Story in Woodall’s Campground Management, Published May 29, 2020
Editor’s note: This column was written by Joe and Rose Duemig, founders of App My Community.
App My Community, creator of individual, customizable mobile apps for resorts and campgrounds, have seen first-hand how the flexibility of a mobile app has enabled our customers to continue to do business.
Each day we are hearing of updated timelines for openings and new expectations of conducting business. We have seen a surge in app usage by our customers as they prepare for taking care of their guests in the safest and most efficient way possible while focusing on customer service.
To best illustrate this increased usage of the features, let us walk through the guest experience:
Along with the normal check-in forms, Liability Waivers and Code of Conduct documents are going to be part of the norm this season in many locations. Red Eagle Family Campground, in Coe Hill, Ontario, has made these forms available within their mobile app along with agreements associated with each document for guests to complete prior to arrival to make their arrival process smoother.
Red Eagle captures the guest’s digital signature and has those signatures and agreements are available to them for their records.
Also prior to arrival, Saugeen Springs RV Park, in Hanover, Ontario, has requested that guests sign up for an arrival timeslot via their mobile app to space out arrival times. Staff are on-hand to assist in answering any questions and ensure that all forms within the app are appropriately completed and submitted in advance prior to campers entering the park.
There are many other use cases of this tool that allow sign-ups for resort amenities that were previously open for usage. Jumping pillow family time? Boat rentals? Pony rides or animal viewings? Allow your guests to still enjoy all your amenities in predetermined blocks of time to maintain social distancing protocols.
As guests drive to their site, in lieu of hand drawing map directions, guests at Mystic Quarry in Canyon Lake, Texas, have a different approach. They type their assigned site number into the map feature of the mobile app and guests can view entrance and exit directions to their individual site. Pull-through versus back-in specifics are also noted per site.
During their stay, it is important to keep guests aware of the constantly changing status of not just the park as a whole, but the individual amenities within your park. Holiday Trav-L Park in Emerald Isle, N.C., has created a specialized category within their app to keep guests informed with regular updates as they become known. This section also has the most up to date overview of the status of its services and amenities as well. Examples include – are the laundry facilities or comfort stations open or closed? This overview is easy to update and in a prominent location for quick access.
Pirateland Family Campground in Myrtle Beach has utilized push notifications with updates on the status of the campground as well. Notifications can be sent to specific types of campers to share pertinent information to that group (examples include seasonal campers versus transient).
It is not all work and no play though, RiverBend RV Resort in Watertown Wisc., will be offering multiple types of scavenger hunts for their guests to enjoy during their stay. Scavenger hunts can be created for recreation purposes, learning what is within the app or even for new employee orientation. Answers can be photo-based, QR code-based, or question and answer formats.
Of course, being able to provide basic services is also important to both the camper experience and aiding in revenue generation. Lakeview RV Park & Cabins in Chilton, Wisc., has created multiple sections for guests to make purchases while at their campground. Everything from advertising sites, to Friday Night Fish Fry’s, to firewood, to basic store items, can all be purchased via their app. When setting up the store, campgrounds can choose to give their guests the option to pay via credit card, bill to site or, for our Canadian clients, E-Transfer instructions.
Do not underestimate departure day as well. Remind them to book their next stay. All of our clients either link directly to their online reservation websites, a phone number, or a reservation request form within their app to make it easy to book additional reservations.
Visit https://www.appmycommunity.com/social-distancing/ to learn more about these and many other tools your own mobile app can provide.
For more app use cases, follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/appmycommunity/
