How Can Watersports & Rental Companies Thrive Post COVID-19 - Q&A with Barbara Fox, CEO of Indexic
Why did you create Indexic?
Our team is just like you, we’ve experienced all the joys and frustrations of owning and operating their own tour and rental company. We’ve been in your shoes, so we not only understand the problems you’re facing but have actually dealt with them ourselves—putting us in a better position to help you truly solve them!
My husband and I owned and operated a high-speed tour boat in Charleston, SC. As the owners of a “Mom and Pop” business, we’ve each had to wear multiple hats, from captain, to tour guide, accountant, marketing guru, salesperson, and more.
After a few particularly hectic days at the dock, I realized I needed to trade my paper tour reservation system for a digital one. I wanted a simple reservation management system that she could quickly access from my cellphone while greeting and checking in guests so it wouldn’t take away from the customer experience. I knew just the guy to help her… I was married to him!
My husband, Mark, was a software developer before putting on his professional Captain’s hat, so he spent long nights in his home office creating the scheduling software I was looking for. We quickly realized that Mark had created a tour reservation system that outperformed the closest competition and could provide valuable solutions to other business owners facing similar problems. So, we decided to share our innovative technology and the rest is history—our online booking software was born!
More companies are switching to online reservation and waiver tools instead of traditional spreadsheets and follow-up booking calls. Why are online booking and waiver tools important for tour & rental companies and what advantages are there to making the switch?
In order to grow any business, you need to find opportunities to streamline and increase your operations. Manually managing booking via phone, pen, paper, and spreadsheets can take a lot of time and human resources, which can inhibit growth. Leveraging strategic software like Indexic, companies are able to offer a more streamlined checkout process to their customers, 24 hours a day, without adding additional work to internal staff. This enables the business to save on human resources and grow sales. Adding additional functionality like online waivers and schedule/asset management makes the switch a no-brainer.
How can these tools help the staff and its customers?
Instead of manually handling customer bookings, staff can instead shift focus to other areas of the business. These tools also help management as there are crucial reports that provide insight into the performance of the business.
For customers, in addition to having an easy way to book, at any time of the day or night, the system can also send appointment reminders to reduce no-shows.
How has COVID-19 affected the industry and what can companies do to rebound?
Our industry was greatly impacted by COVID-19. In order for companies to survive and grow during these times, it’s important to find ways to streamline, simplify and grow sales. This includes exploring solutions like Indexic, but also reviewing your marketing to jumpstart sales as our economy recovers, opens back up, and returns to normal.
What are some of the biggest challenges tour and rental companies face in 2021 and how can Indexic’s solutions help?
Finding cost-effective ways to attract and convert new customers. It’s important to have good visibility online as well as make it easy for customers to purchase from you. Also, having clear and transparent policies for your customers and staff. Make sure to be proactive with information so customers can stay informed and feel safe.
What are the most popular business segments you serve?
Tour companies, watersports, and rental companies. We have some very key features that are built to the unique challenges of our industry. Being able to properly track, manage and allocate resources in real-time can make a dramatic difference in staying booked and increasing profits.
What separates you from your competitors?
Our solutions and staff. Our software was created by tour & rental operators, for tour & rental operators. Indexic’s solutions meet the needs and challenges of those in our industry which can make our tool a game-changer.
Also, equally important is our amazing team. All our staff comes from the industry, so we’re able to add additional value to our clients by giving them support that is unrivaled from our competitors. We’re much smaller than our competitors, which gives us the opportunity to really understand our customers and how we can help make an impact in their business, as opposed to someone getting a different person each time they need something.
