Marinas are another sector in which apps have a useful role to play. At Sydney Harbour Boat Storage in Balmain, the company is using the US-developed BoatCloud app to enable customers to book launch times through their phones. Customers simply log-in via the app and make a reservations for the times they want to go out. The app only shows the launch dates and times that are currently available so they can’t select a time which is already booked. They can also order extra services such as food and drink.
For the customer, the appeal of the app is that it enables confirmed reservations to be made 24/7; there’s no need for phone callbacks or waiting for email confirmations. There are no double bookings or confusion over what time was booked. From the business perspective, staff can use the app to get a live picture of what is scheduled and the valet services required for each launch. The forklift driver can have a tablet version out on the dock and update the launch schedule as each boat is put in the water or retrieved. The system also generates reports to show how efficient the yard has been and when the busy periods are.
According to Jeremy Rose at Sydney Harbour Boat Storage, another key advantage of BoatCloud is that it integrates with the MyTaskit marina management software which the company is planning to implement. MyTaskit is a US-based software platform designed to manage marina and service yard operations such as service requests, estimates, job approvals and scheduling plus billing, inventory and accounts. This is important because although having a user-friendly app for customers to make bookings is an advantage, it also needs to integrate with the back office functions so there is no manual transferring of information, no double data entry – tasks which are inefficient and error-prone.
The combination of BoatCloud and MyTaskit provides a holistic approach from the moment the customer pulls out their phone to make a booking through to the scheduling, job tracking and ultimately the payment for services provided.
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