How Experience Operators and Small Campground Operators do business has changed. To stay competitive and grow, small and medium-sized businesses need to adopt new digital tools and technology.
What does this ‘Digital Transformation’ buzzword even mean?
Digital technology provides us with immediate access, via a Smart Phone, to virtually any person, all useful knowledge, and any market we could do business in. This has fundamentally changed the way consumers expect to buy and the ways a company can create value.
Digital Transformation (DT) is the process of making changes – automating processes, using social media for marketing, collecting and understanding data, and offering new products and services made possible because of digital technology.
Ignoring DT is no longer an option – Experience Operators are using technology to improve what they do and how they do it, and profiting as a result.
You can improve the customer experience by ensuring that each of their digital touch-points are extremely user-friendly and engaging. This includes email, social media, online ads, blogs, video and booking management systems. This is where your customers are! They are researching online, booking online and making decisions on where to go based on social media commentary.
For us Canadians, the Government of Canada has announced a new Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) to help get your business online, give your e-commerce presence a boost or help digitalize your business’s operations. There are two separate funding programs and integrating an automated booking management system is an eligible transformation!
Grow Your Business Online (Grant Program)
This program was designed for smaller, consumer-facing businesses, including those in service industries. Its intention is to help smaller businesses increase their e-commerce engagement by supporting a wide range of digital activities, including booking management technology, website development, search engine optimization, subscription fees for e-commerce platforms, and the implementation of social media advertising. Its a $2400 grant program and does not require repayment.
Boost Your Business Technology (Funding Program)
This program was designed for Canadian SMEs that want to accelerate their digital transformation and further improve their productivity to become more competitive in the digital marketplace. A funding program, repayment is required, however interest rates range from 0 to single-digit percentages depending on the funding source. You could be eligible if you have between 1 and 499 employess and revenues between $500,000 and $100Mil.
Cybele Negris, owner of Webnames.ca, has a wonderful article about DT and Canadian Funding Opportunities here
With or without the funding, it’s time to ‘transform’ and automate your booking management admin tasks
- automatically populate and update website with pricing, dates and availability.
- automatically send custom invoices, statements, balance due reminders, pre and post trip emails.
- offer guests a login link to complete guest information fields and make balance payment on their own in a secure environment.
- automatically control availability of vessels allowing ability to offer multiple different tour options without losing control or risking over booking.
- automatically populate and update website with pricing, dates and availability with e-commerce online booking and payment.
Click here for a more complete look at tasks you can easily automate and SAVE TIME.
Focus on your guests! Let us handle the rest.
Photo credits – – @boris79 @criene @digitalshape