1985 [PDF] - Yosemite

Fresno Reservations First Anniversaryby L. Law, Assistant Manager, ReservationsIn January of 1984, Yosemite Park and Curry Company implementedanother phase in its effort to relocate major support ser-Yosemite is more than just a room-type or a bedding configurationin a computer CRT. The "Park people" bring invaluablevices and staff from Yosemite Valley by moving the Central ReservationsCenter to Fresno.knowledge of the product for sale: the natural wonders of the mostbreathtaking National Park in the country. You just can’t trainTo accommodate ever increasing call levels from potentialsomeone to know what Yosemite is all about; you have to haveguests, the Company also purchased an IBM System 38 computerand a state-of-the-art automated call distribution system.been there to experience it yourself.The "city people" know their way around Fresno or the "realCombined, these new systems have helped to further streamlineworld" as the "Park people" call it. The "city people" bring additionalprofessional business knowledge, having worked in a varietythe reservation making process and have continued to help improveoverall guest service levels.of environments, and they know all of the good places to eat inTo manage the new Fresno operation, Deborah (Maltsberger)Fresno!McGlauflin returned to the Company in October 1983, after aOn this eve of Reservations’ first Fresno anniversary, we7-year absence. Deborah brings back five and one-half years ofthought it appropriate to find out how the "Park people" are doing,Yosemite Reservations experience and was instrumental in theand what their thoughts are. What do they like about Fresno?organization of the phone and computer system, as well as theNumber one on the list is the housing and the ability to chooserecruiting and training of the forty employees who transferred towhere they would live.Fresno from Yosemite in January 1984."My own kitchen and bathroom," says one employee. "I’m gettingtoo old to share. I love good pizza and good Mexican foodDeborah fondly recalls sitting in a "big, empty warehousebehind a folding table," with builders and phone and computerand you couldn’t get either in the Park. Fresno is also centrallypeople working busily to ready the new office for the January 1984located and it doesn’t take 21/2 hours to get someplace." Anotheropening. Long after the workers left and the new employeeslikes the selection in the grocery and clothing stores. Overall, thearrived, the folding table and the makeshift work stations remained.The office looked unorganized, but was functional forfavorite likes are, the new office and professional setting, the cityexposure, and the freedom to seek the type of life-style they like.the January 1984 target date.Several employees are here to take advantage of the collegesThe new furniture has since arrived, a’nd walk-in potential guestsand to further their educations.are welcomed without hesitation. "We’re very proud of our newWhat do they miss about Yosemite? "The inexpensive food andoffice and enjoy every opportunity to show it off," says Managerrent," comments a veteran of several Curry years. "Yosemite wasMcGlaufin. "Returning guests who remember the old office area great way to save money and you didn’t have to worry aboutimpressed and spend a little time just looking around".the phone bill because you didn’t have a phone. I miss being ableA native of Fresno, but raised in El Portal, Assistant Managerto walk to work. I have to make a lot of decisions about the wayLori Law brings 7 years of professional phone and emergencyI will live in Fresno; it’s not that easy to (make decisions) whenradio communications experience to the office. Lori worked foryou’re not used to having to. I’ll make it though, I like it downa time in the Yosemite Reservations office and returns to the Companyafter three and one-half years. "They(the Company) werehere." Traffic seems to be the greatest culture shock, secondonly to having to rely on city transportation systems if you don’ttalking about moving Reservations to Fresno when I worked inown a car.Yosemite, I just moved before they did."What do employees have to say about their first anniversaryLori kept an eye out for information about the move and whenin Fresno? "1 survived the move of January 1984!" I’m sure they’llthe Assistant Manager position appearea in a local paper, Lorialso survive several more anniversaries to come.answered the ad. "1 had heard that the Reservations Office hadmoved into a warehouse by the airport. I was pleasantly surprisedto say the least. It seems like I’ve been on the phone my entirelife and it feels natural to be talking about something I love thistime, Yosemite."Rounding out the Fresno Management Team, is Group/TourSupervisor Ellen Squires. Ellen has been with the Company since1982 and worked her way up through the "clerk-specialist" ranksto her Supervisory position. Ellen has the Group/Tour departmentwell in hand and seems to be settling into the Fresno area forthe long-haul.Aesthetically speaking, the Fresno office is now finished anda few of the original employees have gone to be replaced by"city natives." We find the mix of a few city people and "Parkpeople" to be interesting and well-balanced.