Building a connected workplace
at an amusement park

Discover how Djurs Sommerland is bringing workers together and reimagining internal communication with the launch of their new branded employee app.

About the
company

Djurs Sommerland is an internationally recognized amusement park based in Djursland, Denmark, with attractions for the whole family. Visitors come from near and far to Scandinavia’s largest summerland for an experience to remember.

Key Wins

“Sjovere for alle” or “fun for everyone” is at the heart of Djurs Sommerland's promise to not only their guests but also employees. In fact, an impressive, inclusive, and welcoming work environment that brings joy to all team members is a priority for the amusement park. Aiming for a more connected workplace, one with an employee experience to be proud of, management decided to partner with Actimo - a Kahoot! company. This is a story about the launch of their very own employee app.

98% of employees used their Actimo app within 14 days of launch. And 100% have it on their phone, even 4 months later. It’s become widely accepted by the workforce of more than 700 employees!!

Communication is more seamless between supervisors and their teams, and coordination across seasonal employees has never been easier.

Coming soon by popular demand: more on-the-go training for employees, including videos like “how to serve the perfect soft ice.” This will be across several departments.

How to launch an employee app:
“Go all-in!”

It’s been almost 4 months since roll-out and today 100% of team members at Djurs Sommerland have their branded employee app on their smartphone. Pernille Duhont, their Operations Manager, describes the launch of the employee engagement solution, named “Medarbejderuniverset,” which translates to “Cast Member Universe” in English, as a success. She made it clear: user-friendliness is a favorite and employees having to find scattered information is a thing of the past.

“We don't need to use Facebook. We don't need to send out emails or texts, and we don't need to call cast members [employees] anymore. Everything is in one app now and it's just so easy to use. It's so easy to get in contact.”

Pernille Duhont, Operations Manager at Djurs Sommerland

Director of Djurs Sommerland

Trusting the Actimo team and brand name, Pernille and the owner and Director of the park, Michael B. Nielsen, were strategic in their Actimo launch. And it paid off. “We could see that people accepted it so rapidly, ” says Pernille.

*Picture shows Michael B. Nielsen, Director at Djurs Sommerland.*

She mostly credits making it their primary form of internal communication from the get-go for it becoming a hit. 98% of employees had been active on the app by day 14 after launch. They built momentum by teasing an exciting announcement on a certain Friday, and on that day a new tool to connect the workforce and serve as their primary source of information was up-and-running. Pernille shares they sent encouraging updates like “We’re at 400 downloads, let’s see if we can get to 100% by the end of the week!” Thereby, making the app’s implementation a collaborative effort across the company.

As months have passed, Djurs Sommerland has taken advantage of being able to change the employee app’s look throughout the seasons! In particular, posting a variety of helpful content has kept employees’ eyes on the platform. Yes, some posts are reminders for people to wear their hats. Yet, Pernille clarifies they “try to communicate in fun ways too.” She shares that their app has worked well to run competitions, like a popular guessing game on how many churros have been sold since they opened. Recently they’ve also started making more material available to employees through training Academies within their app. 

 

Connecting all employees
to the info they want and need

“Instead of getting a piece of paper every day, they can just check their phone when they get to their workplace,” states the amusement park’s Operations Manager about how communication has changed for them.

Indeed, Pernille details that Djurs Sommerland no longer prints standard operation procedure manuals, nor 150 pages to be handed out to employees every day upon arrival at the park. Now, the basics like the name of the duty manager, who is working, opening and closing time, and how many guests are expected, are all easily delivered and accessible to every employee on demand. 

It’s not all one-way information though! Their Operations Manager highlights that beyond being able to send helpful operational updates, the app has helped cultivate a sense of community in their organization.

Employees are using their Actimo app to connect with their peers, wherever they may be located.

“We love how Actimo brings all employees together. It definitely creates a feeling of togetherness and of belonging to the Djurs Sommerland family.”

Pernille Duhont, Operations Manager at Djurs Sommerland

For example, recognition posts celebrating “The Best of the Best” employees (those awarded for getting guest compliments) are connecting the workforce. Colleagues have joined in celebrating their colleagues with Likes and comments.

 

Additionally, team members are taking advantage of social groups on the app to arrange shared rides to the amusement park, since many of them live far from it. 

And several supervisors have also proactively created groups to easily engage with their teams, get feedback, and share best practice videos like those on how to clean a certain area, for example. 

Unsurprisingly, employees seem to love seeing video messages from management. Pernille shares that these also get a lot of engagement. As an Actimo admin, she is able to access these and other insights. 

“Instead of giving them a book where and not being sure if they read it, we can actually see if they even open it,” the Operations Manager says about the company handbook, for example. She has also been keeping an eye on how people engage with regular updates, videos, and training. 

A future with employee training
in their flow of work

The recognized amusement park already has 2 Academies (mini-courses) available on the go via their employee app. One of these is about the company handbook, and another one is about standard operational procedures. Pernille shares that she’s glad to be able to see completion insights and follow up with those that haven’t.

She also says employee feedback for Academies on the app has been positive at all levels. The animated fireworks, a game-like element triggered upon completing a lesson, seem to have made an impression.

“We’re going to spend the winter making even more videos and academies, that’s for sure, because these are a really good way to communicate,” details Pernille.

 She elaborates that connecting employees to demonstrative content will likely expand beyond the Food and Beverage department. They already have videos on things like how to make the perfect ice cream, and how to make churros. Ticketing and Retail departments may be joining in next!

“I’d say you pretty much hit the nail on what we needed in this park because we can do anything we want to with this app. I’m sure that we have not even started to use 20% of what the platform is capable of, so we’re excited to see what we can do with it in the future,"

concludes Pernille.

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