The question: “I have a special needs child. Can we still do your activity?
Welcome to “Outfitter Spy,” a collaborative effort between America Outdoors Association, Adventure Park Insider, and Granite Insurance. Adventure Park Insider has been doing these “Spy” calls to zip lines and aerial adventure parks all around the nation for many years now, and operators of those businesses use the published dialogue and comments as a staff training tool. So, we thought, why not bring this to the larger outfitter community?
What can you expect in “Outfitter Spy”? Difficult, and sometimes silly, questions are asked by an anonymous Spy caller. The staffer answering the phone is rated 0-10 on how they handled the question. The outfitter whose staff gets the highest score is revealed as the winner for that month’s question.
For this second installment of America Outdoors Association’s “Outfitter Spy,” some staffers nailed it by asking clarifying questions, thinking outside the box on how to best accommodate, and offering solutions on how to make our family adventure successful.
Have you been asked a tricky question recently? Send it to news@americaoutdoors.org for Outfitter Spy to pose to other outfitters. We won’t tell anyone the question came from you. Plus, if we use it, your operation is immune for that month’s article!
Outfitter #1, NC
Score: 5/10
Spy: "I have a special needs child. Can we still do your activity?"
Staff: OK. Caving is really like going on an underground hike. Um, so there are some rooms in the cave that are bigger than buildings. There are some smaller crawls. There are some tight crawls, um, that are optional. So, like, if, somebody in the group wanted to go a different route that would maybe be a bit easier, we can do that. But we really tailor it to the um, kind of trip that day. However far you guys want to go kind of thing.
Spy: OK, that sounds good. She definitely struggles with, like, being rushed, and just takes some time to get familiar with a new situation and everything. Will we be feeling rushed that day? I don’t know what to expect on that.
Staff: No, I mean, they are usually smaller trips that we take into the cave as it is, so we just kind of move at the pace of everybody.
Spy: Got it. Have you had anyone with special needs go on a caving trip?
Staff: Yeah, I mean, we’ve even had somebody with cerebral palsy go in the cave, um, and actually did pretty good.
Spy: Oh, alright. Well, thank you.
Staff: Yeah! And if you have any other questions, my name is *, and we are happy to help.
Spy: Great! Thanks again.
Score: 5
Positives: The staffer described a bit about what to expect, and expressed flexibility in the adventure, including the reality of having smaller group sizes.
Negatives: The staffer should have asked what our child’s limitations are. Without knowing what kinds of limitations we might have, it feels irresponsible to promote confidence in my child’s ability to fully participate. Perhaps going in a private group might make sense, but no other accommodations were offered up. And without being encouraged to make a reservation, I must be able to just show up?
Outfitter #2, MI
Score: 7/10
Spy: "I have a special needs child. Can we still do your activity?"
Staff: Yeah! So, um, we could probably put you and her together, maybe in a tandem [sea kayak]. Um, and that’s something, too, that if you would like, if you came early to the shop, um, we could kind of get you set up before the tour even starts and see if it’s something that you guys would be comfortable doing. Um, and then we’d have the guides here, too. That could kind of just make sure it feels good and that you’d be safe out in the water. But, yeah! It sounds like something we could figure out!
Spy: That sounds great. Thank you. Yeah, I think that getting there early and just being able to try things out would really help. She definitely gets high anxiety when, you know, we’re putting on different gear to anything that she’s not used to wearing, or, like, meeting new people. Being able to take her time with that kind of stuff would be helpful.
Staff: Yeah! And especially later in the season, um, sometimes during midseason, we won’t require wetsuits, but kind of towards the end, the waters are starting to get a bit colder again.
Spy: So wetsuits are probably going to be mandatory?
Staff: By the time you’re here, I’m guessing, yeah. I mean, sometimes the weather is super warm outside and it’s hard to tell. But yeah, we might have to put her in a wetsuit. So, just something to think about because I know that’s kind of uncomfortable, too.
