Colorado Time - Case Study |
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Engineers Head to the MeetsBob Clauson, who has managed swim meets for the NCAA since 1976, says "Throughout its history, Colorado Time Systems has been an innovator in aquatic timing and scoring products. Maintaining this edge takes hard work and dedication, but it also takes a good deal of insight into the needs of the aquatic community. CTS places a high premium on customer interaction." In-Touch with Customer NeedsThis was recently demonstrated by the presence of two CTS engineers at recent swimming and diving conference championship meets. Craig Jacobs and Brett Anderson spent a few weeks in February at the Big Ten and Big 12 Championships respectively. While their primary role at these events was to assist the local staff in meet organization and operation of equipment, field experience for engineers provides a unique opportunity to use CTS products in real-life situations as well as help customers better understand how to use their systems. It also allows the engineers to gain a greater awareness into the needs of customers. Mr. Jacobs, a software engineer for CTS and a graduate of Indiana University, returned to his alma mater to serve as Meet Manager for the Men's Big Ten Championships. CTS equipment has been in place at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center in Bloomington since it opened nearly a decade ago. Jay Riegle, of Riegle Timing Consultants, was also on hand, serving as Timing Equipment Operator. "It is good to know that developers at CTS have many years of field experience," said Mr. Riegle. "The fact that they continue to build upon that experience is reassuring because I know that products are being developed to meet the ever-evolving needs of this market." One week earlier, Mr. Jacobs visited The Ohio State University to oversee the diving portion of the Women's Big Ten Championships. Ohio State's new facility, the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, played host to the event. This marked the first time that the women's championship was held at OSU. Helping Events Run SmoothlyMr. Anderson graduated from the University of Minnesota and is an electrical engineer for Colorado Time Systems. Traveling to the University of Missouri, home of the new Brewer Field House, Mr. Anderson assisted the University's staff in running the first Big 12 Championships to be held at their new facility. "Between swimming and diving, having Brett from CTS on deck made any questions about whether or not things would go smoothly a non-issue," said Darin Barr, Manager of Aquatic Facilities and Programs. "In addition, we are a new facility and are still learning how to realize the full potential of our timing system and video boards. Brett was able to get all of our questions answered and helped us gain a deeper understanding of how the equipment worked." Seeing the Equipment In Action"Being involved in the actual usage of our equipment is very important," said Mr. Anderson. "Everyone does things a little differently, and going to various facilities allows us to learn what people want to do. The more we interact with coaches and customers, the more ideas we compile into potential features. When one person wants a feature, it does not always get in. When you find out that fifty people want the same thing, it makes it to the top of the list." Mr. Jacobs echoed Mr. Anderson's experience: "We take a lot of pride in our work. Seeing our equipment in action, and knowing that customers are benefiting from what we do, makes this job even more enjoyable." He went on to say, "Getting feedback from customers is very important to me. No matter how many meets I am able to go to, I will never be able to witness the full gamut of uses through which customers run our equipment. But to be able to sit down with a coach or aquatics director and discuss our equipment with them invariably leads to new features in existing systems and eventually to the development of new products that reflect the needs of the people who matter most: our customers." |
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