Running an activity business is all about giving people freedom – to explore, discover, and have fun. Dealing with the day-to-day of operating your enterprise isn't always a walk in the park, however. If you don't have a firm handle on the equipment and supplies that power the good times, you'll find it impossible to keep up with demand.
Can migrating to better ATV rental software help? Here's why it all depends on which applications you pick and how to make the right choice for your recreation business and clientele.
ATV Tour & Rental Software Basics
ATV rental software helps you manage the details of your activity business. For example, it can help you keep track of your inventory, customers, and reservations.
ATV tour & rental tools include the ability to make a reservation from your website and via the phone or walk-up. They should also have a booking calendar so you can easily manage your daily activities. This can include handling electronic waivers, automating email confirmation, online payment processing, and sending text reminders. Furthermore, tools should easily manage each ATVs from a calendar, easily return or change out ATVs if one is out of order, ability to charge for fuel, automated thank you emails, and possibly a delivery/pick up report. Plus, consider what type of financial information you need and past customer reports.
Since each application varies, picking the perfect solution for your recreation business can be challenging. Start by considering the following vital questions:
What type of services and offerings will your business provide?
Depending on the services and offerings your business will provide, you may or may not need as many bells and whistles. On the other hand, picking a comprehensive booking software tool might make it easier to expand in the future. In addition, it might be feasible to look for options with different functionalities and add-ons so that you can upgrade as necessary – or downgrade to cut costs.
Which features are important to you?
Picking business software shouldn't be a toss-up, so think about the features you'd like to have and rank them in order of importance. This is the best way to approach the selection process. Look back at your busy times and identify common pain points. Such as missed phone calls, and getting relevant information such as a driver's license, and age level of experience you want to collect when making a reservation. Other items such as getting a delivery address, collecting a deposit, getting waivers signed in advance, issues with overbooking, and underutilization of the vehicles.
Here's an example: Imagine you were losing a considerable number of customers due to double-booking mistakes and availability issues. You may want to invest in a tool that offers great insight into how long each trip takes and not just how long the reservation was for. This provides you with a realistic understanding of where the gaps are and how to avoid overbooking in the future.
Always consider whether specific features could improve your operational communications to the customer and your staff and reduce inefficiencies. It's not just about the bells and whistles: You should also look for functionalities that grant you heightened access to data, expose trends, manage documentation like waivers, or help you integrate your existing tools for a more cost-effective operating strategy.
Where will you use your ATV rental software?
Many tour and rental activity companies revolve around decentralized workflows. Tasks like automated tasks, improving customer communication and service, and equipment maintenance typically take place independently, and they all demand different tools.
In short, your ATV booking software should work seamlessly anywhere you do. If it doesn't, you'll decrease your efficiency because you'll have to switch between tools to accomplish different tasks.
Applications that feature custom dashboards for different use cases and workflows greatly help. The key to efficiency is providing your team members with the appropriate information at the right times, so be sure to pick a system that doesn't overwhelm them.
Is it user-friendly?
User-friendliness isn't just something that keeps your customers happy. It's critical to run a business that operates as smoothly as possible.
Tour and Rental booking software needs to be user-friendly or straightforward to use and learn. If it isn't, employees will inevitably have to devise workarounds and hacks that lead to inefficiencies in the workplace. Although these little rough patches might not seem like much of a problem, they quickly add up when they occur dozens or even hundreds of times daily.
User-friendly booking software can also increase job satisfaction. When employees can work more efficiently and effectively because their tools are easy to use, they can focus on the critical skilled tasks you hired for – not mundane, routine office work. This leads to increased productivity and decreased turnover, not to mention making it easier for customers to put your best smile on!
Are there any specific add-ons needed?
Not every equipment tour and rental application comes with everything. However, having the ability to upgrade. Don’t be surprised by your system's capabilities – or lack thereof. Instead, you can save yourself a lot of trouble by choosing a solution upfront about what it does and doesn't include.
As we hinted earlier, it's not always wisest to go for the complete package if that's more than what you need. Add-ons can make it easier to experiment with different workflows and manage costs more effectively. It's just something to be aware of as you compare feature lists and price points.
How much can you afford?
For many activity businesses, price is the primary concern in choosing an ATV rental app. Remember, however, that the sticker price isn't the only consideration. Also, consider the time and money you might have to invest in training and whether you'll need to upgrade old legacy systems by importing old data.
Hit the Trails with Superior ATV Tour and Rental Software
ATV rental and tour software can be the foundation of the future of your business' growth. Indexic the developers of aReservation have ATV tour and rental reservation software that can optimize your operations by automating your daily monotonous tasks. This frees up resources to focus on other aspects of your business and allows you to boost the overall customer experience.
Indexic is more than just a reservation system. It is a complete end-to-end product. It manages your communication with the customer, allows for easy and convenient payment processing, and helps you run a more efficient business.
Your choice of system is the deciding factor, and Indexic makes it easy to start the journey on the right footing. Learn more by chatting with an expert today.