Spy: Yeah, she might struggle with that. Um, around when would you estimate starting to need wetsuits?
Staff: Um, it’s kind of hard to say. Definitely in October, I think it’s going to be a definite there. But mid-September is sometimes nicer.
Spy: OK.
Staff: It’s kind of hard to say, but the earlier the better.
Spy: OK, that’s helpful. We’ll chat about it and see what we can make work.
Staff: Yeah! Perfect.
Spy: OK, awesome. Thank you so much!
Staff: Yeah, for sure. Hope to see you then!
Score: 7
Positives: With a super friendly tone, this staffer was eager to please, very thoughtful, and anticipated needs my family might have (like the potential need to avoid wetsuit season). They also invited us to come early and check out the gear, sit in the boat to gauge our child’s comfort level, and meet the guides. Fantastic work. I felt well-taken care of.
Negatives: They never asked what type of special needs we were dealing with, or what specific concerns we had. Understanding my concerns or our group’s potential limitations could be helpful here. No real description of the adventure was provided to ensure I understand the activity’s demands or whether it’s just a simple/easy float. And I wasn’t encouraged to make a reservation—again, can I just show up? And even if the answer to that is “yes,” wouldn’t you want to lock in the revenue when given the chance?
Outfitter #3, TN
Score: 7/10
Spy: "I have a special needs child. Can we still do your activity?"
Staff: Can you tell me a little bit more, um, about her special needs? Like, is she able to walk on her own or is she wheelchair bound, or?
Spy: Yeah, so she has autism. High anxiety with new activities, wearing new gear, meeting new people. That kind of stuff.
Staff: Gotcha. OK, so it might just take some additional patience. Um, that, we’ve actually worked with before! Wheelchairs or loss of sight are a little bit different. I will go ahead and tell you my, um, project manager that does all of our, like, he doesn’t lead all of them, but he does all of the booking and the talking to people about backpacking trips. He’s actually on his own backpacking trip for vacation right now. So, I won’t be able to give you a whole lot of information. But, um, I do want to get some more stuff from you. So, there is going to be three of y’all?
Spy: That’s correct.
Staff: And when are y’all looking at doing this?
Spy: Well, we’re still figuring that out. Maybe this fall? It’s all up in the air still.
Staff: OK, um, and how many nights are y’all wanting to be out?
Spy: Um, well, we’ve never backpacked before, so I was going to talk to you about that and see what you recommended.
Staff: OK, um, ‘cause we do, I mean obviously we do stuff as short as one night and we do multiple nights. For someone’s first trip, a one-night trip might be the ticket so that it’s a little taste of it, but not too much.
Spy: OK. And I’d like to see her try and carry her own pack, to have that experience. But she definitely struggles wearing new gear and stuff. How has that gone for you guys in the past?
Staff: Well, it really depends on the person. We can put a backpack on her before your trip goes out and see how it goes for her. If it’s a no, we can spread the pack contents out between you all instead.
Spy: OK, that sounds great.
Staff: Sure! Let me get your phone number from you so that when my project manager is back, he can call you and talk through the details.
Spy: [gave my contact info, staffer said they’d call me back in a few days]
Score: 7
Positives: The staffer immediately asked the important questions to understand our limitations or potential concerns, so they could best speak to feasibility. They showed interest in accommodating us by using a friendly/positive tone and discussing ways to make the trip a success for a first-time backpacker. They took my phone number, so they could follow up with more details and to potentially get a reservation locked in.
Negatives: Perhaps this would be further addressed when the project manager called me back, but I didn’t feel like expectations of the adventure were really discussed. What should I expect out of something like this? Are there options on length of the hike in? They didn’t have a lot of information to share with me and deferred a lot of the conversation to later, but they were friendly and helpful in setting us up for next steps.
Outfitter #4, CO
Score: 9/10
Spy: "I have a special needs child. Can we still do your activity?"
Staff: OK, if you don’t mind me asking, how old is she and what are the special needs that we would be working with?
