll statements and the employee resource manual. Using Adobe to house this information would allow the staff to view previous statements in addition to current information. In conclusion, ClubIT has many information technology tools in use currently that help the company meet their mission statement. The online access to club dining and music options allows the consumer to preview the nightclub experience before hand in addition to purchase nightclub merchandise. The suggestions provided would enhance the IT experience overall and would increase customer satisfaction and potential profitability. The suggestions presented for the employee portal will help to bring existing information to the employees at a faster pace. The suggested enhancements would provide organization to the staff information and would make room for other new items as they become available.