Barbados, West Indies, October 15, 2004
- Coast to Coast shares some thoughts on the automation of the largest reciprocal camping network in the world.
Barbados, West Indies, October 15, 2004
- When Grant Miller took the helm as President of Coast to Coast Resorts in mid-2002, he knew full well the incredible opportunity he would have to positively impact the outdoor resorts industry. Having watched Coast to Coast evolve from a simple, though cutting-edge concept, into the premier reciprocal camping network, he was quick to realize the untapped potential. From an operational standpoint, the industry as a whole - and Coast to Coast as well - functioned in a cumbersome, labor-intensive, manual environment at a time when the internet was evolving at breakneck speed.
To illustrate how it was - way back in 2002 - the "system" at the time revolved around a process whose key components were literally thousands of Camping Cards (blue for one type of Camp Resort, red for another) that churned between Members, Camp Resorts and Coast to Coast. Members purchased cards from Coast to Coast, then turned them in when they visited Camp Resorts, who then bundled them for submission to Coast for reconciliation and payment on a routine basis. There were thousands and thousands of Camping Cards, from thousands of Members, scattered among hundreds of Camp Resorts... consider just the shipping costs, not to mention the audit challenges!
Enter automation, by way of a new relationship between Coast to Coast Resorts and DigitalRez International, forged at the onset of Grant's presidency at Coast. With an emphasis on energizing the network and "growing the industry pie, not just Coast to Coast's share of it," it was abundantly clear that an entirely new and automated method of handling the basic business functions of the outdoor hospitality industry was in order. Coast to Coast was ready for change, and DigitalRez was perfectly positioned to meet the specific challenges.
Over the course of the next several months, teams of DigitalRez professionals worked diligently with Coast to Coast management to create the framework of a new model which would address key business issues:
How can we make it easier for Members to make reservations and pay for their Camp Resort stays?
How can we help our Camp Resorts function more efficiently, effectively, and profitably?
How can we provide more value for everyone we touch in the course of doing business?
How do we integrate a new system into processes and functions already in use by AGI, the parent of Coast to Coast?
As you may imagine, these drivers were only the most apparent points to be addressed, with many other critical factors emerging throughout the entire definition-of-need process. It is one thing to build an infrastructure which satisfies the engineers who imagined it, and it is an entirely different mindset to create a totally new system which is - above all else - user friendly and abundantly simple. "One particularly positive aspect of working with DigitalRez is that they take the time to understand our unique business model, and stay focused on the overriding need for simplicity," asserts Grant. "The very nature of the Camp Resort industry is counter to high-tech, high-touch technology, and this in itself can present a challenge. At the end of the day, all parties involved in doing business through and with Coast to Coast Resorts had to feel they had been well-served, with definite and tangible benefits delivered through automation. DigitalRez delivered these benefits, without fail, and in a way that enhanced the value of Coast to Coast Resorts."
So how did this new, automated infrastructure look when it was introduced on January 1, 2004?
For starters, those colorful old Camping Cards were history, replaced by a new flexible electronic currency called Trip Points. Every Member began the year with a positive balance of Trip Points, converted from the Camping Card balances they held. Opportunities to "earn" Trip Points were introduced, with almost immediate positive Member acceptance.
Tripsetter, an online reservation platform designed to accommodate Trip Points and interface with the Camp Resorts' inventory allotments was created, with accompanying written Tripsetter Training Guide and tutorials to make the transition as seamless as possible.
"In retrospect," continues Grant, "the roll-out of this new business model went remarkably well. Not only did the Camp Resorts find the new system user-friendly, our valued Members didn't hesitate to let us know how they felt about it!"
From Coast to Coast Member Lon Van Ostran, "Just a note to let you know how happy we are with the new online reservation system. We belong to Coast to Coast Resorts, RPI and AOR. We have been seriously considering dropping either RPI or Coast because we have too many memberships. Before the change, Coast to Coast was in line for us to drop. Now, you are our favorite membership. Thanks for making Coast so much better than it was before."
Without doubt, the most apparent evidence of success is found in the statistics gleaned from Tripsetter's multiple reports. In the first five months after launch Members purchased more than a million Trip Points.
58% of reservations were made online - a huge success indicator
89,000 nights were "hosted" at Camp Resorts
Over $750,000 was paid to Camp Resorts
Statistics also reveal that Members are becoming increasingly comfortable online, performing other activities such as finding their perfect resort, getting quick answers to their questions, and learning how to use their membership benefits to their best advantage.
This trend of measurable success continues to be borne out in recent system reports, and sets the stage to move into Phase 2 and Phase 3 enhancements. In addition to a number of minor enhancements which will have collective positive impact, there are two initiatives which are noteworthy:
1) IVR capability is being introduced which will enable all Members and Camp Resorts to make reservations, cancel reservations, purchase Trip Points, check Trip Points balances and perform check-in/check-out functions all through their touch tone phones.
2) Camp Resorts will have the capability to control their own inventory allocations (for RV sites and rentals), as well as control their holiday and special event blocks of inventory --- all in-house through Tripsetter. Concurrently, employee security at the resorts is being enhanced to implement necessary internal controls.
In years to come, no doubt fully-wired RV'ers will look back and recall when the outdoor hospitality industry emerged from the dark ages of paper into the point and click world. You may be sure, Coast to Coast Resorts and DigitalRez have contributed their share in the successful evolution.