Spy: Sure. So, she’s 11 years old, she has autism. That can display a lot of different ways in different people. So, I would describe her as generally high anxiety when in new situations, where there’s a lot of people, or if she’s being rushed. Or, you know, getting familiar with new gear or new equipment or something that she has to wear. Um, it just kind of takes her a minute to get comfortable with things.
Staff: Um, we’ve had people with autism here before, and, um, you know, we just try to accommodate as much as possible. Uh, and parents are obviously usually very helpful in that regard, too. Um, depending on the time you are looking at, we might be able to find some weeks with, uh, some smaller amounts of kids coming. So maybe there’s not as many, like, loud noises or stuff like that. She would technically be in our teenage program, but if you’d prefer to have her go with our other program of younger kids, we could do that as well. We’ve had people do that sometimes, too.
Spy: OK. And is that something that I’d be able to do with her when it comes to the activities?
Staff: Um, a lot of times, the parents don’t go with the kids, but that’s not to say that they can’t. So, you could definitely go with her. Um, and you know, at least for the first couple of days, and then if you feel more comfortable, then you can go into your own thing. But you are always welcome to go with her if that’s what she would prefer.
Spy: OK.
Staff: And she’s always more than welcome to go with you instead of with the kids programs, too, if that would be something that might seem better.
Spy: OK. Yeah, I think that, um, just having that flexibility is great. I mean, she’s never been horseback riding or rafting or any of that. So, I’m just a little bit nervous going into it, not really sure how she’ll react.
Staff: Yeah, that makes sense. A lot of people do, and I’m not sure if this is something you’re able to do, but before they come, they go and find a barn or something nearby that might be able to, um, at least get some interaction with the horses and that kind of thing. Maybe even getting a little bit of riding in. We do ride western here, so, um, I know you said that she has a little bit of trouble, you know, getting into new gear and suff. Um, but we always take it slow on the first day, and the second day we can go into more advanced rides and such, but we can also stay, um, we can just do lows all week long if that’s what you would like to do.
Spy: Yeah, I’m just not really sure how she’s going to do with just, like, having to physically have a continuous grasp on things, like the oar, or like the, um, line that she holds onto with the horse or anything like that. I’m just not sure how well she’ll be able to do that continuously.
Staff: OK. And that could be something that we kind of figure out by trial and error. You know, we have a very good program. I will say, I would recommend maybe one of our earlier or later weeks where we have less kids and less guests in general. Because we might be able to devote, um, one or two wranglers just to focus on her. Um, so that might be a thought to consider.
Spy: OK. And when would that be?
Staff: [provides options]
Spy: Perfect. I’ll talk with my partner about those and see what we can make happen. Thank you so much! That’s all really helpful.
Staff: Oh, not a problem. All right, take care. Bye-bye!
Score: 9 (WINNER!)
Positives: Fantastic work here. The staffer immediately wanted to better understand my child’s “special needs,” what that might entail, and from start to finish was very accommodating. They were creative with solutions, offering many different options and instilling confidence that we can find a way to be successful with this family adventure. There was such a friendly tone throughout the conversation, confidence in their speech, and patience in addressing my concerns.
Negatives: Still several “ums,” and no reservation encouraged. Let’s lock in these revenue opportunities! What is the caller’s call to action? A call to action should be given at the end of every conversation with a prospective visitor.
Conclusion:
Overall, this question was well handled by this installment’s collection of outfitters. Curiosity is always a positive in conversations—asking questions can help you better understand and assist the caller, homing in on the correct answers for their situation. I’d encourage staffers to display more curiosity.
Also, there is room for improvement in ending the call with a call to action. Let’s encourage reservations! How far in advance should they reserve? How can they reserve? If they don’t reserve in advance, are they likely to miss their chance to adventure with you because things sell out early? All of this is important information to convey, and encouraging reservations will better help your company lock in revenue earlier and more frequently.